In New Zealand there is a strong case to be made for increasing the availability of IPS services across the country.
Recent research reports the inequity of access to supported employment services across the country, and that where there are IPS services, there is not enough employment support resource for the number of people who want help to get a job. People in contact with mental health and addiction services actively want to work, yet have very low levels of employment participation – despite IPS practices being known to effectively support people to get and keep a job.
Articles 26 and 27 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities specifically highlight the inequity of disabled people in relation to employment participation and explicitly call for better access to quality employment support services.
Supporting people who experience mental health conditions and addictions benefits individuals and family/whānau. The costs of providing the supported employment services are easily recouped through the outcomes they obtain.
References:
Lockett, H., Waghorn, G., Kydd, R. & Chant, D. (2016). Predictive validity of evidence-based practices in supported employment: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Mental Health Review Journal, 21(4), 261-281.
OECD (2018), Mental Health and Work: New Zealand, Mental Health and Work, OECD Publishing, Paris. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264307315-en.
Priest, B. (2018). IPS implementation support in New Zealand. [PowerPoint template]. Retreived from Work Counts.
OECD Mental Health and Work: New Zealand Report Released in December 2018, this report informs how to increase access to evidence-based practices in mental health and employment in New Zealand.
