STATUS EMPLOYMENT

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STATUS EMPLOYMENT

• MENTAL HEALTH FORENSIC CANDIDATES
• Paul Goddard
• Earlyne Jordan

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MISSION STATEMENT

•  
• Status Employment
• Moving towards, gaining and remaining in work
•  

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OUR VALUES

• 50 of working age disabled people not in work
  Disabled people are more than twice as likely
  than non-disabled people to have no
  qualifications. Status Employment will always
  challenge disabling attitudes to ensure that work
  and training opportunities are a matter of equal
  right. Status Employment promotes the social
  model of disability, which asserts that people,
  policy and the built environment disable
  individuals.

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Issues

• On Average it takes ten months for a candidate
  who is living with EMHI to secure paid
  employment.
• They often do not attract mainstream funding
• Complex needs require complicated solutions
• Do not easily fit into standardised model

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The Supported Employment Process

• REFERRAL
• VOCATIONAL PROFILE
• SUPPORT STRATEGY
• JOB SEARCH
• JOB START
• JOB TRAINING
• ONGOING SUPPORT

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The Eligibility Criteria for Candidates receiving
Mental Health Services

• All candidates must be linked into a CPA plan or
  appropriate services and support networks
• All candidates must have an insight into their
  mental health and be able to manage their
  medication.
• Candidates must be at the point where they
  recognise that moving towards paid employment has
  inherent benefits to improving their mental
  health.

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The Eligibility Criteria for Candidates receiving
Mental Health Services

• Candidates will develop a support strategy over a
  period of time which may include voluntary work,
  work experience or job samples.
• To gain paid work candidates must understand and
  agree a support strategy for themselves and
  potential employers.

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VOCATIONAL PROFILE

• 11 meetings with the client.
• Take holistic approach involving referral
  sources, i.e. CPNs, support workers, carers or
  parents.
• Attend care meetings - when relevant.
• Benefit guidance.
• Find Job Samples

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VOCATIONAL PROFILE

• Personal Details
• Health information
• Support networks
• Benefits scenarios
• Skills and interests
• Job preferences
• Ideal job statement
• Client needs

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JOB SEARCH

• Preparation of prospect list
• Compilation of professional CV
• Cold-calling
• Advertised vacancy follow-up
• Face-to-face employer visits
• Application forms
• Interview techniques
• Accompanied interviews if required

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JOB START

• Job Analysis and re-negotiation of job duties
  (where necessary)
• Benefits checklist
• Employer liaison
• Training plan agreement

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INITIAL JOB SUPPORTCan include

• Travel training
• Intensive on-the-job 11 support and/or training
  - induction
• Support in use of workplace facilities
• Support in building work relationships with
  colleagues and building natural supports
• Guidance on fitting in at work

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ONGOING SUPPORT AND RETENTION

• Regular reviews
• Support to gain promotion or move jobs within the
  company
• Career planning
• Retention issues respond to issues or
  situations which may arise.

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Working with forensic candidates

• Good effective communication is vital with the
  forensic referrer.
• Open discussion around a clear current risk
  assessment is essential.
• Employment consultants must have a good
  understanding of index crime and ability to
  assess current risk to candidate and others.

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Working with forensic candidates

• Consultants need to develop strategies to
  encourage a heightened level of disclosure in the
  vocational profile stage.
• There is a heightened emphasis inherent in their
  support strategy to recognise additional barriers
  faced in securing paid employment.

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Risk Assessment

• Is the conviction a one off or part of an
  offending history?
• Is it old or recent?
• As a juvenile or adult?
• Is the type of conviction relevant to the job?
• Is the behaviour that constituted the offence of
  particular cause for concern (e.g. was it
  possession of a small amount of drugs for
  personal use or was it supplying to children)

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Risk Assessment

• Were there circumstances that have now changed?
  (financial, youth)
• Is the context a cause for concern (was the
  conviction for violence premeditated or the
  result of great fear psychosis?)
• What is the evidence of change? (job, family,
  mortgage)
• What is the attitude to the offence? (remorse,
  responsibility, recognising harm)

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Risk Assessment

• Risks to the safety of co workers, customers,
  clients and property. Is there direct contact
  with public?
• Will the nature of the job present realistic
  opportunities for the post holder to re-offend in
  the workplace?
• Does the position require direct contact with
  children or vulnerable adult groups? It is
  illegal to employ certain offenders in some
  occupations.
• What level of supervision will the post holder
  receive? How much do they need?

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Legal Obligations CRB/Data Protection

• Accurate
• Relevant
• Obtained and processed fairly
• Confidentially handled and stored appropriately
• Not kept longer than necessary

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Disclosing Criminal Records The
LawRehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

• Aim The Act intends to strike a balance between
  giving reformed offenders the chance to
  reintegrate themselves into society and the need
  to protect society from those who might offend
  again. (Home Office 1993)

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Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974Purpose of
Act

• Easier for ex-offenders to find employment
• After a Rehabilitation period offender can treat
  conviction as though it did not exist- becomes
  Spent
• Act more likely to help offenders with minor or
  old convictions
• Offenders with serious crimes unlikely to benefit
  from Act
• Some jobs exempt from Act

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Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974Act in
Practice

• Employer is entitled to ask applicant/employee to
  declare unspent convictions
• An Offence not to declare unspent convictions
  when asked (or spent convictions if an exempt
  job)
• Person does not have to declare convictions if
  not asked

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Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974Act in
Practice

• Suspended sentences have the same periods as
  those served in prison
• Rehabilitation period begins on date of
  conviction
• If rehabilitation period is still running when
  found guilty of another more serious offence,
  Period is extended to the end of the longest one

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Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)

• Police Act 1977
• Set up to provide disclosures of criminal
  convictions to allow employers and others to make
  informed decisions about the recruitment of staff
  and volunteers
• Operated by Capita PLC and Registered Bodies and
  Umbrella Bodies
• www.disclosure.gov.uk - CRB website

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(CRB) 3 Levels of Disclosure

• Basic (not yet available)
• Standard
• Enhanced

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Standard Disclosure

• Jobs with supervised access to children/vulnerable
  adults,Professions Health, Law, Accountancy,
  Finance, Registered door supervisors
• Includes spent unspent convictions, cautions,
  reprimands and warnings
• Department for Education and Skills list
• Cost 31 registration body fee

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Enhanced Disclosure

• Jobs with considerable or unsupervised contact
  with children/vulnerable adults, statutory
  licensing (betting shops) judicial senior finance
  managers
• As standard disclosure local police
  intelligence, suspected criminal activity
• Cost 36 registered body fee

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Disclosure process Enhanced and Standard

• Applicant provides personal information and
  evidence of identity and address and signs
  application
• Employer checks and collates job description
  Submits to CRB or umbrella body
• Umbrella body checks for accuracy and sends to
  CRB
• CRB sends disclosure to employer VIA umbrella
  body and copy direct to job applicant
• Can take 4-6 weeks

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Summary

• Employers must have approval of applicant to
  apply for disclosure (DPA Act, Human Rights Act)
• Employers can make it a condition of employment
  to disclose unspent convictions
• Copy of disclosure should only be kept as long as
  required to complete recruitment process
• Unless job exempted Employers cannot ask about
  spent convictions
• Employers must not pass disclosure information to
  other non-essential staff and never to other
  employees

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Working with forensic candidates

• The employment consultant has to communicate
  effectively the candidates support strategy and
  risk assessment with employers.
• On going support must be maintained and
  communication with forensic referrer must also be
  adhered to.

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STATUS IN CROYDON

• Currently supporting over 150 clients in work
• Job retention levels at 55for people using
  mental health services.
• Links with over 200 local employers

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SUMMARY OF STATUS

• Professional and trained staff
• In-depth profile of candidates taking a holistic
  approach
• Build relationships with employers and candidates
• Through job analysis, can train candidates to
  meet your expectations and job requirements.