A PROJECT helping more people with mental health problems get work when they want a job is about to start in Bradford.

Bradford District Care Trust has joined forces with the Centre for Mental Health after being chosen to pilot a project called Making Work Work.

The project will attract at least 120 people across Bradford, Airedale and Craven using the Care Trust’s mental health services to the project, with a target of supporting 60 of them into paid work.

Nicola Lees, deputy chief executive at Bradford District Care Trust, said: “We’re really excited to be part of this pilot project which will support people with long-term mental health conditions to get work.

“Professionals will support people to make an informed choice about work and will provide practical and emotional support to access and sustain paid employment.”

The project will be piloted across six areas including Bradford and will help a total of 340 people into supported work over three years with funding from the Department of Health.

Funding will be used to set up training for new employment specialists and clinical teams.

This will in turn support people into employment of their choice, which would include job-seeking support, practical support such as managing travel to work, helping individuals manage their symptoms when returning to work and ongoing support in the workplace.

Centre for Mental Health chief executive Sean Duggan said: “Only seven per cent of people using mental health services are in employment yet we know that more than half would like the chance to work with the right support. The Individual Placement Scheme has been shown to help at least 50 per cent of people into jobs and to help sustain them. Yet there is currently a postcode lottery in access to IPS. Making Work Work will help to address this gap in provision.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to extend IPS to people using mental health services in more parts of the country.

“The project will offer people help with both health and employment based on the eight principles of IPS. These include having no exclusions and no compulsion for people to take part; rapid job search based on a person’s preference with support for them and their employer as long as it’s needed when they start work; and providing health care and benefits advice alongside employment support.”