Abstract
In England, employment training is continually moving towards funding according to, in part, outcome or progression of clients. Courses are becoming generally shorter and access to training is becoming more competitive. The flexibility within employment training to accommodate the mental health user is slowly disappearing. Add to that the label of ‘offender’ and even more barriers face the individual.
At Reaside Clinic, the West Midlands Regional Secure Unit, a prevocational programme has been developed over the past 3 years. This has enabled forensic inpatients to access training that allows for fluctuations in mental state, restriction orders, pace of learning, medication and lack of knowledge of vocational opportunities. The programme has equipped the participants with the skills to compete realistically in mainstream provision. Funding of the development has been ‘creative’ but the organisation has been committed to the programme because of the value to the patient, the networking that has been achieved within Birmingham, and the awareness that this has raised within other organisations of issues related to mental health in general and forensic psychiatry in particular.
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