Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 1 of 1
Interagency collaboration in vocational rehabilitation for persons with mental health problems: the perspective of the service users and the professionals
- Authors:
- GERMUNDSSON Per, HILLBORG Helene, DANERMARK Berth
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 26(6), 2011, pp.699-713.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
There is, within the European Union, a pronounced aspiration and policy that persons with disabilities should be fully involved in the community, which includes opportunities to gainful employment. Despite this, a very large amount of disabled people remain unemployed, especially persons with mental health problems. This study aimed to investigate how people with mental health problems and caseworkers in different agencies experience the vocational rehabilitation process from an interagency collaboration perspective. The study participants were 20 professionals (16 women and 4 men) working with vocational rehabilitation, and 8 service users (4 women and 4 men) who had been on sick leave for from about 18 months to up to 5 years. Interviews with service users were carried out on 2 occasions approximately 6 months apart, and focused on the individual’s initial and ongoing rehabilitation process. Four focus groups were conducted with the professionals. Analysis of the data revealed a number of hindering factors portrayed and discussed in 6 themes: the time available for rehabilitation; management; new ways of working; absence of an actor; continuity; and consensus. The article concludes by discussing the implications for interagency collaboration in the field of vocational rehabilitation.