Challenges to implementing evidence-based supported employment in Australia

Labor force non-participation, unemployment, disrupted education and disrupted career pathways exacerbate the social and economic marginalization of people with severe mental illness. One way to address this problem is to introduce evidence-based supported employment. One key ingredient, integrating vocational services into publicly-funded mental health services, is recognized as the missing component of evidence-based practices in Australia. During 2006, seven sites independently attempted to implement evidence-based supported employment. Early stage implementation challenges to the introduction of evidence-based practices were identified for this descriptive summary. While the establishment of evidence-based supported employment appears feasible, when actually attempted, multiple and sometimes unique practical challenges emerged at each site. The major difficulties were related to service integration and utilizing the existing Federal disability employment system. Establishing sustainable partnerships between the mental health and disability employment sectors, through co-location of employment specialists within mental health teams, remains a promising way forward. The early implementation experiences of these Australian sites add to international knowledge on how best to implement evidence-based employment services for people with psychiatric disabilities.