ACCEPT Northern Ireland

Grateful acknowledgement for the information presented in this article, and for the ACCEPT Northern Ireland brochure (found in the Supplementary Materials section) is made to the Central Office of ACCEPT Northern Ireland.

158,000 people in Northern Ireland suffer from medically identified mental illness in the course of a year. 35 million people across Europe suffer from mental ill health.

• his represents one in every ten of the population. At least three out of four of these are of working age.

• Three million working days are lost to Northern Ireland industry each year due to mental illness at a cost of 2 billion.

• Virtually all mental illness is to be found within the working population. These illnesses are triggered by a variety of factors including too much stress in ones life, an unsettled early life, and genetic inheritance of physical causes.

• Mental Illness can strike anyone regardless of age, sex, background, or upbringing. It is estimated that 10-12 percent of children and teenagers have mental health problems severe enough to need help in overcoming them.

ACCEPT Northern Ireland (Assessment, Counselling and Coaching in Employment, Placement and Training for individuals with mental ill health) aims to help people realise a better quality of life through employment and training. It is funded, in part, under the Horizon Strand of the Employment Community Initiatives of the European Social Fund. Northern Ireland has been asked once again to provide the leadership and act as secretariat to this European-wide program.

ACCEPTs essential purpose is to assist people suffering from mental and stress related illnesses to regain their personal confidence, and with appropriate qualifications and experience, compete more effectively for work in the open job market. This is no easy task given that official statistics indicate people with mental health issues are four times more likely to be unemployed than the population at large. This is due in part to the stigma still attached to mental illness. Mental Illness is both a health and economic issue. One of the encouraging aspects of ACCEPT is that it has enabled health care professionals to work closely with vocational trainers in meeting the needs of the client group. In the five years since its inception, the ACCEPT project has successfully achieved its Phase I targeted goals:

• Establishment of a comprehensive guidance, training, employment and a support service;

• Assessment of training needs, development of accreditation program and production of transnational distance learning package;

• Creation of jobs through Community Initiatives and Social Firms.

It is also worth highlighting that this “flagship” model of multi-agency working and co-operation originated in a region of the United Kingdom with a reputation for division, which has often spilled over into civil unrest. Many of the consortia members operate in areas where community conflict and social exclusion were every day issues. ACCEPTs contribution to peace and reconciliation is a further indicator of the programs constructive influence and positive outcome.

Launched in November 1995, ACCEPT brought together 17 different organisations in Northern Ireland from both the voluntary and statutory sector with an interest in mental health. Included are seven Health and Social Services Trusts and the Training and Employment Agency which has a statutory responsibility to assist the disabled in securing employment. Action Mental Health (formerly ITO – Industrial Therapy Organisation), the lead organisation, has almost 40 years experience in providing work opportunities for individuals disabled through mental ill health.

ACCEPT aims to increase opportunities for people with mental ill health in new and imaginative ways by offering support, counselling and training programs such as:

• One Stop Information Centres located in key shopping sites;
• Counselling and Guidance Services;
• Pre-Employment Training;
• Placement and Support Services; and
• Follow-Up Support.

Northern Ireland ACCEPT is part of the transnational ACCEPT network which has partners in England, The Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Italy, France, Scotland and Sweden. The transnational element of ACCEPT acts as a “think tank” in identifying barriers facing the employability of people, and aims to influence policy makers and practices throughout Europe. In total, this adds up to over two hundred different agencies working together to increase the working opportunities for people with mental ill health.

Managing all the various partnerships within ACCEPTs transnational dimension requires a high level of skill and commitment. This is a role undertaken by Action Mental Health, which coordinates and supports the transnational partners. It is no easy task, given the cultural and geographical barriers, however sound managerial structures have ensured that the partnerships excel in their dissemination of expertise and experience.

ACCEPT transnational members meet frequently to share information through the transnational steering group. Two representatives from each country remain updated through an ongoing conference program held in various locations including Scheveningen, Holland; Bilbao, Spain; Helsinki, Finland and Belfast, Northern Ireland. ACCEPT partners also have the benefit of audit visits from one another. These visits are not just about inspection and evaluation, but provide further opportunities for the exchange of ideas. Feedback from the work of all the transnational partners shows that despite coming from different countries and experiences, the project can produce outputs in best practice. An example of how this works was the visit between Finland and Northern Ireland. The “Cheerful House” project in Finland highlighted ways in which ACCEPT Northern Ireland service users were able to increase their independence in deciding what training they needed and how to carry it out.

To learn more about ACCEPT Northern Ireland and its partnership members, please see the supplemental material supplied with this Planning Kit, or contact: