Over 60 service users and carers from the City and Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets attended an employment support event to learn about various pathways into employment.
Held at Tower Hamlets Town Hall, the event had information stands from organisations such as Working Well Trust and the East London Business Alliance (ELBA), who explained the work they do and how they support local communities.
Roundtable discussions were also held by the Department for Work and Pensions about workplace support for those with health conditions.
People Participation – which is a department at the Trust enabling service users and carers to become involved in aspects of ELFT’s work – also held a roundtable about the importance of employment support for people with lived experiences of services.
Additional discussions were held by Individual Placement Support teams in each borough, who provide tailored assistance to help people choose and find the right job.
As part of a talk on local employment support, case studies were provided by east London carer Aurora Todisco and Adrian Curwen, the People Participation Lead for Corporate Services.
Laura Austin Croft, who helped to organise the event and is the Director of Population Health at the Trust, said: “I would like to thank our local partners who attended last week’s employment support event. You provided valuable insights for our communities, helping them along their own employment journeys.
“The prospect of returning to employment can be daunting for some service users and carers. This event helped to share the different types of help available in our local areas, and provided time for advice and discussions.”
Director of People Participation, Paul Binfield, added: “It was great to see the level of engagement from our carers and service users with the numerous stalls, roundtables and talks at Friday’s employment support event.
“I would encourage anybody who wasn’t able to attend to reach out about ways the Trust and partners can support you with your employment goals.”
The Trust holds a monthly employment group, bringing together various activities to support service users and carers gain meaningful and good quality employment. For more information, please email laura.austincroft@nhs.net.
We are also planning a similar employment support event for service users and carers in Bedfordshire and Luton on Tuesday, 24th September. More details will be shared closer to the date.
