Bridge Employment Services
Drop-In
Bridge Employment run a Drop-In service every Wednesday from 1.30pm to 4.30pm, at the Zest building where we are based (formally the Upperthorpe Healthy Living Centre).
The Drop-In is for people who are interested in finding out more about the Bridge Employment service, they will be able to come in without having an appointment and meet some Employment Workers. At the Drop-In sessions the following services can be offered:
- Helping with completing the Bridge Employment Referral form
- Finding out more about the Bridge Service
- Helping with queries from existing or previous clients
- Assisting with completing job application forms for current clients
There will be no pre-booking system, but there may be a short wait.
Please let the Zest (UHLC) know you are here for the Bridge Drop-In service.
Information Advice and Guidance
Bridge Employment will offer independent, impartial and confidential information, advice and guidance. This will help the applicant choose which services they might need and what they can do until an employment worker becomes available.
Initial Meeting
This involves a meeting with the applicant and possibly a support person to find out about
Bridge Employment and talk through the options. It is likely that we will need to complete
some registration forms.
Personal Profile
The applicant will work with their employment worker to put together an individual Personal Profile. This may include the need to do a work placement first, where an applicant can try out a job, build confidence and identify skills. We can talk about issues around disclosing a mental health problem to an employer and help the applicant make a decision about how to approach employers.
Job Match
The employment worker will help the applicant job search and will help with CV’s and application forms. Our employment consultant will job search on each applicant’s behalf once the applicant has agreed which jobs we should search for.
Supported Job Training
When
a suitable job or work placement is found, the employment worker may work
alongside the applicant in the workplace, to support them in learning
the skills required to do the job. This includes support with social aspects
of the job and work-related routines. This support is gradually ‘faded’
when the new employee can do the job alone, or with natural support from
colleagues. This support is not always needed and is always agreed with
the applicant first.
Disability Discrimination Act
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), requires employers to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to jobs to make them accessible to people with disabilities. Bridge Employment can help applicants work out what reasonable adjustments they might need to make a job work for them. We can then help negotiate these with employers. This helps applicants and it also helps educate employers about disability and mental health issues.
Benefit Advice
Our employment workers are well informed about benefits and moving into work. Our employment workers will talk through benefit issues with the applicant and make sure they are fully informed before the applicant makes a decision to start work.
Please continue to
for more information.