19 October 2006
Isn’t it odd that even in enlightened, 21st century Britain, we can
still hold attitudes that are hopelessly out of date?
World Mental Health Day last Tuesday (October 10) really brought that thought into focus. We’ve made great strides advancing the rights of disabled people but we’re playing catch-up when it comes to mental health. People with mental health conditions face the sort of workplace barriers those with physical disabilities had to deal with in the 1950s and 60s.
Sixty-seven percent of people with a mental illness are not in work compared to nearly 50 percent of people with a physical disability. Yet many want to work. Employers who support the development of people with a mental health condition clearly benefit. My visit to Rethink Graphics in Brentwood the other day proves the point. I met people there whose lives had been turned around by this employment service, run by mental health charity Rethink. They had been given the confidence to get back on their feet.
To help people with mental health conditions get back to work I’ve
accepted the recommendations of our recent Personal Capability
Assessment (PCA) review (PDF 290KB). Currently, the PCA assesses people’s inability to work. But, it is weighted in favour of physical disabilities. Our new Employment and Support Allowance will redress the balance. It will look at what a person can do and what can be done to help them get back to work.
I’m keen to hear your views on this subject. Have you found it difficult to stay in or find work because of a mental illness? Have you experienced some positive employment practices? Let me know.
Posted in General, Incapacity benefits, Health, work and well-being. View and make comments (4).
16 October 2006
In the week when people are trying to create the biggest blog in history I guess it’s kind of fitting that I’m launching this new blog. After all, reforming the welfare state is one of the biggest challenges not only facing us as a Government or a Department, but as a country.
We are all sadly familiar with stories of people and, in some cases, communities abandoned to a life on benefits. These individuals wanted to work, wanted to contribute but were left high and dry instead – dependent on the state.
It’s frightening to think that, after two years on Incapacity Benefits (IB) you’re more likely to die or retire than ever work again. This has to change. The majority of people who go on Incapacity Benefit want to go back to work. The welfare state should make the most of an individual’s potential – not waste it.
We want to look at what work is reasonable to expect someone to do and ensure those individuals have the help to succeed.
That is what our Welfare Reform Bill is all about.
This week I was again reminded why this Bill is so essential. I met IB claimants in Fife, in Essex and from Reading. Many have been let down by society in the past because they didn’t get enough support to help them achieve their goal of getting back to work. This was especially true of many people I met with mental health conditions.
Of course, to get our reforms off the ground we need to introduce legislation. The Parliamentary committee stage which begins tomorrow is a vital part of that process and will give MPs the chance to quiz us on our plans.
But our reforms are not just about changing the benefits system. We also want to eradicate child poverty. It might have been one of last century’s shameful secrets, but child poverty is still around today. I’ve listened to many children and parents who have all suffered poverty first-hand. Their concerns mustn’t be ignored.
John Hutton, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, declared earlier this year this is the Department’s number one priority. And so it should be.
We will be publishing a new revised strategy on child poverty that, hand in hand with the welfare reform paper, will help to address these important issues.
When it comes to welfare reform proposals and tackling child poverty everyone has an interest. Now I want to hear your thoughts and ideas on these topics.
Posted in General, Child Poverty, Incapacity benefits, Health, work and well-being. View and make comments (23).
