Everyone deserves the dignity of a job
30 Mar 2026
An employment service for people living with mental health concerns is getting great results. What’s it all about? The service’s employment specialists explain.
What is Individual Placement and Support?
Employment specialists Debolina and Charlotte provide a free support service for clients with mild to moderate mental health concerns called Individual Placement and Support, or IPS.
The service is part of an Australian Government pilot of IPS at selected adult mental health centres across Australia, aimed at improving the health and financial wellbeing of clients through participation in employment.
How does it work?
“Our service supports people with mental health barriers to employment to find and maintain a job they love,” says Debolina.
“There are many reasons why someone may need extra vocational support. They may experience anxiety which stops them from applying for a new role or they may have previously had a role which impacted their mental wellness.
“Some clients have been out of work for a time while they focussed on their mental health recovery,” she says.
“Whatever stage a person is at in their mental health journey, together with their Medicare Mental Health Centre case manager, they will assess if now is a good time to re-join the workforce and we can provide support from there.”
Flexibility
Debolina notes that the IPS service is flexible to meet and support clients at whatever skill or experience level they are at.
“A new client may be looking for support to get back to work after a long time away from the workforce, or need extra help with the application process for roles, which these days can be quite complex,” says Debolina.
“Some people are simply looking for advice on changing their career direction to a role that better aligns with their mental wellness goals.
“Support might look like connecting a person with a potential employer or narrowing down their areas of interest and corresponding roles. It might also look like finding and completing training, education or skills development to increase a client’s chances of finding work,” she says.
Support for employers
Debolina also notes that the other side of their role is to identify employers who may have suitable positions for clients and to provide them with support to welcome a client to their workplace.
“We also keep in contact with employers as clients get settled into their new role, so they can be tasked appropriately and to support the client to remain mentally well and employed over the long term,” Debolina says.
To find out more about Individual Placement and Support, or if you think you may have a suitable role at your business for an IPS client, go to [email protected] or phone 1800 161 178.
The Medicare Mental Health Centres in Perth are operated by St John of God Health Care. Find out more about our range of no-cost community mental health and homelessness services at sjog.org.au/socialoutreach.
Photo caption: Debolina works out of the Medicare Mental Health Centres in Perth’s north-eastern suburbs, supporting people with mental health concerns to find and keep a job.