Individual Placement and Support in Early Psychosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Education and Employment focused Individual Placement and Support (IPS) for young people with an "At risk mental state" for psychosis: a feasibility study
IRAS ID
243427
Contact name
Stefania Tognin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
KCL/ SLAM
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN13549282
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 3 days
Research summary
Educational and employment support are often key priorities for young people presenting with mental health issues and therefore an essential strategy to engage clients with mental health services. Furthermore, it is known that social and occupational functioning during the early phases of mental illness is strongly linked to the long-term functional and clinical outcomes. However, to date little is known about specific interventions effectively supporting functional recovery in people at high risk of developing psychosis.
Apart from the economic argument, which highlights that clients receiving effective vocational support are more likely in the long-term to be able to sustain themselves financially, being able to participate in society, educational institutions and the work place is a human right. Therefore developing interventions that provide people with effective support to engage in work (including education as a pathway into work as well as a part of social participation in its own right) is a matter of social justice and a key driver for this study.Individual Placement and Support (IPS) has emerged as a valid and effective treatment method in facilitation reengagement in competitive employment for people with mental health difficulties. The intervention delivered by a trained IPS worker encompasses 8 guiding principles including timely, ongoing support embedded within mental health services. More recently, studies have adapted IPS to include educational support and preliminary results suggest favorable outcomes in preventing long-term disability.
The proposed study will take place within SLaM OASIS services and IPS will be offered to service users meeting criteria for "At Risk Mental State" for psychosis. The 6-month intervention will be delivered by an IPS trained
Occupational Therapist and be offered to service users who express an interest in vocational support and have at least a year left under the treatment of the OASIS team.REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/2130
Date of REC Opinion
18 Jan 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion