Getting back to work after long period of sickness

echoskye

New to all this so apologies if I've posted in the wrong place. I'm after a bit of advice about help available to people to get them back to work. A friend worked for the same large employer all her working life. As she was offered promotions her work became more stressful and eventually she ended up off on long term sick with mental health problems. The employer acknowledged her mental health problems were caused by her job and gave her a settlement, after which she claimed incapacity benefit. She has been on this for about three years now but seems to have just been left to sit there by the DHSS. I visited her last night and I really don't think this situation is doing her any good in that she has no structure to her day and nothing meaningful to fill her time. She she has said herself she doesn't think her current situation is helping. She is only in her mid-40's and would like to get back to some kind of employment but, when I was talking to her yesterday, all she came up with is obstacles. She has no references, no-one would take her on with her sick record etc.

I know the employment situation isn't good but I was wondering if there are other people who use this section of MSE who know whether it is possible to get help finding job placements etc for people on sickness benefit and where to seek this out.

xylophone

Would she be able to do some voluntary work, perhaps for a mental health charity, as a start?

nannytone_2

once she is transferred to ESA, it is more than likely she would be placed in the work related activity group, which means she will have to attend work focused interviews and encouraged to look forwards and not sit and stagmate

echoskye

Thank you for the replies. She has been looking at voluntary work but every opportunity requires two references and she only has one. I went to see the equal opps officer where I work earlier and he reckoned her best bet is to ask to see a disability employment advisor at the job centre. I wonder if anyone has any experience of this and what they do to help?