Employment Rehabilitation Basket: Guidance for Employment in the Open Labor Market (Supported Employment)

Supported employment is a unique service that helps you integrate into the open labor market, under conditions that suit your skills, needs and aspirations, while providing comprehensive support. The main goal is to help you find a job that suits you and ensure successful integration over time. The service includes close support from professionals who will guide and support you at every stage: From job searching, through interview preparation, to full integration into the workplace.

Supported employment opens the door for work in the open labor market – work with an employee-employer relationship and, of course, a monthly salary according to the scope of the work. Such work can be an opportunity for full participation and equal contribution to society, for developing a sense of self-worth and realizing your talents and abilities. In addition, work expands the tools and skills for independent living, improves the quality of life and contributes to economic well-being.

The goal of vocational rehabilitation services, including support in the open labor market, is to dismantle barriers that create fear and difficulty in optimal integration. These barriers can include difficulty in persistence, difficulty in holding a full-time job, self-stigma and fear of exposure, coping with stress and low self-confidence.

Challenges of integrating into work for those struggling with mental illness

Integrating into work for the first time in their life or returning to the job market after a mental crisis can cause significant challenges. For example, many experience difficulties in coping with daily pressures, are afraid of employee-employer relationships, experience a lack of self-confidence or fear of stigma. Supported employment provides the full support needed to cope with these challenges.

Through professional guidance, it is possible to develop the skills required for work, build self-confidence, and overcome mental or social obstacles that may appear along the way. Supported employment is not only a tool for finding a job, but also a framework that strengthens the ability to persevere, grow and integrate fully and meaningfully into society.

Employment support in the open labor market service

You can choose how the service will help you integrate into the open labor market: You decide whether to present your barriers and difficulties to the employer, and examine the possibility of accessibility and adjustments to your unique needs. Alternatively, you can receive a toolbox that will give you the opportunity to cope independently without unique adjustments.

The support services include:

• A professional employee who specializes in building a professional identity, preparing for job interviews, writing resumes, etc.
• An employment counselor will help you find a job that suits your needs and abilities, and will also accompany you through the job search process.
• The job search will include a review of the job conditions, and if necessary, also examining the possibility of adjustments or accessibility that will help you integrate into the workplace and maintain stability over time.

Professional guidance goes far beyond placement, and it does not end at the moment of employment. It continues even after entering the workplace, with the aim of maintaining continuity, strengthening your personal and professional development, and helping you build a career path that suits you. 

Who is the employment support in the open labor market service suitable for?

For those recovering who are eligible for a rehabilitation basket and who are interested in integrating into the open labor market, with or without prior experience. High motivation is required to persevere and be committed to the job, the ability to be functionally independent and to receive instructions, the ability to learn and the willingness to accept authority.

The service includes periodic meetings with the employment support person and requires commitment to the joint process.

After receiving confirmation of eligibility for employment support services in the open labor market, you must choose one of the employment services providers. The referral to the service provider will be made by government, public, and private entities acting on behalf of the Ministry of Health or other entities approved by the Mental Health Services. Each referral is made through the rehabilitation coordinator.

The following documents must be attached to the application to the service provider:

1. Rehabilitation Basket Committee Decision Form confirming that you are eligible for the service.
2. Updated psychiatric report describing your mental state.
3. Psychosocial report.
4. Medical certificate addressing physical and/or mental medical limitations, if any. The purpose of this document is to verify your ability to participate in employment activities and to provide information about relevant medical limitations.

Assessment process and rehabilitation plan

The first two months are a trial period. During this period, you can receive multiple employment services, for example, continuing in sheltered employment or an employment club while also examining your suitability for the open labor market within this service. During these two months, the service provider's professional staff will guide you through an initial assessment process of your level of functioning, including identifying your skills in the field of employment, your motivation for rehabilitation, and assessing your short- and long-term rehabilitation potential.

Even if entering the labor market, or the path to returning to work, seems like a complex task, it can be done step by step. With appropriate support and guidance, many manage to build a daily routine and integrate into a job that suits them.