The challenge of integrating employment services with public mental health services in Australia: progress at the first demonstration site.
OBJECTIVE
Integrating vocational services into public mental health services is a key component of evidence-based supported employment for people with severe mental illness. While this approach has been developed in the USA, it has only recently been attempted internationally and in Australia. This report summarizes the early implementation challenges at the first Australian demonstration site.


METHODS
ORYGEN Youth Health (OYH) in Melbourne established an evidence-based supported employment research project in December 2005. Challenges to service integration and fidelity were documented descriptively in order to inform other international sites attempting to implement similar evidence-based practices.


RESULTS
Experiences at this demonstration site identify the major barriers to integration and suggest how these can be overcome.


CONCLUSIONS
Successful integration of employment with youth mental health services is feasible in Australia within six months.
Killackey
Eóin
E
ORYGEN Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. eoin@unimelb.edu.au
Waghorn
Geoff
G
D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016832:Employment, Supported / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000458:organization & administration; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D016730:Program Development; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014829:Vocational Education / Q000458:organization & administration; D014830:Vocational Guidance / Q000458:organization & administration