The provision of educational and employment focused interventions in Early Detection for Psychosis Services within the South London catchment area.

Poster C28, Wednesday, October%2010, 11:30%20am%20-%201:00%20pm, Essex%20Ballroom

Stefania Tognin1, Lara Grady1, Tom Spencer1; 1Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience

Early Detection for Psychosis Services such as Outreach and Support in South London (OASIS) have been successful in providing psychological intervention and psychosocial support to young people experiencing early signs of psychosis. Despite this, studies have repeatedly shown that vocational and functional recovery in the clinical high risk for psychosis population are still dramatically low. The recent UK National Audit for Schizophrenia highlighted substantial variations in service delivery of vocational support with over half of service users not having their vocational needs met. Therefore, the aim of this project is to evaluate the presence and quality of educational and employment focused interventions within the OASIS services, in order to inform future research and interventions focused on supporting young people with early signs of psychosis in their path to vocational recovery. The specific objectives are to compare current practice (i) to standards defined by the National Institute of Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines; and (ii) to principles defined by Individual Placement and Support (IPS), the most evidence-based vocational support approach. The OASIS caseload electronic records are screened. Data collected include sociodemographic general characteristics, assessment of employment and educational status and support needs, interventions received, contacts with schools, employers and external vocational providers, employment and educational status at the end of service provision. Data is analysed using t-tests and chi-squares. Preliminary results suggest that the NICE standards of practice and IPS principles are partially met. Identifying weak areas in current practice is fundamental to provide clear guidance and inform future interventions.

Topic Area: Psychosocial Interventions

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