Joe came to us via Andrea Warwick at AMH New Horizons Lisburn back in February of 2020.
AMH’s and our aim was to provide a work placement which would give Joe a chance to get back out into the work environment, doing something he enjoyed at a pace that suited him.
We had several initial meetings with Andrea, and then with both Andrea and Joe to gauge what he wanted from the work placement and to discuss what we might be able to offer him. Andrea was very informative and this enabled us to make a decision very quickly that we could offer a placement to Joe through AMH.
Our companies cover a wide variety of businesses so we discussed with Joe the variety of duties he could be asked to assist with.
With all agreements and paperwork in place, we moved forward with the placement and Joe started with us, carrying out Action Mental Health’s Induction Checklist on his first day.
Joe fitted in with the rest of the team very quickly and we made sure that we regularly touched base with him both in the early stages of the placement, and throughout the entirety of the placement, to make sure he felt comfortable and was enjoying it.
He very soon became a very valuable member of our team and his varied skill set was particularly suited to our Antiques and Restoration business.
Action Mental Health and in particular Andrea Warwick, have been very supportive of both ourselves and Joe throughout this time and made a point of coming in regularly to meet with Joe and us to monitor progress. When face to face meetings had to stop due to the pandemic Andrea ensured she kept regular contact via phone and email.
The placement is due to end in February 2021 but we are delighted to say that we have found it to be a huge success and of huge benefit. It has been nothing but a positive experience. We are now engaging in discussions with Joe to come up with a paid contract that will suit both him and ourselves and we have no doubt it will be a successful pairing moving forward into the future.
I would encourage any business to link in with AMH New Horizons and see what benefits their work placement program can bring to them and others.
Many thanks to the team at On the Square Emporium. The Action Mental Health ‘Working it Out’ project is part-funded through the NI European Social Fund Programme 2014-20 and the Department for the Economy.
If you would be interested in providing a placement please get in touch!
