The Golden Bay Workcentre Trust

HELPING HANDS

HELPING HANDS WORK SCHEME

Helping Hands is part of an employment service which provides support for people with mental health issues who wish to start or return to work.

People who register with Helping Hands are usually but not exclusively members of the Te Whare Mahana residential therapeutic community in Takaka. It is possible for others outside of Te Whare Mahana to register with the scheme if they are not yet ready to participate in more mainstream forms of vocational training or work placements.

Helping Hands provides temporary paid employment opportunities for those wanting to experience different types of work but requiring some support and supervision to do so.

The scheme secures work through local 'trades and services' advertising and matches the type of work to the preferences of its members.

Work undertaken by Helping Hands is supervised by a support worker. This supervision is phased out when participants become more confident and able to carry out jobs independently. Support may be reintroduced in those cases where new work skills are required or where difficulties arise.

The types of work experience that Helping Hands is able to offer include gardening, maintenance work, word processing,book keeping,cleaning, van/car valetting, carpentry and some building work.

Helping Hands forms part of a wider package of employment support which aims to provide the 'stepping stones' to permanent employment. For a description of these other vocational and employment services please read the information sheet for the Outreach Employment Service.