Rethink’s new stigma shout survey reveals the flaw in government’s benefit reform plans

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Monday, 21, Jul 2008 12:00

People with mental health problems identify employers as a key stigmatising group on the day government wants to push through scrapping Incapacity Benefit in their Welfare Reform Green paper.

80% of people with a mental helth problem want to work* - the highest want-to-work rate of any disabled group - but find employers won’t give them a chance. The Stigma Shout survey reveals 35% of people said employers create the most stigma for them. Almost 60% of employers won’t even consider employing someone with a mental health problem*.

This highlights the glaring gap in government thinking on welfare reform. Scrapping Incapacity Benefit and introducing Employment Support Allowance (ESA) without tackling the root cause of worklessness – employers’ stigma – will leave people with a mental health problem caught between a rock and a hard place.

The ESA will replace Incapacity Benefit for new claimants from October 2008

Existing claimants to start to be moved to ESA by end of 2009

All current Incapacity Benefit claimants to be moved to ESA by 2013

1 million current claimants to be moved off unemployment related benefits by 2015

*From the Social Exclusion Unit report 2004

How Rethink can help:

We have a range of spokespeople and case studies available for comment and have conducted a survey of over 3,000 people identifying employers as a main stigmatising group.

To view the Stigma Shout survey go to: http://www.rethink.org/how_we_can_help/campaigning_for_change/moving_people/stigma_shout.htm

What Rethink thinks;

“The government have got it a***-about-face with their welfare reform scheme by scrapping Incapacity Benefit and introducing ESA with no real initiative to tackle employers stigmatising behaviour. They are throwing people with mental health problems to the lion of discrimination and have broken their promises to make it easier for people with mental health problems to take small steps towards work.”

Paul Corry Director of Public Affairs Rethink

ESA will penalise people with mental health problems by;