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Offering supports for young adults with mental health problems in their educational and vocational pursuits promotes well-being, social inclusion, and self-sufficiency. It is therefore important that welfare actors offer services to this group. However, in Sweden, with a tradition of local self-governance and municipal autonomy, decisions regarding which services to offer may depend on perceptions of responsibility by managers. The aim of this study was to explore top-tier management’s perspectives on responsibility for young adults with mental health problems when offering vocational and educational support through municipal welfare services. The seven top-tier managers interviewed articulated the importance of offering this support, but at the same time expressed ambiguity regarding which welfare system organization should be responsible. The results suggest that these managers demonstrated key aspects of professionalism in prioritizing the needs of their clients over perceived organizational responsibility, thereby providing these young adults with opportunities that may not be available in other municipalities.

For young adults with mental health problems there may be obstacles in completing higher education and becoming established in the labor market and it is therefore important to offer support that can help them become self-sufficient. Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and Supported Education (SEd) are two methods developed for people with mental health problem to get employment and reach educational goals. The methods have not been widely implemented in Sweden, making it interesting to explore management perspectives in organizations offering IPS/SEd. Findings will be based on two interview studies; Study 1 is with frontline and second-tier managers and Study 2  with top-tier managers from organizations offering support through IPS/SEd. Study 1 show that managers are positioned between policy and practice, navigating between organizational restraints and professional assessment in finding strategies to offer IPS/SEd. These managers are challenging traditional boundaries in prioritizing long-term individual effects over short-term economic organizational goals. Study 2 explore the perceptions in offering this kind of support in the higher management and views on responsibility for young adults with mental health problems who wish to work or study from both an organizational and welfare system perspective. The combined results will give insights into how educational and vocational support such as IPS/SEd are viewed from an organizational and professional perspective, as well as how the methods can be made to fit into the Swedish welfare context in order to promote social inclusion and self-sufficiency for young adults with mental health problems.

Mental health problems among young adults often lead to obstacles to completing higher education and becoming established in the labour market. It is important to offer support that can help these individuals realize educational and vocational goals in order to become self-sufficient and achieve social inclusion. Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and Supported Education (SEd) are two methods developed for supporting people with mental health problems in attaining competitive employment and reaching educational goals. These methods have not been widely implemented in Sweden, therefore making it interesting to study management perspectives in organizations offering IPS/SEd. The study aimed to explore the reasoning and strategies managers described in offering vocational and educational support to young adults with mental health problems. This study is based on 12 qualitative interviews with managers from six units in Sweden offering support through IPS/SEd. Results show a variety in interpretation of legislation and responsibility for young adults with mental health problems. The managers were positioned between policy and practice, having to navigate between the organizational restraints and their professional assessment in offering this support and pushing traditional boundaries in prioritizing long-term individual goals over short-term economic and political considerations. These managers demonstrate the possibilities for how IPS/SEd can be implemented and made to fit different organizational contexts, even within a highly sectorized welfare system as in Sweden. However, the methods might need to be adapted and adjusted to not only fit local organizational restraints, but also to fit into the Swedish welfare system.

Psykisk ohälsa är ett växande problem bland unga vuxna och att kunna studera trots denna utmaning är avgörande för framtida möjligheter och självständighet. Den här boken presenterar metoden Supported Education (SEd) som syftar till att ge individanpassat stöd för att unga vuxna med psykisk ohälsa ska kunna ta klivet in i studier och vidare i livet.

Young adults with mental health problems often experience obstacles in completing education or getting and keeping work. As these are natural pathways in transitioning into adulthood and gaining independence there is a need to provide educational and vocational support. Two methods  are Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and Supported Education (SEd) with a focus on individuals capabilities and goals. Apart from helping people become self-sufficient, they have shown positive outcomes  such as higher quality of life and mental health recovery. Despite strong evidence and IPS being a recommended intervention in Sweden few organizations have implemented it. Mental health problems are costly for the society in terms of need for support but also in individual suffering and marginalization. It is therefore important to explore the reasoning for offering this support in a Swedish welfare context and how these interventions can help young adults with mental health problems to a sustainable work life and better mental health. The aim of the study is to explore and describe the perspectives and strategies of managers in social- and healthcare organizations in offering support to young adults with mental health problems who wish to study or work. Qualiative semi-structured interviews are conducted with middle management in organizations providing support through IPS and SEd. The interviews focus on the perspectives from their role as managers and are analysed using qualitative content analysis. Preliminary results show that even in sites working with IPS for a long time with good results, many rely on external financing for implementing educational support. IPS and SEd builds on co-operation with other welfare actors and this often poses a difficulty , but support and co-operation within their own organization seems to be the most important factor for being able to offer vocational and educational support.