Finding and keeping a suitable job represents an important factor of life satisfaction for people with mental problems. Employment adequate to education achieved, abilities and current health state helps to sustain their living standards and is an important means for social binds and contacts for these people.

Studies have shown that a high percentage of people with mental illness are able to work, despite limits related to their illness. However, sometimes they need  certain extent of professional support on the  open labor market. Not only while searching for a job, but mainly in order to keep a steady job.

Our priority is to help to find working opportunities in usual conditions. In case when we do not succeed, we offer the preparation, diagnostics and training  based on the individual needs. We use temporary training employment, vocational- rehabilitative programs and training courses for these purposes. We also employ many people with the mental illness experience directly in our organizations and herewith we provide best practice examples in the Czech Republic. Employment in social firms offers another alternative for people seeking long-term steady jobs.

Social enterprise

Fokus is a pioneer organization and a vital promoter of social enterprising. Our members run numerous social firms, such as laundries, cafés, food facilities, garden and maintenance workshops, guest houses, various shops, and we still inspire partners of many other organizations.

Social firm is a competitive business body working on common labour market whose aim is to create working opportunities for people severely disadvantaged on common labour market. Social firm creates safe working environment, ensures to its workers professional development and a psycho-social support if necessary, and enables working conditions equal for all employees. The umberella organization for Czech social economy sector is TESSEA - Thematic Network for Social Economy.