First Step Trust - Background
Starting FST
First Step Trust was established in 1994 to provide real work experience and
employment opportunities for people with mental health problems and other
disadvantages.
We have work projects in Barnet, Bexley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Scottish Borders,
Sheffield, Welling and Broadmoor Hospital.
These offer a wide range of work including garden maintenance, furniture removals, contract cleaning, painting and decorating, arts and crafts and printing.We also have a restaurant open to the public, a social club, an employment agency and a small housing project. Our main office in Woolwich provides work and basic training, including qualifications, in office administration and computing skills.
Each project runs as small businesses, trading with the local community with a strong emphasis on everyone in the workforce sharing the responsibilities of running the business.
People with mental health problems and other disadvantages form the voluntary workforce, staffing and managing both the individual projects and the main office. First Step Trust currently has 11 such projects with a total of over 380 members of the workforce.
First Step Trust has shown how well this approach works in mental health, learning disability and in the area of drug and alcohol misuse. People need a reason to stay off drugs or alcohol, just as people with mental health problems need a reason to stay well. Work provides both the reason and the means. It offers opportunity to learn new skills, occupy the day, meet new friends, regain lost self-respect and develop a future.
The First Step Trust approach is to challenge people with real responsibility while supporting them with training and firm structures. We are committed to the principle of encouraging and enabling the workforce to achieve success within a framework of core values.