Empowering Lives Through Employment - Fundación SASM

Labor Integration Program

The Santos Andrés Santiago y Miguel Foundation eliminates stigma and improves quality of life for people with severe mental illness through comprehensive, person-centered care and employment integration.

The Challenge: Equal Access to Employment

Although access to employment is a universal right, not all people have the same opportunities to participate in the labor market. People with severe mental illness face significant barriers to employment integration.

Since January 2023, the SASM Foundation expanded its care through the new residence "Galatea" with 20 available places, implementing basic, comprehensive, and personalized socio-labor integration pathways with specialized staff.

A Person-Centered Approach

The program is based on individuals' abilities to adjust their professional profiles for greater success in employment integration. The main idea is to promote strategies that strengthen capacities, reduce barriers, foster autonomy, and provide necessary resources for social integration.

Community Inclusion: Combining training, career guidance, and support throughout job seeking and community participation
Employability Focus: Building skills and confidence for sustainable employment outcomes
Comprehensive Support: Personalized pathways addressing individual needs and goals

Who We Serve

People with Severe Mental Disorder (SMD)
Adherence to pharmacological and/or rehabilitative treatment
Regular psychiatric follow-up
Adequate levels of personal autonomy
Motivation towards educational and employment integration
Adults of legal age

59% of the participants are men, 41% are women. Priority is given to women's participation to address gender disparities in mental health services.

Changing Profile of Mental Health Service Users

The profile of users attending the SASM Foundation has changed considerably. A few years ago, users often had no awareness of their mental illness, living in near isolation with significant deterioration. This profile has gradually evolved due to external factors—younger people with more information and better coping skills—and internal factors, as the Foundation now offers programs like Leisure and Free Time, Family Intervention, and Awareness.

Collaborative Network

The socio-labor integration pathways program coordinated with multiple mental health resources throughout the Ribera Baixa region, holding regular meetings and exchanging information about participants.

Sueca Mental Health Unit: Serves people with mental illness from different municipalities
Social Services: Ribera Baixa regional authority and Sueca Social Services Department
SASEM: Support and Follow-up Service for People with Severe Mental Health Problems
Joan Fuster High School: Secondary school providing educational pathways
Partner Associations: AFEM RB Association and Saludem-nos Association

All activities took place in Sueca, the regional capital, with participants referred from throughout the Ribera Baixa region.

Program Objectives & Outstanding Results

Main Objective: Promote social and labor inclusion of people with mental illness

Key Supporting Goals

Increase personal autonomy and provide resources for social integration
Improve employability of people at risk of social exclusion
Empower users as active participants in recovery
Reduce unemployment rate among people with mental illness
Expand training opportunities for participants
Eliminate stigma associated with mental illness

2023 Achievements

38,8% found employment.
35,5% began training.
80% increased autonomy.

The Five-Phase Methodology

The intervention methodology is based on the Person-Centered Model, where centers and services adapt to users' needs rather than the reverse. Each individual receives care tailored to their unique needs at every stage.

Initial Reception: Social worker gathers information, explains program, identifies needs and expectations using Initial Questionnaire

Assessment: Data collection and analysis, identifying strengths, abilities, and determining best intervention options

Pathway Design: Personalized work plan designed jointly by professional and participant based on interests and needs

Implementation & Monitoring: Planned actions carried out to achieve established goals with continuous oversight

Follow-Up: Regular interviews with professionals to monitor participant progress and adjust support

Year of Action: 2025 Activities

Training & Support

Individual support sessions with all participants
Digital literacy training courses
Social skills training courses
Accompaniment to job interviews at Special Employment Centers, LABORA, ONCE Group, and other companies

Community Engagement

Participation in charity races (Cancer Association, Alzheimer's Association, SASM Foundation)
"Pro Mental Health" sports tournament
"Best Practices in Mental Health" conference
Mental Health Roundtable discussion
Participation in "Fallas" monument creation in Sueca

Information & Dissemination

Three consecutive Fridays at information booth in the city center distributing brochures about the program, website publication with funding entity logos, social media campaigns across Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and brochure distribution to key referral entities.

Measuring Success: Evaluation Results

Result-Based Evaluation: Qualitative and quantitative indicators assessed concrete outcomes and degree of expected changes achieved within the target community

Participatory Evaluation: Direct involvement of participants, professional teams, and staff to collect experiences and recommendations for comprehensive assessment

Increased Autonomy: 90% of the participants reported higher autonomy levels.
Economic Improvement: 46% of the participants stated their economic situation improved.
Overall Satisfaction: 100% of the participants expressed satisfaction with participation.

All objectives were fulfilled with high satisfaction from both participants and professionals. Feedback and improvement proposals collected through satisfaction surveys will be implemented in the next program cycle.