Fedcap wins national award for its innovative Clubhouse model

Fedcap’s Clubhouses, which support people to improve their mental health while they are looking for work, won the prestigious Inclusion Quality Improvement Initiative at The Quality Professionals Awards: Further Education and Employability.

The accolade recognises how Fedcap’s Clubhouses embed inclusive practice, remove barriers and support all members, helping them to improve their mental health and progress towards sustainable and meaningful employment.

Nine in 10 members have improved their health at Fedcap Clubhouses, with nearly a third finding sustainable employment – a significant percentage who have traditionally struggled achieving sustainable employment. Without this support, they would have been highly unlikely to return to work.

Christine McMahon, CEO and President of Fedcap, said: “It is a huge honour for Fedcap’s UK Clubhouses to win a Quality Professionals Award.

“Fedcap is a mission-driven organisation which supports people and their families to achieve greater economic wellbeing. This recognition validates the hard work, dedication, and innovative thinking of the entire Fedcap team.

“By embedding inclusive practice, we’re supporting all Clubhouse members to remove barriers to help them improve their mental health as they progress towards sustainable employment.”

The Clubhouses were launched by Fedcap in 2023 in Surrey and Sussex as places where unemployed people with complex mental health/social needs could meet, develop skills and enjoy positive social interactions as part of a work-ordered day.

They were developed in response to delivery insights showing a cohort of customers facing more complex barriers to employment, particularly relating to mental health and wider health or social needs. Clubhouses operate as part of the Department for Work and Pensions’ Restart Scheme, which Fedcap delivers as a prime provider across south central England.

Susan Paterson, Executive Director of Fedcap Employment, said: “We’re honoured to receive this award because it recognises something we see every day: mental health remains one of the biggest barriers to employment for many people.

“Through the Restart Scheme, we had the opportunity to scale our Clubhouse model in a way that brought more tailored, community-based mental health support into employment services – something that has been genuinely transformative for participants who need more support.

“We’re deeply grateful to the Department for Work and Pensions for its vision, partnership, and willingness to support innovation that helps more people move forward with confidence, dignity, and the right support around them.”

It’s a second award in eight months for Fedcap’s Clubhouses which celebrated winning the Holistic Wellness Integration category at the national Shine Awards last year for the difference they made to mental health and workplace wellbeing.

Read more about Fedcap’s Clubhouse Sustainable Employment Model