Conference programme
The number of recipients of disability benefit due to mental ill-health in Switzerland has tripled over the last 20 years. Today, 40% of Swiss disability benefit recipients suffer from mental ill-health problems. Similar trends have been observed in other countries too. In light of the attendant and not inconsiderable problem of trying to (re-)integrate these people in the labour market, the Federal Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has decided to organise an international conference, entitled
“Mental Disability and Work: Breaking the Barriers”, to be held on 18 March 2010 in Zurich. It is hoped that the conference will raise awareness of the issue among key players and offer a platform for informed and thought-provoking discussions on possible solutions.
This conference seeks to offer an opportunity for employers, policymakers and integration specialists from both Switzerland and abroad to share experiences and success stories. It will also be a chance to put forward and discuss ideas which would ensure that social policy in the future addresses this issue more effectively.
The conference will be moderated by
Daniela Lager, well-known presenter of the Swiss “10 vor 10” TV news programme.
The working languages of the conference will be English, German and French. Simultaneous translation will also be provided for all presentations.
Thursday, 18 March 2010
8.30 am: Registration
9.15 am: Welcome address
Didier Burkhalter (Federal Councillor, Head of the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA)
9.30 am: Opening Session: Tackling the Barriers
To lay the groundwork for a more informed discussion on the subject, a number of experts from Switzerland and abroad, notably
Piet Hein Donner (Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, Netherlands),
Mars di Bartolomeo (Minister of Health and Minister of Social Security, Luxembourg),
Yves Rossier (Director Federal Social Insurance Office, Switzerland),
Prof. Dr. med. Dipl.-Psych. Wulf Rössler (Director Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zurich, Switzerland),
Christopher Prinz (Project leader Sickness & Disability Policy Reviews, OECD) and
Jean-Claude Biver (CEO Hublot, Switzerland) shall offer their own specialist insight into the issue:
What is behind the sharp rise in the number of people suffering from mental disabilities? Why is it particularly difficult to reintegrate these people in the workplace? What barriers to their labour market reintegration must be removed?
10.30 am: Coffee break
11.00 am: Session 1: Mental disability and early intervention - Rising to the challenge
Early intervention is a preventive measure, of which the aim is the prompt identification of individuals presenting with the first signs of possible invalidity and to allow them to remain in work or return swiftly to the labour market with the help of appropriate intervention measures. What are the early warning signs of mental disability? Is there a need for an early intervention process which is tailor-made for people with mental health problems? Session 1 details and discusses different types of early intervention measures currently in use in Switzerland and other countries. Speakers include labour market re-integration professionals, such as
Dr. Niklas Baer (Director Fachstelle für psychiatrische Rehabilitation KPD Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland) and
Jean-Philippe Ruegger (Director Disability Insurance Office Vaud, Switzerland), as well as employers’ representatives from both Switzerland and abroad, such as
Susan Scott-Parker (CEO Employers’ Forum on Disability, United Kingdom) and
Susanne Buri (Head of Case and Health Management Swisscom, Switzerland).
12.15 pm: Lunch
1.45 pm: Session 2: Re-employment is the goal
It is often very difficult to take the first step towards gainful employment, particularly for individuals suffering from mental health problems. All too frequently, this reticence culminates in the receipt of disability benefits. The second session will look at integration measures which guarantee the transition from social to occupational integration and should improve the integration chances of recipients. It will also compare the different measures that have been taken in Switzerland and in other countries (in particular, the Netherlands and the UK). Speakers include
Fred Paling (Director Labour Ability, Employee Insurance Agency UWV, Netherlands),
PD Dr. med. Holger Hoffmann (Head of Department Universitäre Psychiatrische Dienste Bern, Switzerland),
Marc Edel (Head of Corporate Health Management Feldschlösschen Beverages Co., Switzerland),
Chris Blackwell (Chief Operating Officer Ingeus UK, United Kingdom) and
Bernhard Dubs (Jobcoach Psychiatrische Dienste Aargau, Switzerland).
3 pm: Coffee break
3.30 pm: Closing Session: Grand Forum – Steps towards better solutions
As part of a podium discussion, renowned figures from Switzerland and abroad such as
Dr. Kathrin Amacker-Amann (Head Diversity & Inclusion Novartis Pharma AG, National Councillor, Switzerland),
Bettina Kashefi (State Secretary to the Minister for Social Security, Sweden),
Peter Rothenbühler (Columnist Edipresse, Switzerland) and
Nancy Wayland Bigler (Head of Section Development Invalidity Insurance, Switzerland) will examine new ways of solving the labour market reintegration problem.
4.15 pm: Summing up
Roger de Weck (journalist and former newspaper editor, Zurich and Berlin)
4.30 pm: Close/Drinks reception