MadCap Cafe

At MadCap Cafe we make coffee to employ people, not employ people to make coffee! MadCap Café was founded by its Project Manager Anthony Cheeseman and Ermha inc CEO Peter Waters. Ermha inc is a not for profit Mental health service in Melbournes South East that supports and ecourages people who suffer from severe and enduring mental illness. The enterprise was initiated in response to client feedback received over several years through Client Satisfaction Surveys conducted by Ermha staff. Client’s indicated that at the stage of their recovery when they felt ready to explore entry or re-entry into the workforce a distinct lack of opportunities existed to explore vocation in an environment that was accepting of their various conditions and circumstances, and minimal training and support was available which was tailored to their individual needs. Client’s came to MadCap reporting their experiences with Traditional Support Service Day Programs to be lacking the training and vocational components needed to develop their skills set after extensive histories of unemployment. What they were looking for was a structured pre-vocational process aimed at encouraging greater participation in the workforce and/or igniting enthusiasm for exploring some form of meaningful activity. That’s where MadCap comes in. MadCap Cafés give clients the required skills and time needed to gather the resilience and confidence to re-enter the work force. By linking Ermha’s Day Program, Aspirations to each MadCap Café and the establishment of Transitional Employment Support Worker positions within this support framework, we are able to provide the continuim of support our clients needed from early engagement, through on the job training, to employment placement. MadCap Café pays all its employees including trainee’s award wages. MadCap believes that doing this helps the trainee in their recovery. They are not only given an opportunity to work but an opportunity to work in a ‘real’ workplace that is busy and thriving.