IPS Employment Specialist
Durham and Teeside | Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Permanent contract
Join our team as an IPS Employment Specialist in Durham and Teesside, and make a real difference by helping individuals with mental health conditions secure and retain meaningful employment, fostering recovery and empowerment.
Deadline: 31st March 2025
* North East
* Full-time
* £26,530 - £29,114
Job overview
Job summary:
IPS stands for "Individual Placement and Support". It is an evidence-based approach to helping people with mental health conditions find and keep a paid job.
Having a job can bring numerous benefits to people; routine, structure, identity, social opportunities, a purpose, as well as a wage or salary. We know having a job can help people with mental health conditions to recover.
At present, only around 8% of people receiving support from secondary mental health services are in paid employment, while studies suggest almost 90% of people with serious and enduring mental health conditions want to work. The IPS Employment Team aims to provide the right support to help this happen.
A new and exciting opportunity has arisen for a number of permanent Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Specialists covering the following area: Durham and Teesside.
The IPS worker will be working with people who have a mental illness and support them into competitive employment and then enabling them to retain that employment. As an IPS worker, you will be looking for paid employment opportunities for clients who are currently involved with secondary care adult mental health services. This will involve developing opportunities with local employers and supporting them as well as the client, to ensure the right person is in the right job.
Role
You will support clients with job searching, completing CVs and application forms, and interview preparation. Working with our clients, you will liaise and signpost to a range of employment and training programmes within the local area, to include Job Centre Plus.
Developing your knowledge and networks of employment-related support services and inclusive employers within the local area is essential to this role. Employment opportunities would include those within TEWV itself.
This role is part of a wider employment support service, working closely with people with moderate to severe common mental health problems and their clinicians. The post holder will support service users to gain or return to competitive (paid) employment following the Individual Placement and Support process, aiming for fidelity to this delivery model. The role will involve working directly with Jobcentre Plus, employers, trade unions, and employment agencies to secure paid employment opportunities, including supporting them and their employers to retain these opportunities for up to one year once gained.
Responsibilities
The successful applicants will establish ongoing monitoring and support systems for clients once employment is secured. This will include review of employment gained to ensure that this is meeting both clients' and employers' needs. This will include offering support to employers and clients with any problems that may arise and promoting disability awareness among employers to ensure a positive integration of our clients into the workforce.
The successful candidate will be dynamic and highly motivated, with excellent communication skills to enable you to work/engage effectively with a wide range of agencies and employers, clients, and sometimes their families. Innovation, determination, and ability to influence assertively are key to the success of this role.
You will apply consistently high standards, have knowledge of relevant legislation, and be willing to attend training as required. The successful candidate needs to demonstrate a strong commitment to employment and social inclusion.
IPS supervision and clinical support from community mental health team members will be offered on a regular basis with ongoing training and development opportunities relevant to the post.
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying.
Additional contact details:
Kim Hodgson, IPS Team Leader - Durham
Tony Cummings, IPS Team Leader - Teesside
The person
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