Employment Specialist - Employment Coach
Band 5
Main area: Individual Placement and Support Service (IPS)
Grade: Band 5
Contract: Fixed term: 2 years (Fixed due to service development)
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 327-25-212
Site: Countywide
Town: Gloucester
Salary: £29,970 - £36,483 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 21/04/2025 23:59
We love what we do and we think you will, too!
At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county.
We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care. We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking ‘what matters to you’.
We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and we are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality teams in all areas of the Trust.
Job overview
Are you looking for a career where you can make a positive difference to the lives of people with Mental Health Difficulties?
Do you believe you have the skills to support people back into employment?
Are you passionate that occupation can support a person's wellbeing?
If so, these roles may be just what you're looking for!
(1 Employment Specialist based at Pullman Place, Gloucester, 1 based in Cheltenham, and 1 based at Colliers, Forest of Dean and Avon House, Tewkesbury)
For people who need Mental Health support, getting back into work is a vital step on their recovery journey. The evidence backs this up and although 90% of people with Severe Mental Illness want to work, only 8% of them are in paid employment. This is why we are looking for people to join our friendly Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Service, as an Employment Specialist.
This is an incredibly rewarding role - you will have the opportunity to transform the lives of your clients, to give them hope, direction and support their recovery journey. This is also a challenging role, so you’ll need to be resilient, empathetic and dedicated to finding clients employment that is right for them. As a people person, you will build a good rapport with your clients, gaining a real understanding of their key skills, their aspirations and their career goals. You will also spend time building productive relationships with employers, in order to identify and negotiate job opportunities in the hidden labour market.
Main duties of the job
You will be required to:
1. Proactively manage a caseload of people, who have experienced Mental Health Difficulties, to either find and maintain paid employment, or to retain existing employment.
2. Follow the IPS model, collate evidence and participate in Fidelity Reviews.
3. Identify and meet the employment goals of clients by providing individually tailored programmes, using a person-centred approach.
4. Work within a multi-disciplinary environment and liaise closely with a variety of stakeholders i.e. Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and Citizen Advice.
5. Work proactively at Employer Engagement and research the labour market and spend time getting to know local employers, in order to negotiate job opportunities.
6. Support Service Users and employers to identify reasonable adjustments and return to work strategies, to ensure job retention.
7. Act independently, using own judgement, knowledge and initiative.
The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.
Working for our organisation
We have in excess of 5000 staff working over 50 sites, providing a diverse range of services. We strive to support an organisational culture that is welcoming, builds and celebrates inclusivity and diversity and provides a sense of belonging and trust.
The annual NHS Staff Survey gives our people the opportunity to tell us about their experience working at the Trust. For the 2023 survey just over 2800 colleagues gave us their views (58.5%). It was great to see from the results that colleagues are saying that:
* 89.7% believe they are making a positive difference to patients/service users;
* 73.3% would recommend the organisation as a place to work;
* 82.4% agree that care of patients and service users is the organisations priority;
* 76.7% would be happy with the standard of care for a friend or relative.
Our results put us as 5th nationally as a Community, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities NHS Employer of Choice and 1st equal amongst all NHS Provider Trusts in the South West. However, we know we have more to do and will continue to drive forward our commitment to making GHC a Great Place to Work.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Gloucestershire Health and Care is committed to embedding and providing personalised care through all of its services as part of our high-quality care strategy. The purpose of personalised care is to empower people to lead the lives they want to live. Personalised care starts with a conversation with people about what matters to them. It builds on what people can do, as well as addressing their health needs. Including new ways of working and delivering care, emphasising that we need to make effective use of the full range of our people’s skills and experience to deliver the best possible patient care. So we want to know What Matters to You and that you will share our values and join us on this very important journey.
Please refer to the Additional Information attachment before submitting your application.
Person specification
Qualifications
* Educated to degree level or equivalent level of knowledge.
* Experience or knowledge of recruitment/employment.
* Knowledge and experience of Recovery and Social Inclusion principles.
Experience
* Experience of working in supported employment services.
* Experience of working with people with Mental Health problems or a similar service user group.
* An understanding of employment and challenges for people who have Mental Health experiences.
Other
* Flexibility to travel within the region.
* Full driving license with access to own vehicle for business purposes.
When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:
* Free car parking at many of our sites.
* 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service.
* A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
* A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
* Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when if you work unsocial hours.
* Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities.
* Recognition and long service awards.
* Fast Track physiotherapy.
* Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date. Good luck with your application.
For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Name: Vicky Vacara
Job title: Team Manager
Email address: vicky.vacara@ghc.nhs.uk
Telephone number: 0300 421 3149
Or Kenneth Kwogyenga - Lead Employment Specialist
Email: kenneth.kwogyenga@ghc.nhs.uk
Telephone: 0300 421 3149
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