We are looking for a motivated, passionate self-starter who wants to continue a career in the supported employment sector. This position, with on-the-job training, is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference and support those with mental health needs across Greater Manchester.
As an Employment Specialist you will play a vital role in helping people with mental health support needs find meaningful and fulfilling employment. You’ll receive all the training and support you need to take on the role, develop your skills and have access to a broad range of opportunities within Pure Innovations.
We welcome applications from all experience levels and backgrounds. What you will need is the ability to motivate and build relationships with service users, strong organisational skills, the confidence to communicate and engage with a range of employers, work independently in the community, and a fundamental belief that anyone with a mental health condition can work.
Role Purpose:
You will work with clients (managing a caseload) who have mental health support needs, to assist them in securing sustainable paid employment in line with their preferences. You will deliver the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach (for which training will be given); providing person centred advice and guidance to clients, whilst building positive relationships with local employers to enable clients to move into, and stay in, suitable employment.
You will work as part of a mental health team within the NHS, maintaining positive and integrated relationships, fostering a holistic approach to recovery through employment.
Responsibilities:
Core Responsibilities:
This is an exciting and dynamic role, where no one day is the same and you’ll be making a genuine difference to people’s lives. Using the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model you’ll be:
- Managing a caseload of around 20 clients who have mental health support needs who are motivated to start/return to work.
· Regularly meeting with clients to listen, help them identify their best job match, reflecting on their skills and aspirations, providing support including CV production, interview techniques
· Provide in-work support, assessing each client’s work-related needs, designing a return-to-work strategy, and ensuring job retention with ongoing contact.
· Sourcing job opportunities for your clients through regular contact with local employers within the community.
· Work as part of a mental health team to promote employment and raise expectations around the ability of service users to access paid employment, breaking down the barriers for them. To develop risk assessments for clients with complex and historical clinical risk.
· Assess client’s support needs related to work which may include benefits/welfare advice, disclosure of mental health symptoms etc, and provide support & guidance.
· Attend weekly clinical team meetings as an embedded IPS practitioner, providing updates on caseload progress at each meeting.
· To present to the clinical team during monthly business meetings, sharing updates on the IPS services performance.
· Provide education and support to employers, as agreed with the individual, which may include negotiating adjustments, return to work strategy and on-going contact with the employer to ensure job retention.
· Build relationships with colleagues in clinical teams to engage and generate referrals and create collaborative working partnerships with clinical staff (promoting employment as a positive intervention in the recovery journey).
Relationship Management:
Establish positive and integrated relationships with clinical teams, employers and other service providers. This includes:
· To embed the IPS service within the trust and to deliver presentations at clinical meetings to inform clinical teams about IPS Fidelity.
· To build and maintain employer relationships.
· Spend time getting to know local employers, to negotiate job opportunities that meet each individual’s strengths, needs, abilities and preferences.
· To challenge inequalities experienced by clients and address existing discrimination, whilst ensuring a process of learning for the organisation
- Work with employers to promote the service, identify job opportunities and ensure appropriate strategies are in place to reduce barriers in the work place – this can include exploring ‘job carving’ i.e. carving small slices of work from the duties other staff do not have time to do.
· To develop effective working relationships with a range of external agencies who can help individuals to achieve their employment goals. This may include local colleges and training providers.
Other:
· To adhere to administrative and data capture protocols which record the progress of individuals, and to keep accurate and complete records of casework.
· To work independently, reliably and deliver consistently to deliver effective IPS practice.
· Ensure that effective monitoring and evaluation systems are adhered to and keep abreast of changing practice within vocational rehabilitation.
· To co-produce service development with service users where possible.
· To collect employment recovery stories from people accessing the service.
- Ensure that all relevant policies are implemented such as information governance, safeguarding etc.
· Partake in continuous learning about mental health conditions, their impact and how they can be managed and undertake mandatory training as required.
· Work flexible hours as required.
· To complete any other tasks required by the management team
Essential
· Willing to complete training in the IPS approach.
· Experience/understanding of working with people with mental health support needs, or a similar client group within health, social services, or the voluntary sector
· Experience of working with someone on a one-to-one basis
· Experience of managing multiple tasks at any one time
· Experience of working assertively to influence decision makers
Stakeholders:
Team Leader, Service Managers, HR, Occupational Health, Clinical Teams, User Groups, Voluntary Sector and Trust Training and Supported Employment Schemes, Local Colleges, Local Employment Service Disability Service Teams, Local Employers and other NHS User Employment Schemes.
Pay: £31,381.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee mentoring programme
Application question(s):
- Do you have experience in Employability or IPS? If so please write a short explanation.
- Do you have experience or knowledge of working with disadvantaged people or people with a disability? If yes, please provide an explanation.
Licence/Certification:
- UK Driving Licence and access to a vehicle for business use? (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
