IPS Employment Specialist – Mental Health Employment Services in Chelmsford

Help make employment part of someone’s recovery

For someone living with serious mental illness, the right job can provide far more than an income.

It can restore confidence, create structure, strengthen independence and become an important part of their recovery.

As an IPS Employment Specialist, you will work alongside NHS clinical teams to help people experiencing serious mental illness find and sustain meaningful paid employment.

You will have a manageable caseload, allowing you to understand each person’s strengths, preferences and circumstances and provide genuinely individualised support.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with experience in employability, careers advice or information, advice and guidance who wants to develop specialist skills within mental health employment support.

Full training in the Individual Placement and Support model will be provided.

A different kind of employment suppor t IPS stands for Individual Placement and Support.

It is an internationally recognised, evidence-based approach to helping people experiencing serious mental illness move into competitive paid employment

The principle is straightforward: if someone wants to work, they should receive practical support to begin looking for the right job without being held back by lengthy assessments or assumptions about whether they are “ready”

. This is not classroom-based employability provision and it is not about directing people towards any available vacancy

. You will work with each person to understand the job they want, begin a rapid and personalised job search and provide continued support once employment starts

. Your focus will be the right job, for the right person, with the right support

.
The real j ob You will be integrated within an NHS clinical team, working alongside mental health professionals as part of a person’s wider recovery suppor t. You will attend clinical meetings, develop trusted relationships with NHS colleagues and ensure employment is considered as an important part of recovery plannin g. You will also spend considerable time in the communit y. You might meet someone in a clinical setting, community venue or another agreed locatio n. You will visit employers, identify suitable opportunities and support people before and after they enter wor k.
A day in the role You may start your day attending an NHS clinical meeting, discussing referrals and identifying people who want support to return to w ork. You could then meet a participant to complete a vocational profile, exploring their skills, experience, interests and preferred type of employm ent. Later, you might approach local employers to understand their workforce needs and identify opportunities that will not necessarily appear on job boa rds.

In the afternoon, you could help someone prepare for an interview, discuss whether and how they want to disclose a health condition, or visit a participant who has recently started work to provide in-work supp ort. You will also maintain accurate case records, track progress and plan the next action for every person on your casel oad. No two days will be identical, but every day must move people closer to meaningful employm ent.
What you wi

• will: Manage a manageable caseload of people experiencing serious mental il
• lness Deliver individual advice and guidance to adults and young a
• dults Complete detailed vocational profiles and employment action
• plans Understand each person’s skills, experience, aspirations and job prefer
• rches Support CV development, applications and interview prepar
• ation Help people make informed decisions about disclosing a health cond
• ition Explore workplace adjustments and strategies for managing health at
• work Build relationships with local empl
• oyers Approach employers directly to identify advertised and hidden opportun
• ities Match people with jobs that reflect their individual goals and stre
• ngths Work as an integrated member of an NHS clinical
• team Attend clinical and multidisciplinary mee
• tings Maintain effective communication with clinicians about wellbeing and
• risk Provide continued in-work support to participants and empl
• oyers Help people sustain employment when difficulties
• arise Track job starts, sustainment and progre
• ssion Maintain accurate, timely and fidelity-compliant case re
• cords Work towards clear individual and service outcome ta
• rgets Follow safeguarding, confidentiality and data-protection require ments
  Employer engagement is an important part of th e role Suitable opportunities will not always be found by searching online job b oards. You will need to develop relationships with local employers, understand their workforce needs and introduce the support available through the IPS se rvice. This will in
• volve: Contacting employers who do not already kn
• ow you Visiting businesses across Mid
• Essex Asking employers about current and future opportu
• nities Promoting inclusive recru
• itment Exploring job carving and flexible working arrang
• ements Discussing reasonable workplace adjus s work You must be comfortable initiating employer conversations, handling rejection and continuing to build new relation ships. This is not a traditional sales role, but it requires confidence, persistence and many of the same relationship-building s kills.
  The parts people can undere stimate You will need to be comfortabl
• e with: Working with people experiencing serious and sometimes fluctuating mental ill
• health Hearing difficult personal information while maintaining professional bou
• ndaries Supporting people whose confidence or engagement may
• change Beginning job search quickly rather than placing people into lengthy pre-employment a
• ctivity Approaching employers directly and creating opport
• unities Working towards job-start and sustainment
• targets Managing a caseload and maintaining momentum for each
• person Recording activity and evidence acc
• urately Working closely with clinical profes
• sionals Travelling throughout Mid Essex on a dail
• y basis Planning your own diary across different community lo
• cations Working independently while remaining connected to yo ur team This role requires empathy, but empathy alone is not enough. You will also need organisation, resilience, initiative and the determination to keep moving forward when the first approach does not s suceed.
  What you need to bring Essential experience and capa bilities You must be able to e
• vidence: Experience providing one-to-one advice and guidance to adults or youn
• g adults The ability to build trust and motivate people towards a practical
• outcome Experience managing competing priorities, appointments or a
• caseload Strong written and verbal commu
• nication Confidence working independently in community
• settings The ability to establish effective professional bo
• undaries Resilience when dealing with setbacks, changing circumstances or challenging conve
• rsations Accurate record keeping and reliable follow
• -through Confidence using Microsoft Office and digital case-management
• systems A willingness to approach and build relationships with e
• mployers The ability to work towards clear targets and xperience It would be an advantage if you have exper
• ience in: Employability or employme
• nt advice Careers information, advice and
• guidance Welfare-to-work or supported e
• mployment Mental health, recovery or wellbeing
• services Supporting people with disabilities or health c
• onditions Recruitment, resourcing or employer e
• ngagement Social care, housing or community
• services Delivering the
• IPS model Working alongside NHS or clini cal teams Previous IPS experience is helpful but not essential.

We are particularly interested in experienced employability and advice professionals who want to expand their skills and develop a career in specialist mental health employment support. Full IPS training, fidelity guidance and ongoing development will be provided.
Driving and travel re quirements This is a mobile, community-based role covering Mid Essex. It is not a home-based position and it is not based permanently at o ne office.
Due to the geography of the service and the frequency of travel required

• , you must: Hold a valid driv
• ing licence Have reliable access to a vehic
• le for work Hold appropriate business-us
• e insurance Be willing and able to drive and travel across Mid Essex on a daily basis Regular travel throughout the delivery area is an essential part of the role and cannot be removed. Get Set UK will consider reasonable adjustments relating to how the role is performed and throughout the recruitme nt process. However, any adjustment must still enable the successful candidate to fulfil the essential travel and community-delivery re

Get Set UK?You will have the opportunity to move from broader employability or advice work into a recognised specialist emplo mment.
You

• will receive: Full IPS training and fide
• lity guidance Structured management support and regula
• r supervision25 days’ annual leave plus
• bank holidays Pension
• contributions Employee ownership
• and Headspace Discounts and salary-sacrifice options Enhanced benefits
• with service Learning, development and progression out Get Set UKGet Set UK delivers employment, skills, apprenticeships, health and justice programmes and is part of Palladium, a global group operating across more than

90 countries. We help people overcome barriers, recognise their potential and move towards meaningful, sustainab le employment.
Get Set to help someone build their future through wor

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