IPS Employment Specialist

1 role in Darlington, 1 role in Easington | Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

Permanent contract

A new and exciting opportunity has arisen for a number of permanent Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Specialists – come and join our team!

Deadline: 13th July 2025

• North East
• Full-time

Job overview

Due to expansion we are excited to advertise a number of permanent roles for Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Specialists. These are covering the following areas:

1 x West Park Hospital, Darlington
1 x Merrick House, Easington

At TEWV we’re committed to co-creating a great experience for our colleagues. This means listening to what staff are telling us and working together to be the best employer we can be.
Our staff are our most important asset and recognising their excellent work and the vital contributions they make to patient care is very important.

We have achieved the gold Investors in People (IIP) standard and have been commended on great people management practice and demonstrating a commitment to staff development.
We are signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme. This means we have to demonstrate that we’re taking positive action to attract, recruit and retain disabled people
We have an award-winning system for delivering efficiency through clinician-led quality improvements.

All staff who join us are provided with a comprehensive induction programme, starting on their first day of employment.
Continuous professional development is important to us. Once you’re comfortable in your new role, you and your manager will work collaboratively to form a Personal Development Plan (PDP), your personal career aspirations are taken into account and the Trust will provide you with the resources you need to develop.

Role

IPS (Individual Placement and Support) is an evidence-based approach to helping people with mental health conditions find and keep a paid job.
We know having a job can help people with mental health conditions to recover.
The IPS worker will be working with people who have a mental illness, supporting them into competitive employment, then enabling them to retain that job.
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.

Responsibilities

You will support clients with job searching, completing CVs, 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 agencies, employers and trade unions to secure paid employment opportunities, including supporting them and their employers for up to one year after the job has commenced.

The person

Minimum of level 4 qualification related to IPS practice, OR a minimum of 2 years of experience in relevant sector e.g. delivering employment support, delivering health/social care support or providing coaching/advice and guidance.

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.
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying.

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