IPS Job Retention Specialist (North & East Herts)

IPS Job Retention Specialist (North & East Herts)

East and North Herts | Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust

Permanent contract

Could you help people experiencing mental health challenges stay in work, overcome barriers and continue their recovery through employment? Join Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust as an IPS Job Retention Specialist and support people across North and East Hertfordshire to retain, return to and thrive in meaningful employment.

Deadline: 12th October 2026

• East of England
• Full-time

Job overview

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ from the Care Quality Commission.

Our family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

You will work as a member of the multi-disciplinary Community Team. As an IPS Job Retention Specialist (ES), you will provide a specialist service, autonomously managing a caseload of service users to enable them to retain their employment using the Individual Placement Support (IPS) model, working with colleagues within HPFT community mental health teams and Primary Care.

You will provide advice and ongoing support on issues including employment rights, reasonable adjustments, and phased return to work plans.

You will support with employment termination applications and provide workplace support to the service user and employer to promote inclusion and reduce discrimination and stigma.

You will deliver the IPS (Individual Placement and Support) approach for those who have been supported out of a job and wish to obtain new employment, for which training will be given should a service user be supported into a new role.

Whilst we welcome all applications from all suitable candidates, unfortunately, we will not be offering sponsorship for this role.

Responsibilities

Each Community Services Hub provides a specialist care pathway to Service Users with Non pyschotic disorders and Personality disorder. They also provide specialist care pathways to those with psychotic disorders. Employment Support forms part of the pathways.

You will provide a specialist service, autonomously managing a caseload of service users to enable them to retain their employment using the Individual Placement Support (IPS) model, working with colleagues within HPFT community mental health teams and Primary Care.

You will provide advice and ongoing support on issues including employment rights, reasonable adjustments, and phased return to work plans.

You will support with employment termination applications and
provide workplace support to the service user and employer to promote inclusion and reduce discrimination and stigma.
You will work directly with all relevant stakeholders: the service user, Community Services staff, consultant psychiatrists, partner agencies and employers to support the service users on your caseload to retain their employment.

You will be a fully integrated community team staff member, attending team meetings etc. Supervision will be provided by the IPS Employment Quadrant Lead. You will also be part of the Virtual IPS team receiving support from peers in other Community teams.

• To carry a case load of Service Users with severe mental illness who are currently off work and receiving specialist mental health services and who wish to return to work.
• Provide advice and ongoing support on issues including employment rights, reasonable adjustments, and phased return to work plans.
• Support with employment termination applications and provide workplace support to the service user and employer to promote inclusion and reduce discrimination and stigma.
• Deliver the IPS (Individual Placement and Support) approach for those who have been supported out of a job and wish to obtain new employment, for which training will be given should a service user be supported into a new role.
• Focus on rapid job search with the service user, whilst utilising local support networks to help them overcome their barriers to employment.
• Source job opportunities for service users through tailored job search and regular contact with employers.
• When placing service users with employers, ensure that the quality of work environments is explored, including potential for workplace adjustments that will accommodate individual strengths, skills symptoms and coping skills.
• To develop effective working relationships with a range of external agencies who might be better able to help individuals to achieve their employment goals for example, local colleges, training providers and external supported employment services
• To 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 help with any new or reoccurring issues in relation to mental health and job sustainability.
• To provide individualised support to service users once they have returned to work to assist them in maintaining employment.
• Meet and exceed job outcome targets for service user

For full details of the role and responsibilities please see attached job description and person specification.

The person

Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Educated to a degree level or equivalent
• Job Retention Training or equivalent experience
• IPS trained
• Additional relevant training in areas of employment, mental health, coaching
• Considerable experience of working with adults with MH difficulties in a health or social care setting
• Significant experience working in a role delivering employment support.
• Supervision of junior staff
• Experience of partnership working, negotiation and liaison with other agencies
• Knowledge of disability and special needs issues, policies and legislation in relation to employment
• Understanding of the principles and practice of IPS
• Knowledge of employment law
• Team orientated and work collaboratively within a mixed-disciplinary team
• Experience of partnership working, negotiation and liaison work with other agencies
• Experience of opening up job opportunities with a range of employers
• Ability to work with key IT tools such as MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Ability to build rapport with a range of people
• Ability to provide and receive sensitive information regarding services users care and social situation
• Ability to negotiate and persuade appropriately prospective employers of benefits of offering work opportunities to Service Users.
• Active listening skills, ability to ask perceptive questions that tease out important information .

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