IPS Employment Assistant

Job overview

IPS stands for “Individual Placement and Support”. It is an evidence-based approach to helping people with mental health conditions find and keep a paid job.

Having a job can bring numerous benefits to people, routine, structure, identity, social opportunities, a purpose, as well as a wage or salary. We know having a job can help people with mental health conditions to recover.

At present, only around 8% of people receiving support from secondary mental health services are in paid employment, while studies suggest almost 90% of people with serious and enduring mental health conditions want to work. The IPS Employment Team aims to provide the right support to help this happen.

A new and exciting opportunity has arisen for a permanent Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Assistant covering the following areas:

York / North Yorkshire

The IPS Employment Assistant will be supporting the IPS Employment Specialist in working with people who have a mental illness and support them into competitive employment and then enabling them to retain that employment.

You must have the Right to Work in the UK in order to be successfully appointed to this role. Please note, this role does not meet the required eligibility criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa and therefore the Trust is unable to offer sponsorship for this particular role.

Main duties of the job

The IPS Employment Assistant will be supporting the IPS Employment Specialist in day to day IPS delivery in supporting clients with Job search, CV Development, Employment Applications, Interview support and supporting with designated electronic employment support programmes under the guidance and support of the IPS Employment Specialist.

This will involve developing opportunities with local employers and partners and supporting them as well as the client, to ensure the right person is in the right job.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The successful applicants will provide support to the IPS Employment Specialist in monitoring support systems for clients throughout their IPS journey.

This will include supporting the IPS Employment Specialist in providing in work support to clients.

The successful candidate will be dynamic and motivated, with excellent communication skills to enable you to support the IPS Employment Specialist in working/engaging effectively with a wide range of partner agencies and employers, clients and sometimes their families. Innovation and determination are key to the success of this role.

The successful candidate needs to demonstrate a commitment to employment and social inclusion.

IPS supervision and clinical support from community mental health team members will be offered on a regular basis with ongoing training and development opportunities relevant to the post.

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

Due to the nature of the role it is essential that applicants are able to travel independently across the locality and have access to a suitable vehicle for business purposes. If necessary, adjustments can be considered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.