Employment Specialist

We have a great opportunity for another dynamic Employment Specialist to join our Individual Placement and support Employment Services Team in Milton Keynes. The post will be based in the community Mental Health Hub which operates across 3 sites in the area.

We are looking for an individual who is highly motivated, has experience of supporting people to access paid employment (or employability skills which could be transferred to this role) along with the right qualities and aptitudes. These include a passionate belief that anyone with a mental health condition can work, is a self-starter with initiative, a commitment to team work and strong organisational skills.

You will have the tools you need to provide expert support and advice to clients whilst also building positive relationships with employers, opening doors and changing perceptions around mental health.

Your role will involve being an Employment Specialist in a mental health team. You will need to promote employment and raise expectations that people accessing the mental health service can find and keep paid employment. You will have individual and team targets and will receive professional supervision and support from an Employment Team Leader, a clinical supervisor and local peers. You will also be expected to spend time in the community providing intervention to our clients, negotiating job opportunities via the hidden labour market, as well as networking with local agencies.

Motivating and supporting a caseload of service users to access and sustain paid employment. This will include enabling service users to identify their best job match, approaching employers, and providing effective in work support to both the service user and employer where appropriate.

Working within Multi-Disciplinary Teams in secondary mental health services to achieve these aims.

Implementing evidenced based employment practice, with a commitment to the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model fidelity and practice.

Providing on-going support according to both the employee’s and employer’s needs to enable people who have experienced mental health difficulties to gain and retain employment.

Building the profile of employment within the clinical team, and raising expectations around the ability of service users to access paid work.

Working in partnership with the Recovery and Wellbeing College to co-produce and co-deliver employment modules for service users of CNWL

Keeping accurate records of work in line with Trust and Employment Services Operating policies and procedures.

ValuesCentral and North West London NHS Trust expects the postholder to act in a way which shows an understanding of our core values and is active in putting them into practice with service users, their friends, family and carers and also other staff members.

**COMPASSION**: contribution to a caring and kind environment and recognition that what you do and say can help to improve the lives of others

**RESPECT**: acknowledge, respect and value diversity of each individual, recognition of uniqueness.

**EMPOWERMENT**: commitment to providing information, resources and support to help others make their own decisions and meet their own needs. The Trust endeavours to support all staff to enable them to develop and grow.

**PARTNERSHIP**: work closely with others and behave in a way that demonstrates understanding that commissioners and users of our services are the people who generate and fund our work.
- To manage a caseload of between 20-25 people who have experienced mental health problems who wish to return to work. This will include challenging inequalities experienced by mental health service users and to address existing discrimination, whilst ensuring a process of learning for the organisation
- To provide individualised support with a focus on multi-disciplinary interventions to service users once they have returned to work
- To have an understanding of evidenced based IPS employment practice, with a focus on delivering a person-centred, high quality service which results in meeting and exceeding sustained job outcome targets for people accessing the service.
- Building relationships and marketing the service with clinical teams to generate referrals and create collaborative working with clinical staff
- To support the team in promoting a recovery orientated environment by identifying recovery-focused activities and imparting information and education as required. This would involve promoting courses being delivered by Recovery and Wellbeing College as well as supporting the development of employment modules and local information sessions
- To prepare individuals for a return to work by supporting people to understand their skills, aspirations and goals by offering employment profiling, job matching, action planning and employment case management support.
- Source job opportunities for service users through tailored job search and proactive engagement with employers to open up