Ips Employment Specialist

Do you understand the importance of work and the vital role it can play in the lives of those with health conditions or disabilities?

Do you take pride in what you do, and can you think creatively about how different organisations can work together to deliver a better service?

Are you happy to talk with employers and help match people into meaningful work?

If this sounds like you, then you might be ideal for our new Employment Specialist roles.

The Growth Company’s (GC) Individual Placement Support (IPS) team aims to increase the number of people moving into employment from specialist community health services.

You will work on a program that supports adults with a physical or mental health disability who are out of work, to find, and sustain, employment. You will deliver the IPS approach (for which training will be given), providing person-centered advice and guidance to clients, whilst building positive relationships with local employers to enable clients to move into suitable employment.

**Key Responsibilities**:

- To manage a caseload of around 24 clients who are motivated to start/return to work. Working with participants to progress them on their journey towards employment by delivering the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach and overcoming their work, skills health, and personal circumstances barriers to ultimately support participants into sustainable work.
- Attend weekly team meetings as an embedded IPS practitioner. Once employment has been secured continue to provide quality service through conducting regular visits, effective monitoring, and in-work support to clients and employers to help sustain employment to ensure that all required entry to the Esyncs is accurate and compliant and documentation relating to the participant is completed and maintained in an accurate, compliant, timely and respectful manner.
- Spend time getting to know local employers, to negotiate job opportunities that meet everyone’s strengths, needs, abilities, and preferences.
- To challenge inequalities experienced by clients and address existing discrimination, whilst ensuring a process of learning for the organisation.
- Develop effective working relationships with a range of external agencies that can help individuals to achieve their employment goals. This may include local colleges and training providers.
- Partake in continuous learning about disability and mental health conditions, their impact, and how they can be managed and undertake mandatory training as required.
- Assess client support needs relating to work which may include benefits/welfare advice, disclosure of mental health symptoms, etc., and provide support & guidance.
- Source job opportunities for clients through tailored job searches and regular contact with local employers to explore hidden as well as advertised employment opportunities.
- Provide education and support to employers, as agreed with the individual, which may include negotiating adjustments, return to work strategy, and ongoing contact with the employer to ensure job retention.
- Establish positive and integrated relationships with Primary Care teams, employers, and other service providers.
- Ensure that all relevant policies are implemented such as information governance, safeguarding, etc.

**About you**:

- Experience talking to employers and helping people into work.
- We want great communication skills and the ability to build relationships with everyone from the frontline up to CEO level.
- Negotiation skills and commercial acumen.
- Drive, passion, and commitment.
- Proven ability to build rapport with people and especially understanding issues for people with affected by substance misuse or similar conditions.
- Strong written skills/verbal/ organisational skills.

**Skills Required**:

- Strong interpersonal, communication, and negotiating skills.
- Ability to work in a target-driven environment, with a focus on the successful achievement of job outcomes and sustained outcomes.
- High-level guidance skills, with the ability to deliver one-to-one and group sessions to at least Grade 2 standard.
- Previous experience working on outreach and lone working.
- Experience in guidance, advice & counselling environments.
- An understanding of working with disabled people, or a similar client group within health, social services, or the voluntary sector is desirable.

GC aims to promote a culture of flexibility and agile working. Going forward we will be transitioning to a culture where full agile working will be a feature of many of our roles. We also recognise that there may be a need for more permanent flexibility in your working arrangements and in such cases, we encourage you to have these discussions at the interview stage, to enable your flexible working request to be considered as early as possible.

**Job Types**: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: Up to £27,000.00 per year

**Benefits**:

- Additional leave
- Bereavement leave
- Casual dress
- Company events