Employment Specialist

at  Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

IPS Employment Specialists B5 – Permanent Posts
4 x full time 37.5 hours
1 x 0.6 part time 22.5 hours
Total of 5 Permanent Band 5 Employment Specialists posts
An exciting opportunity has arisen for 4 x full time and 1 x 0.6 permanent Band 5 Employment Specialists for the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Services in Wirral, and Warrington and Halton. The IPS service supports Mersey Care service users with severe and enduring mental health conditions who are under Community Mental Health and/or Early Intervention Teams and are looking for paid employment as part of their recovery journey. The post holders will be expected to adhere rigorously to the national and international IPS model. The IPS Teams are situated under the portfolio of The Life Rooms.
The Employment Specialists will be expected to travel across an identified geographical patch for meetings with clinical teams and the staff who will be co-located there, with service users, and with local employers.
The post holders will benefit from being a part of The Life Rooms services and will have the support of peers within The Life Rooms Teams.
We would expect applicants to have demonstrable experience of supporting individuals into paid employment and to be confident in liaising with employers to gain access to work opportunities in the local area. Some prior knowledge of the IPS model would be advantageous.
Shortlisting Planned for- 21st September 2024
Interviews Planned for - 3rd & 4th October 2024
The Employment Specialist will join an Individual Placement and Support Team (IPS) working under the direction of the IPS Employment Services Manager to deliver IPS as part of the holistic recovery plan for mental health service users.
The post holder will work directly with employers to secure employment opportunities for people who have experienced mental health problems, and subsequently provide ongoing support depending on employee’s and employer’s needs. The aim will be to enable people who have experienced mental health problems to gain and retain paid employment.

Working directly with the clinical teams in which they are co-located to generate referrals into the service

• Managing a caseload of a maximum of 25 service users at any one time (full time posts) to support them into appropriate paid employment
• Working directly with employers to secure employment opportunities for people who have experienced mental health problems
• Providing ongoing support dependent upon employee and employer needs
• Recording their daily activity in line with the IPS requirements

Additionally, the post holder will work directly with all relevant stakeholders: the service user, Employment Specialist colleagues, community staff, Consultant Psychiatrists and employers – the aim is to enable the majority of the service users on the caseload to gain and retain paid employment.
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
The Employment Specialist will be required to manage a caseload of between 20-25 people at any one time of service users that have experienced severe mental health issues and are either currently unemployed or to support individuals to retain their current employment.
The Employment Specialist will be expected to deliver the IPS approach, working directly with all relevant stakeholders.
The Employment Specialist will maintain a professional relationship with the service users of the IPS service, key internal and external stakeholders, with particular attention to confidentiality and the maintenance of professional boundaries.
To adhere to mandatory administrative and data capture protocols when recording the progress of individuals. To keep accurate and complete records of casework, using the appropriate electronic clinical notes systems.
To act independently, using own judgement, knowledge and initiative to develop and understanding of the needs and potential career aspirations of job seekers.
The Employment Specialist will support service users to gain and retain paid
employment, meeting the KPI targets of 2 new job starts per month.
To sensitively gather information, to develop a shared vocational profile and an agreed Job Notion or Curriculum Vitae, for each individual job seeker. On occasion complex, sensitive and contentious information will need to be provided and/or received. To deal with sometimes emotional and distressing behaviour and difficult situations and circumstances.
To commence rapid job search within 30 days of receiving a referral for a service user, whilst utilising local support networks to help them overcome their barriers to employment.
To research the labour market and spend time getting to know local employers in order to negotiate job opportunities that meet everyone’s strengths, needs, abilities and preferences. Meeting KPI target of 6-8 quality employer contacts each week.
It is the responsibility of the Employment Specialist to source meaningful paid job opportunities for service users through tailored job search and regular contact with employers. Spend time getting to know local employers, in order to negotiate job opportunities in the hidden labour market that meet each individual’s strengths, needs, abilities and preferences.
It is the responsibility of the Employment Specialists to undertake job analyses and workplace assessments, 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 provide specialised advice to employers concerning employment to job seekers with a range of different clinical needs.
To provide specialist 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 ensure job retention.
To develop workplace introduction strategies together with a comprehensive package of individualised support to service users once they have returned to work.
To provide individualised support to service users once they have returned to work to assist them in sustaining employment.
To appropriately monitor the longer-term career development of individuals supported into employment offering ongoing input as required.
Build relationships with clinical teams to generate referrals and create collaborative working partnerships with clinicians where employment support is integrated into mental health treatment.
Build a multi-disciplinary approach to the return to work. For example, involve clinical staff (where relevant) in managing symptoms at work, medication reviews and supporting rehabilitation needs e.g., social skill development, budgeting, travel training etc.
With appropriate consent, to communicate and liaise with carers, families, employers and other professionals on behalf of the service user as required.
Employment Specialist will ensure all mandatory training is completed and up to date. Additional training will be offered and with the expectation that all staff will complete all role specific training provided by external organisations.
The post holder will make themselves familiar with their obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act, always ensuring their safety and the safety of others.
To ensure that all relevant policies are implemented such as information governance, safeguarding etc.
To regularly collect and promote service user employment recovery stories.
The post holder will be involved in highly innovative positive approaches designed to challenge assumptions and discriminative recruitment practices.
To provide cover/support to localities with high levels of referrals, complex cases, or where there is a disruption to service due to illness or vacancies