IPS Employment Specialist

The Growth Company

  • Knowsley, Merseyside
  • £28,000 per year
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 15 days ago
The Growth Company’s Employment team have a new vacancy for an Employment Specialist who will actively engage with individual participants in structured treatment for drug and/ or alcohol, ensuring that through the delivery of a multi-channel, multi-agency, and multi-place service delivery model, the participant is enabled and empowered to successfully complete their personal journey into, and progression within the working environment.Please note that this role will be based in Knowsley at our Huyton and Kirkby offices.We help to make a lasting difference to the lives of people throughout the North of England and beyond, by supporting individuals to gain meaningful employment. Our highly skilled advisers and keyworkers work with a range of individuals; from people who have found themselves recently out of work, to those with complex barriers such as physical disabilities, mental ill-health and debt.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
  • Build relationships with colleagues in clinical teams to engage and generate referrals and create collaborative working partnerships with clinical staff (promoting employment as a positive intervention)
  • Able to support participants with appropriate prioritisation of solutions for personal circumstances, skills, health as well as employability
  • 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 recording systems (CRiiS) is accurate and compliant and documentation relating to the participant is completed and maintained in an accurate, compliant, timely and respectful manner
  • To establish positive and integrated relationships with Clinical teams, employers, and other service providers
  • Spend time getting to know local employers, to negotiate job opportunities that meet each individual’s strengths, needs, abilities, and preferences
  • Partake in continuous learning about substance use and mental health conditions, their impact, and how they can be managed and undertake mandatory training as required
  • Meet and support clients to understand their key skills, aspirations, and goals by completing a Vocational Profile and producing an Action Plan to help them obtain and sustain competitive employment. This includes support with their job search, CV production, application forms, interview techniques, and career development
  • 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
  • Work with employers to promote the service, identify job opportunities, and ensure appropriate strategies are in place to reduce barriers in the workplace – this can include exploring ‘job carving’ i.e., carving small slices of work from the duties other staff do not have time to complete
About you
  • Knowledge in relation to the issues affecting individuals with multiple barriers to progressing to employment and sustained employment
  • Experience in relation to the support agencies that can assist individuals with complex needs (e.g., debt, substance misuse, housing, etc)
  • Developing knowledge of a broad range of occupations and jobs
  • A warm, approachable empathetic style and the ability to establish a rapport and build relationships with customers that support their progression to sustained employment
Skills Required
  • Strong interpersonal, communication, and negotiating skill
  • 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
  • Experience of working with people with multiple and complex needs, including health conditions and disabilities
  • Experience of working on outreach and lone working
  • Trained in IPS approach is desirable
  • Experience/understanding of working with disabled people, or a similar client group within substance use treatment, health, social services, or the voluntary sector is desirable
LocationKnowsleyBusiness Area Logoemployment.jpgCompany LogoWork Company (ESF)CompanyEmploymentContract typePermanent/ Full- timeSalaryUp to £28,000 per annumAdvert Brandemployment.jpgClosing Date21/04/2024Ref No4038Documents(Word, 39.91kb)We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of everyone including vulnerable adults and young people, we expect all staff to share this commitment. All appointments will be subject to Safer Recruitment Procedures which include a DBS check. This will be conducted by Due Diligence Limited (DDC Ltd) on behalf of GC. Please note that the successful candidate will not be required to pay for this.If you are on the Barred List, it is against the law to apply and to be hired for a role that includes regulated activity with the concerned group.We are committed to increasing the diversity of our workforce, we provide a guaranteed interview to applicants who meet the essential requirements for a role. This commitment applies to candidates who have a disability or are from a diverse ethnic community.As part of our application process, you can ask to be considered under this scheme if you are from an ethnic community or have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. Providing that you meet the essential criteria for the role, you will then be invited for an interview. Your guaranteed interview application will only be shared with the Hiring Manager and our Internal Recruitment Team.We are a member of the national campaign Ban the Box; this campaign aims to open opportunities for people with convictions to compete for jobs. We’re supporting the campaign by removing conviction questions at the applications stage.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.If you require support with the recruitment process, please contact or Internal Recruitment Team at or call us on 0161 237 4447.All GC colleagues will work inline with the Health & Safety at work act and the GC Health & Safety Policy.

The Growth Company