Employment Specialist - IPS Employment Service

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Reading; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dedicated team at a leading healthcare trust as an Employment Specialist, where you'll empower individuals with severe mental health challenges to find and sustain meaningful employment. This role provides a unique opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of your clients, helping them overcome barriers to employment while fostering positive relationships with employers. You will receive training in the IPS approach and work collaboratively within a supportive environment that values diversity and inclusion. If you have a passion for helping others and possess strong communication skills, this position could be the perfect fit for you.

Benefits

Flexible working options

27 days’ annual leave

Excellent learning and career development opportunities

Cycle to Work scheme

Access to wellbeing tools and services

Discounts at retailers and restaurants

Staff networks for diversity and equality

Generous leave policies

Free parking across Trust sites

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent experience is required.
• Experience supporting individuals with mental health issues is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Support a caseload of up to 20 clients with severe mental health issues.
• Work with stakeholders to help clients gain and retain employment.
• Demonstrate empathy and perseverance in supporting clients.

Skills

Empathy

Communication Skills

Motivational Skills

Organizational Skills

Tenacity

Knowledge of Supported Employment

Team Collaboration

Microsoft Office Skills

Education

Degree or equivalent experience

Level 3 Diploma in Employability Services Sector Qualification

Job description

Employment Specialist - IPS Employment Service

Band 5

Main area: EIP Trust Wide Grade Band 5

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week

Job ref: 371-MHS516-C

Site: University of Reading - Erlegh House

Town: Reading

Salary: £31,469 - £38,308 per annum (incl. HCAS)

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 05/01/2025 23:59

People with severe mental health issues face huge barriers when it comes to employment. Over 80 per cent of them would like paid work, but only 8 per cent achieve it.

Could you be part of the team that’s dedicated to addressing this injustice? Berkshire Healthcare’s Individual Placement and Support (IPS) employment service, now in its ninth year, is looking for an employment specialist to champion our mission and support people with severe mental health issues – your clients – to gain, sustain, and retain paid work.

Ours is a diverse team that brings many strengths and skills together. We’ll train you in the IPS approach, giving you the tools you need to provide expert support and advice to clients, while also building positive relationships with employers, opening doors, and changing perceptions around mental health. Previous experience working in supported employment and with people with severe mental health issues is an advantage. But above all, you'll need empathy, hope, and tenacity when working alongside your clients.

We have 1 full-time role available (37.5 hours) within our EIP (Early Intervention in Psychosis) Team, and you would be expected to travel across West Berkshire, including Reading, Wokingham, and West Berks.

It’s a highly varied job where you’ll spend most of your week in the community, meeting clients and employers, and making a vital contribution to the team’s activities.

Main duties of the job

• You’ll support a caseload of up to 20 people with severe mental health issues who are unemployed or struggling in the workplace.
• Working directly with all relevant stakeholders – including clients, clinicians, consultant psychiatrists, employers, and Job Centre Plus – you’ll aim to enable your clients to gain, sustain, and retain paid employment.
• You’ll have the opportunity to transform the lives of your clients, giving them hope and direction and supporting their recovery journey. It's also challenging, so you’ll need to demonstrate perseverance while being empathic and dedicated to finding clients a role that’s right for them.

Working for our organisation

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire.

We value diversity and are proud to be a Stonewall Top 100 Employer. We work hard to create an inclusive environment where you’ll be supported by friendly and professional colleagues to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.

Benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment, and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption, and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites

If you share our values and would like to come and work for us, please submit your application as soon as possible as we'll occasionally close roles early that have a high number of applications.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The “must haves” for this role:

• Degree or equivalent experience
• Experience of working with and supporting people who have mental health issues (or other disadvantaged groups) into employment
• Ability to travel across West Berkshire, including Reading, Wokingham, and West Berks.
• Able to demonstrate through examples offered at interview - empathy, tenacity, and hope when working alongside people with severe mental health issues
• Able to demonstrate excellent motivational, communication, and listening skills
• A high level of organisation and perseverance

For further information about the role, please see the attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call Miranda Jeeawock (07500 994253) | Service lead Khadija Hussain (07717 507369) who will be delighted to help.

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Person specification

Education/qualifications/training

• Degree or equivalent experience
• A good understanding of the principles and practice of supported employment
• Trained in the IPS approach
• Additional employability/careers counselling qualification, such as: Level 3 Diploma in Employability Services Sector Qualification / QCF in Advice & Guidance (Level 3)
• Experience of working with and supporting people who have mental health issues (or other unemployed disadvantaged groups) into employment
• Experience of supporting individuals on a one-to-one basis
• Proven experience of meeting and exceeding outcomes and targets
• Experience of carrying out assessments (e.g., vocational, health, occupational)
• Experience of partnership working, negotiation, and liaison with other agencies
• Experience of opening up job opportunities with a range of employers
• Experience of working alongside clinical teams within mental health

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Able to demonstrate empathy, tenacity, and hope when working alongside people with severe mental health issues
• Knowledge of policy, practice, and legislation in relation to employment, disability, equalities, and mental health
• Good numeracy and information management skills
• A high level of perseverance; committed to seeing plans through to their conclusion within agreed timescales
• Excellent motivational, communication, and listening skills; able to build rapport and trust with a range of people, especially clients and employers
• Well organised and confident working independently with own caseload and using initiative to identify and make the most of new opportunities
• Able to collaborate successfully within a mixed-disciplinary team
• Able to use Microsoft packages to an advanced level
• Good knowledge of the local employment market
• Understanding of work-related benefits
• Understanding of successful job search strategies – e.g., creating a compelling CV, presenting clients to hiring managers, preparing for interviews

Additional requirements

• Ability to commute easily to different localities across Berkshire
• Personal experience of mental health issues

These are the values that we live by at Berkshire Healthcare:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.

Please find the attached behaviour framework that underpins these values for this job role.

At Berkshire Healthcare, we foster an inclusive workplace where everyone belongs.

We welcome talent from all backgrounds and offer guaranteed interviews to disabled applicants and armed forces community members who meet the minimum criteria.

Please note we may close positions before the advertised date.

Once you have applied, please check your email regularly for updates. All appointments are subject to NHS Employment Checks, and false information may result in withdrawal of offers. For information on how we store your information, please review our privacy statement.

No agencies, please.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.