Liaison & Diversion Practitioner

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Client:

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Location:

Reading, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

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EU work permit required:

Yes

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Job Reference:

b6b613fc4d9f

Job Views:

8

Posted:

26.04.2025

Expiry Date:

10.06.2025

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Job Description:

Job overview

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 eighth year, is looking for an employment specialist to champion our mission and support people with significant mental health issues – your clients – to gain, sustain and retain paid work.

Ours is a diverse team and 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.

This role is full time ( hours per week). 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 significant mental health issues who are unemployed or struggling in the workplace.
• Working directly with all relevant stakeholders – including clients, clinicians, consultant psychiatrists and 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, to give them hope, direction and support their recovery journey. It's also challenging, so you’ll need to be able to demonstrate perseverance, whilst being empathic and dedicated to finding clients a role that’s right for them.

Working for our organisation

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust isa 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
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave.
• Free parking across Trust sites

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
• Able to demonstrate empathy, tenacity and hope when working alongside people with severe mental health issues
• Excellent motivational, communication and listening skills
• A high level of organisation and perseverance
• Able to travel across three localities in Berkshire west

If you’re someone who shares our passion for excellence and care, join us and let’s be outstanding together.

We are happy to answer any questions that you may have. Please don’t hesitate to contact our team leads Khadija Hussain (07717 507369) who’ll be delighted to help.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required.

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 ( 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 advanced level
• Good knowledge of the local employment market
• Understanding of work-related benefits
• Understanding of successful job search strategies – creating a compelling CV, presenting clients to hiring managers, preparing for interviews

Additional requirements

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

Berkshire Healthcare helps people manage their health in their local area, through a range of specialist and community services across the county. We promote independence and quality of life through community and mental health services and aim for seamless delivery of the best care in the right place. We get to know communities and the people in them so we can deliver the best services that meet their health needs.

Our team of 4,300 staff provide specialist mental health and community health services to a population of around 900,000 within Berkshire. We provide healthcare to people in their own homes and from different sites across the county.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required.

Appointment to any position is conditional on the satisfactory completion of the core NHS Employment Checks Standards. Information disclosed in your application will be checked and any offer of appointment may be withdrawn if you knowingly withhold information or provide false or misleading information.

Please ensure your application is submitted with a valid email address for your referees in order to minimise delays in the recruitment process. Short-listed applicants will be contacted by email, therefore applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly.

Applicants are advised that as a result of the high level of response we receive for some of our vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date.

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust is committed to improving the health of its staff, patients and the wider community by providing a smoke free environment. A smoke free policy is in operation and smoking is not permitted on any of the Trust’s sites.

NO AGENCIES TO CONTACT BERKSHIRE HEALTHCARE DIRECTLY PLEASE

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