Our service
Our service
IPS follows 8 key principles:
- Its aim to help you find into competitive paid employment.
- It is open to all those who want to work - nobody is excluded because of their diagnosis or current mental wellbeing.
- It tries to find jobs consistent with people's preferences.
- It aims to get you into work as quickly as possible
- Employment Specialists work as members of the mental health team
- Employment Specialists develop relationships with employers based on a person's work preferences.
- IPS provides on-going support for you and your employer.
- Benefits advice is included, to make sure you know how moving into work will impact your finances.
Our aim
The aim of IPS is to provide information, advice, guidance, and support to find paid work, as part of an individualised recovery plan. Everyone has the potential to do meaningful, paid work, with the right support.
A key part of the IPS approach is teamwork between employment specialists and mental health teams. Employment specialists work closely with clinical teams- ideally in the same location. Where possible they join assessment meetings, discuss referrals and help make decisions together. The most important questions we ask are: Do you want to work? What kind of job would you like?
IPS is open to everyone. We do not exclude based on service users diagnosis, health, benefits, or criminal record.
Employment Specialists
Employment Specialists
Our Employment Specialists can support you in a wide range of ways to find and keep a job, including:
- Supporting you to explore the sort of work you would like to do.
- Helping you to create or update your CV.
- Assisting with job searching and applications.
- Providing information about training.
- Help you to access information on benefits and how working may affect this.
- Approach employers that you want to work for.
- Help you make a plan for staying healthy at work.
- Assist you to decide what to say about your health to potential employers.
- Help you request changes or support from employers.
- Support you and your employer for as long as you need while at work.
Our specialists cover
Case study: Cameron's journey
Cameron's journey
Cameron was referred for Employment Support after having a first episode of psychosis as well as being on the autistic spectrum. Cameron had low confidence, poor assertiveness and trouble finding and sustaining employment.
Cameron accessed pre-employment support to help with job applications, drafting a CV, supporting statements, searching for jobs, interview preparation and managing his personal health information. He gained skills in approaching employers directly and was successful in obtaining a job at a fast-food restaurant.
Cameron decided not to share his mental health history with his employer, but he felt comfortable sharing about his autism diagnosis. We discussed reasonable adjustments and he successfully had conversations about this with his employer, with guidance in the background from his Employment Specialist. With regular meetings to provide in work support, he has built further confidence and received excellent feedback from his employer and passed probation, all while undertaking a new course at college.
In his words, Cameron said "Seeking employment support from my Employment Specialist has helped me to understand my strengths and accept my autism as a positive. I have been grateful of hearing from an experienced specialist that has more understanding of employment and life at work. The support has helped me to prioritise my future ambitions and given my hope for the future. Seeing them regularly has supported my journey with employment and college, and helped me to address concerns, build my confidence and be more assertive."
Clinical impact on Cameron
His Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN) said: "Your [IPS] knowledge of the employment pathway and helping him navigate this was exceptional and I know how much he valued your support. Not only did you help his journey to employment, but you were also supportive and encouraging when he was in the employment. His other main difficulties with employment were sustaining this and your help and support especially in those first 6 months, by addressing these minor issues with him, jointly with his employer. This enabled him to have reasonable adjustments that I feel have help him stay in this role now for over 9 months. This has been the longest work period that he has achieved which I know will have a massive effect on his confidence, independence and most importantly his mental health."