IPS Employment Specialist - Oxford

Transformationunitgm; Oxford; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare organization in Oxford is seeking an Employment Specialist to join their Individual Placement and Support team. This full-time role involves supporting individuals with mental health challenges in gaining and maintaining employment. Ideal candidates will have a degree level education, be trained in the IPS model, and possess strong interpersonal skills. The position offers the opportunity to work in a collaborative environment focused on enhancing client outcomes and promoting inclusive practices.

Benefits

Excellent opportunities for career progression

27 days annual leave plus bank holidays

NHS discount across various retailers

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to work scheme

Qualifications

• Experience in supported employment services is essential.
• Experience in working with individuals experiencing mental health challenges is required.
• Ability to use IT tools effectively.

Responsibilities

• Support individuals in gaining or retaining employment as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Manage a caseload of up to 20 clients with mental health issues.
• Work closely with IPS clients on goal-setting and job applications.

Skills

Resilience

Empathy

Determination

Relationship building

Education

Degree level education or equivalent

Trained in IPS Model

Tools

MS Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has been rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

We are a responsive and innovative Foundation Trust that places our values of Caring, Safe and Excellent at the heart of everything we do. We take great pride in our staff and believe that investing in you is key to us achieving our vision of outstanding care delivered by outstanding people.

We work with a wide range of partner organisations to deliver care and support to people in their own homes and from a number of hospitals and community bases. We focus on delivering care as close to home as possible for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.

We actively support anti‑racism, equality, diversity, and inclusion so, if you’re excited about this job opportunity and you meet our Trust values, but feel unsure about applying, then please get in touch and we will be happy to have a conversation with you.

We are also committed to increasing diversity in the workforce, that is why we actively encourage applications from those groups of people who are currently under‑represented, which include amongst others: people with disabilities; men from all socio‑economic backgrounds; people from diverse ethnic backgrounds; and people from the LGBTQIA+ community.

Good luck and we hope to hear from you.

Job overview

Are you interested in working individuals with eating disorders and supporting them with their employment needs?

This is an excellent opportunity to join a dynamic team who have recently been awarded a national Quality Kite Mark. We are an employment specialists to join the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Team in Oxfordshire on a full time basis.

We welcome people from a range of backgrounds and with a variety of experience . If you’re resilient, empathic and determined to open doors, challenge prejudice, and champion the skills and talents of individuals, a career in IPS could be for you.

These roles are for those who are passionate and proactive about supporting people who have experienced mental health challenges to live well in the community.

The role of an Employment Specialist in Oxford Health is incredibly dynamic and diverse. One moment you’ll be working closely with IPS clients to set goals, refining their CVs, or practising interview techniques, the next, you’ll be out in the local community approaching potential employers and discussing roles and job flexibility.

We pride ourselves in being a supportive team within a great organisation. If you are passionate, creative, solution focused, good at building hopeful relationships and growing trust, a career in IPS could be a varied and rewarding role for you.

You will work with the IPS team leader’s and other IPS Employment specialists to assist in the development of the wider service across the county.

Main duties of the job

You will be working to support people either to gain employment or retain their current employment as part of multi‑disciplinary (MDT) team’s within the City Of Oxford.

The Employment Specialist’s will join an IPS team working under the direction of an IPS team leader to deliver IPS as part of the holistic recovery plan for mental health service users in the community.

You will be required to manage a caseload of up to 20 people at any one time who have experienced mental health problems and who are waiting to either gain new employment or retain their current employment. The Employment Specialist is expected to deliver the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach – for which training will be given.

Working directly with all relevant stakeholders: the service user, Oxford Health staff, partner agencies, employers and people who have experienced mental health challenges themselves – you will support the service users on your caseload to gain and retain paid employment.

Working directly with all relevant stakeholders: the service user, Oxford Health staff, partner agencies, employers and people who have experienced mental health challenges themselves – you will support the service users on your caseload to gain and retain paid employment.

Working for our organisation

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust provides physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.

Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible.

Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”

Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”

At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

• Excellent opportunities for career progression
• Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
• 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
• NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
• Lease car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists may apply)
• Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The role of an Employment Specialist in Oxford Health is incredibly dynamic and diverse. One moment you’ll be working closely with IPS clients to set goals, refining their CVs, or practising interview techniques, the next, you’ll be out in the local community approaching potential employers and discussing roles and job flexibility.

We pride ourselves in being a supportive team within a great organisation. If you are passionate, creative, solution focused, good at building hopeful relationships and growing trust, a career in IPS could be a varied and rewarding role for you.

You will work with the IPS team leader’s and other IPS Employment specialists to assist in the development of the wider service across the county.

Please note, interviews for this role will likely be after the Christmas period.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to Degree level or equivalent (vocational experience/training/ or other qualifications
• Trained in IPS Model
• Mental Health first Aid or similar

Qualifications

• Hold a Full Driving license and have access to a car

Experience

• Experience of working in supported employment service and/or equivalent experience.
• Experience of working with people with mental health problems or a similar service user group
• Experience of partnership working negotiation and liaison work with other agencies

Qualifications

• Able to use IT and tools such as MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel

Knowledge

• Knowledge of disability and special needs issues, policies, and legislation in relation to employment
• All new starters have a thorough induction process, both local and Trust wide, which aims to create a positive supportive working environment allowing new employees to learn key elements of their role over a reasonable timescale.
• Appointment to this post is subject to the trust receiving satisfactory references covering 3 years of employment or study. Please ask your referees to respond promptly to reference requests.
• We’re advocates of flexible working and many of our roles offer a range of employment options to help you balance your work and personal life.
• Employees are expected to undertake mandatory and statutory training related to their role.
• We are ambitious in our pursuit of excellence, driven by the belief that a fair, just and fully inclusive organisational culture enables our teams to deliver the best quality of care and services possible and we work hard to ensure that our diverse workforce reflects the communities that we serve.
• We welcome applications from all sections of the community, are an Equal Opportunities employer with a number of internal networking groups to support our employees and where possible will always look to make reasonable adjustments in order that you can fulfil the role to recognise your full potential. All our employees are committed to demonstrating through their behaviour our core values – safe, caring and excellent.
• We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
• Oxford is a world‑renowned centre of excellence for research. Oxford Health works closely with the University of Oxford department of Psychiatry and the Department of Primary care, has a Biomedical Research Centre dedicated to improving mental health and the NIHR Clinical Research Facility at the Warneford site. The Trust also hosts the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) which carries out applied research that directly impacts patient health and wellbeing

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Shelley Monaghan
Job title Operational Service Manager
Email address [e-mail]
Telephone number 07500 785061

At Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust we want to employ people not just with experience, but with the aptitude and motivation to succeed and whose values resonate with our own.

Therefore, if you don’t meet all the requirements of the role and are unsure about applying but are excited about the opportunity, please do get in touch. We will be happy to discuss the requirements in more detail ahead of making a written application.