Individual Placement Support (IPS) Team Leader

NHS; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job description

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

1 x Fixed Term contract/secondment opportunity for up to 24 months

Internal applicants who wish to be considered for a secondment opportunity should discuss with their line manager the suitability of a possible secondment.

Are you looking for a career where you can make a positive difference to the lives of people with mental health difficulties?

Do you believe you have the leadership skills to support a team of Employment Specialists, to support people to find and sustain employment?

If so, this role may be just what you're looking for!

We are looking for a positive, proactive and empathetic person to join our organisation as an Individual Placement Support (IPS) Team Lead, where you will help us make a difference to the lives of people with mental health conditions.

90% of people with Severe mental illness want to work, but currently only 8% are in work. Getting into employment can be a critical part of a recovery journey, so as a Team Leader, you will be supporting a team of Employment Specialists, providing supervision, training and role modelling of the IPS approach. This is a dynamic and diverse role, where you will also work as part of mental health teams to promote employment and raise expectations around the ability of service users to access paid employment. The ability to network in the local community and build strong relationships is essential.

Main duties of the job

You will be required to:

1. Provide employment support for our client group, who are furthest away from the job market, in the hope that securing employment will aid an individual's recovery and promote social inclusion.
2. Work within the principles of the IPS model; to monitor the team's performance and collate and submit data monthly (this will be shared with NHS England/Government, IPS Grow and other stakeholders).
3. Lead a team of Employment Specialists to promote referrals from various referral routes, to ensure that the service achieves referral/access targets set by NHS England/Government.
4. Lead a team of Employment Specialists through external monitoring (Guided Self Assessment and Fidelity reviews) and help build adherence to the IPS model.
5. Promote and nurture a positive team environment with open communication, collaboration and a shared goal.
6. Work directly with employers to secure employment opportunities and support your team to develop good links with local employers. You will need to be confident to make approaches of this nature on behalf of jobseekers.
7. Hold a degree or equivalent qualification or be a qualified mental health professional, for example a registered Occupational Therapist, Nurse or Social Worker.
8. Have experience both in the field of employment support and with clients experiencing mental ill health.

About us

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Job responsibilities

We are offering a valuable opportunity for a Team Leader to come on board and help us expand and shape this service. You will need a good understanding of the barriers faced by people with disabilities and/or mental health challenges, and a passion to work collaboratively, to make a real impact in transforming someone's life.

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Holder of a degree or equivalent qualification
• Experience or knowledge of recruitment/employment
• Trained in IPS Model

LENGTH AND / OR NATURE OF EXPERIENCE

• Experience of working with and supporting people who have experienced mental health problems (or other unemployed disadvantaged groups) into employment
• Supervising, mentoring or coaching front line staff in best practice delivery
• Monitoring performance and outcomes

PROFESSIONAL / MANAGERIAL / SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE

• Knowledge of disability and special needs issues, policies and legislation in relation to employment
• Can demonstrate a high level of perseverance, being committed to seeing plans through to their conclusion with agreed timescales
• Able to work within a team philosophy and keep within the Individual Placement and Support model

Transport

• Access to a vehicle, valid UK driving licence and able to drive throughout the county.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.