Suffolk PCN Employment Specialist | East & Central Suffolk

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Suffolk IPS (Individual Placement & Support) Employment Service has successfully supported over 500 individuals into meaningful employment, integrated directly into mental health community teams across the county, This new role within the team will see you continuing to ‘champion the employment agenda’, as we expand our well established service into the Suffolk Primary Care Network. Instilling the belief that people with mental health needs want to work and with the right support, can work.

You will be at the forefront of this exciting new stage, developing and fostering partnered working with key stakeholders across the Suffolk Primary Care Network.

You will work in partnership with individual service users enabling and empowering individuals through exploring individualised employment goals, liaising with employers, training providers, benefits providers and offering in-work support in accordance with the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment.

You will engage with key stakeholders across the newly established Primary Care Networks, liaising with mental health care professionals to raise awareness of IPS and our service offering, generating referrals for the Suffolk Employment Service.

Supported by the PCN Senior Employment Specialist and the Suffolk Employment Services Team Lead, you will work in partnership with individual service users, developing relationships that are enabling and empowering.

Managing a caseload of people who wish to return to paid work, enabling them to find or sustain employment by liaising with work and training providers, accessing benefits advice and by personally providing ongoing support to service users in job search and after gaining employment, in accordance with the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment.

You will work to individual targets, i.e. the number of people accessing the service, supported into employment, data input requirements. 

You will promote best practice within mental health and employment in the Trust and other organisations in the local area.

You will embrace a holistic approach in supporting your clients to achieve their employment goals, striving to empower them in their job search, whilst building and engaging directly with a network of employers to best serve the needs of your clients.

You will display excellent diary management in a combination of working from home, in the community and in the office, to achieve personal targets.

Please note that this role outline serves to provide you with an illustrative example of the duties and responsibilities you may be expected to undertake during the course of your normal duties. It is not an exhaustive list and you will therefore be required to undertake other responsibilities and duties that are considered to be commensurate with the band.

 Work in partnership with individual service users to meet their employment and job sustainment needs.

To develop strong links with other agencies such as voluntary, statutory and businesses in the development of work opportunities for service users.

Prepare individuals for employment by assessing each person’s individual vocational needs which might typically include identifying strengths, help with benefits, support networks, travel to work plans, etc.

Draw up an agreed vocational action plan with the individual, and provide this to the care co-ordinator and other professionals.

Assist individuals in job search and prepare them to apply for employment / education / training, liaising with colleagues as required e.g. Disability Employment Advisors, Jobcentre Plus, Job Brokers and local colleges.

Accompany service users to interviews if required.

Provide job sustainment interventions to service users at risk of losing their employment, negotiating adjustments to the job role with employers to enable the person to sustain employment.

Contribute to the opportunities for an individual’s increased social inclusion by developing partnership working with voluntary sector agencies, and linking with primary care employment and job sustainment initiatives.

To liaise with external agencies including

• Local colleges and education facilities
• Supported employment agencies
• Local and Regional Employment Services
• Jobcentre Plus
• Department for Work and Pensions, Condition Management Programme
• Voluntary Sector organisations
• Social enterprises

To cover for team members working in other areas in exceptional circumstances.

To work in other localities as need arises.

To regularly attend Mental Health Team and Employment Services Team meetings.

To continue to develop own understanding of government policy in the area of mental health and social inclusion, and to contribute to Trust policies and service development in line with this.

To support colleagues with information about work and training opportunities.

To report on outcome measures for the service.

To provide monitoring/audit information to the Employment Services Team Leader.

Any other duties as delegated by your Director or Chief Executive commensurate with the responsibilities of this post.