Employment Specialist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationship Skills

Develop effective working relationships with a range of other agencies who might be better able to help individuals to achieve their employment goals for example, local colleges, training providers and external supported employment services.

Liaise regularly with mental health services workers, users and carers groups and other health related agencies over learning and work issues

Establish, maintain and nurture employer contacts .

Promote the benefits of employing and supporting people with mental health issues to employers

Support employers and mental health workers to enable the person using the service to sustain their position. This will involve regular communication with employers and others to provide advice, guidance and training on how to manage a particular situation.

Be available on the end of the phone for advice and support to employers and others as required

Promote and publicise Workways to learning and work providers and the wider community by occasionally giving talks or presentations with a more senior team member.

Be able to sensitively deal with confidential and complex information regarding an individuals health and employment history.

Work closely with the person using the service ensuring appropriate, prompt, pro-active and clear communication at all times.

Following DPT policies, respond to requests for general information regarding mental health and employment, this may be from employers and members of the public

Keep the Workways team informed of current work to ensure continuity of work at times of absence.

Work closely with the whole Workways team and cover others work as needed, this may include covering admin and reception duties at times of staff shortages.

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

Following assessment of a new applicant to the service, offer the most relevant interventions in line with the evidence based Job Retention and Individual Placement and Support model/ approach.

Monitor progress with clinical outcomes of own caseload and report monthly to team lead on these to ensure accurate onward reporting.

Planning and Organisational Skills

Ensure effective use of resources within own work.

Be responsible for organising and planning own caseload and managing clinical/non clinical time effectively to fit with service needs and demands

Work flexibly to meet individuals needs and this may require some working out of normal office hours.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

At all times work in a recovery-focussed way.

Manage a caseload of people (of no more than 20 people per whole time equivalent worker) who have mental health issues and who wish to retain their paid work .

Work pro-actively with the person using the service with the ultimate goal of helping them retain paid work or search for alternative employment.

Provide vocational assessment for individual applicants to Workways.

Work with the person using the service to explore their areas of strength, development needs, barriers to progression, learning and work needs and so on to draw up a plan of action and their next best step.

Co-write all care plans with the person using the service, then monitor and evaluate these plans in order to measure progress and effectiveness of all interventions.

Regularly review the agreed care plan with the person using the service, seeking to assist them to progress with their employment goals.

Provide interventions to assist the individual in problem solving, confidence building and improving work related skills

Provide, or ensure, support in the work environment for each person using the service to enable them to have the best possible chance of succeeding in the position.

Maintain a professional relationship with the people using the service with IPS staff, primary and secondary health care staff, employers and with particular attention to confidentiality and maintenance of professional boundaries.

Be able to work with people who have additional problems such as learning difficulties, neuro-diverse diagnoses, physical conditions, injuries or other long term health conditions.

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation

Ensure up to date knowledge of Job Retention principles and practice

Keep Workways informed of current Job Retention issues and keep up to date with examples of evidence - based practice and government initiatives and mandates.

Be involved in ensuring there is easily accessible written and electronic information for all the team and people using the service about relevant local learning and work related issues and services.

Be involved in developing local policies

Be involved in co-producing documents of good practice about the employment of people with mental health conditions.

Increase engagement of employers through providing support for employers in recruitment & retention of staff with mental health conditions.

Network with peers to maintain professional links across the Trust

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

Ensure all resources are used efficiently and effectively, bringing to the service managers attention any areas where this might be improved

May handle small amounts of petty cash on occasion.

May be a purchase card holder

Responsibility for Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management

Provide informal and ad-hoc clinical support and supervision to the administration team as required

Supervise students on placement as agreed with service manager.

Assist with the induction of new staff

Responsibility for Research and Development

Take an active part in reviewing and developing new working practices in line with current evidence based practice

Participate in staff surveys

Take an active role in conducting clinical audits

Responsibility for Information Resources and Administrative Duties

Maintain up to date and accurate statistics, clinical records, outcomes of contact, and any other information needed for the ongoing reporting and evaluation of the service.

Regularly use IT systems for inputting of data, e-mailing, internet and word processing.

Assist in reviewing the teams administration processes to ensure they are fit for purpose, raising any concerns with team lead or service manager.

Responsibility for Research and Development

Take an active part in reviewing and developing new working practices in line with current evidence based practice

Participate in staff surveys

Take an active role in conducting clinical audits

Freedom to Act

In line with policies and procedures, work under the general supervision of the appointed supervisor making independent decisions on a day to day basis

Any Other Specific Tasks Required

Using the Trusts core training requirements and the Workways team development checklist, participate in a range of learning opportunities to ensure own skills and knowledge are up to date.

Have monthly professional, clinical and managerial supervision of work

Have yearly Career Conversations personal development and review meetings and regular reviews of KPI and performance.

Job responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationship Skills

Develop effective working relationships with a range of other agencies who might be better able to help individuals to achieve their employment goals for example, local colleges, training providers and external supported employment services.

Liaise regularly with mental health services workers, users and carers groups and other health related agencies over learning and work issues

Establish, maintain and nurture employer contacts .

Promote the benefits of employing and supporting people with mental health issues to employers

Support employers and mental health workers to enable the person using the service to sustain their position. This will involve regular communication with employers and others to provide advice, guidance and training on how to manage a particular situation.

Be available on the end of the phone for advice and support to employers and others as required

Promote and publicise Workways to learning and work providers and the wider community by occasionally giving talks or presentations with a more senior team member.

Be able to sensitively deal with confidential and complex information regarding an individuals health and employment history.

Work closely with the person using the service ensuring appropriate, prompt, pro-active and clear communication at all times.

Following DPT policies, respond to requests for general information regarding mental health and employment, this may be from employers and members of the public

Keep the Workways team informed of current work to ensure continuity of work at times of absence.

Work closely with the whole Workways team and cover others work as needed, this may include covering admin and reception duties at times of staff shortages.

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

Following assessment of a new applicant to the service, offer the most relevant interventions in line with the evidence based Job Retention and Individual Placement and Support model/ approach.

Monitor progress with clinical outcomes of own caseload and report monthly to team lead on these to ensure accurate onward reporting.

Planning and Organisational Skills

Ensure effective use of resources within own work.

Be responsible for organising and planning own caseload and managing clinical/non clinical time effectively to fit with service needs and demands

Work flexibly to meet individuals needs and this may require some working out of normal office hours.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

At all times work in a recovery-focussed way.

Manage a caseload of people (of no more than 20 people per whole time equivalent worker) who have mental health issues and who wish to retain their paid work .

Work pro-actively with the person using the service with the ultimate goal of helping them retain paid work or search for alternative employment.

Provide vocational assessment for individual applicants to Workways.

Work with the person using the service to explore their areas of strength, development needs, barriers to progression, learning and work needs and so on to draw up a plan of action and their next best step.

Co-write all care plans with the person using the service, then monitor and evaluate these plans in order to measure progress and effectiveness of all interventions.

Regularly review the agreed care plan with the person using the service, seeking to assist them to progress with their employment goals.

Provide interventions to assist the individual in problem solving, confidence building and improving work related skills

Provide, or ensure, support in the work environment for each person using the service to enable them to have the best possible chance of succeeding in the position.

Maintain a professional relationship with the people using the service with IPS staff, primary and secondary health care staff, employers and with particular attention to confidentiality and maintenance of professional boundaries.

Be able to work with people who have additional problems such as learning difficulties, neuro-diverse diagnoses, physical conditions, injuries or other long term health conditions.

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation

Ensure up to date knowledge of Job Retention principles and practice

Keep Workways informed of current Job Retention issues and keep up to date with examples of evidence - based practice and government initiatives and mandates.

Be involved in ensuring there is easily accessible written and electronic information for all the team and people using the service about relevant local learning and work related issues and services.

Be involved in developing local policies

Be involved in co-producing documents of good practice about the employment of people with mental health conditions.

Increase engagement of employers through providing support for employers in recruitment & retention of staff with mental health conditions.

Network with peers to maintain professional links across the Trust

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

Ensure all resources are used efficiently and effectively, bringing to the service managers attention any areas where this might be improved

May handle small amounts of petty cash on occasion.

May be a purchase card holder

Responsibility for Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management

Provide informal and ad-hoc clinical support and supervision to the administration team as required

Supervise students on placement as agreed with service manager.

Assist with the induction of new staff

Responsibility for Research and Development

Take an active part in reviewing and developing new working practices in line with current evidence based practice

Participate in staff surveys

Take an active role in conducting clinical audits

Responsibility for Information Resources and Administrative Duties

Maintain up to date and accurate statistics, clinical records, outcomes of contact, and any other information needed for the ongoing reporting and evaluation of the service.

Regularly use IT systems for inputting of data, e-mailing, internet and word processing.

Assist in reviewing the teams administration processes to ensure they are fit for purpose, raising any concerns with team lead or service manager.

Responsibility for Research and Development

Take an active part in reviewing and developing new working practices in line with current evidence based practice

Participate in staff surveys

Take an active role in conducting clinical audits

Freedom to Act

In line with policies and procedures, work under the general supervision of the appointed supervisor making independent decisions on a day to day basis

Any Other Specific Tasks Required

Using the Trusts core training requirements and the Workways team development checklist, participate in a range of learning opportunities to ensure own skills and knowledge are up to date.

Have monthly professional, clinical and managerial supervision of work

Have yearly Career Conversations personal development and review meetings and regular reviews of KPI and performance.