Job summaryEach Community Services Hub provides a specialist care pathway to Service Users with Non pyschotic disorders and Personality disorder. They also provide specialist care pathways to those with psychotic disorders.Employment Support forms part of the pathways.As the Employment Specialist (ES) for the quadrant you will be responsible for providing Individual Placement Support (IPS) for all Service Users who are currently unemployed who express a desire to gain paid employment as part of their recovery goals. You will carry a caseload of up to 25 service users.Previous applicants need not apply.Main duties of the jobYou will work intensively with a defined caseload of Service Users who have a severe and enduring mental health condition which impacts on their ability to gain work. You will assist them to obtain and sustain paid employment that is consistent with their goals, utilising the eight principles of Individual Placement Support (IPS).About usHertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from theCare Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.Our family of over 3500 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:Our Trust values are:Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?Then please read on...Job descriptionJob responsibilitiesTo carry a case load of Service Users who are currently off work / unemployed, receiving specialist mental health services and who wish to return to work.To provide Job Retention support to those service users currently under secondary health services who are at risk of losing their job through supporting with meetings and responses to Managers, Occupational Health Departments, HR departments and Legal representatives. This may occasionally include supporting Services out of a job which despite adjustments and best efforts remains detrimental to their wellbeing To prepare individuals for a return to work by supporting service users to understand their skills, aspirations and goals through vocational profiling and action planning.Focus on rapid job search with the service user, whilst utilising local support networks to help them overcome their barriers to employment.Source job opportunities for service users through tailored job search and regular contact with employers.When placing service users with employers, ensure that the quality of work environments is explored, including potential for workplace adjustments that will accommodate individual strengths, skills symptoms and coping skills.To develop effective working relationships with a range of external agencies who might be better able to help individuals to achieve their employment goals for example, local colleges, training providers and external supported employment servicesTo provide education and support to employers, as agreed with the individual, which may include negotiating adjustments, return to work strategy and on-going contact with the employer to help with any new or reoccurring issues in relation to mental health and job sustainability.To provide individualised support to service users once they have returned to work to assist them in maintaining employment.Meet and exceed job outcome targets for service usersFor full details of the role and responsibilities please see attached job description and person specification.Person SpecificationQualificationsEssentialoEducated to a degree level or equivalentDesirableIPS trainedo Additional relevant training in areas of employment, mental health, coachingoJob Retention TrainingExperienceEssentialoConsiderable experience of working with adults with MH difficulties in a health or social care settingoSignificant experience working in a role delivering employment support.DesirableoSupervision of junior staffoExperience of partnership working, negotiation and liaison with other agenciesKnowledgeEssentialoKnowledge of disability and special needs issues, policies and legislation in relation to employmentoUnderstanding of the principles and practice of IPSKnowledge of employment lawoTeam orientated and work collaboratively within a mixed-disciplinary teamoExperience of partnership working, negotiation and liaison work with other agenciesoExperience of opening up job opportunities with a range of employersSkillsEssentialoAbility to work with key IT tools such as MS Word, Excel and PowerpointoAbility to build rapport with a range of peopleoAbility to provide and receive sensitive information regarding services users care and social situationoAbility to negotiate and persuade appropriately prospective employers of benefits of offering work opportunities to Service Users.oActive listening skills, ability to ask perceptive questions that tease out important information .Disclosure and Barring Service CheckThis 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.Employer detailsEmployer nameHertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation TrustAddressSt Albans and HemelWaverley RoadSt AlbansAL3 5TLEmployer's websitehttps://www.hpft.nhs.uk/careers/ (Opens in a new tab)