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Job summary

Main area
Individual Placement and Support (IPS)
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 5
Contract
Fixed term: 18 months (18 month Secondment)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
285-6998-CORP
Employer
Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Quayside House, Community Based
Town
Oldbury
Salary
£29,970 - £36,483 Per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
02/09/2024 23:59

Employer heading

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust logo

IPS Vocational Specialist

NHS AfC: Band 5

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist mental health, learning disability, and community healthcare services for the population of the Black Country.

Across the whole of the region we provide:

  • Adult and older adult mental health services
  • Specialist learning disability services
  • Mental health services for children and young people
  • Community healthcare services for children, young people and families in Dudley

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was formed on 1 April 2020, with the merger of Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. Combining resources, strategies and talented workforce enables us to deliver a wider variety of outstanding services that are based on best practice and are continually improving.

We currently employ over 4,000 people and just like the population we serve, we are made up of diverse cultures and backgrounds. Whatever your role, working in a NHS Foundation Trust, like ours, is a demanding and extremely rewarding experience. Knowing that every day you can help to make a positive difference to someone’s life is a very powerful feeling. We know that our Trust runs on this desire to help and support people, and our Trust vision expresses this. Our vision is to improve health and wellbeing for everyone, especially our colleagues to achieve the best possible work/life balance.

We proudly offer supportive, inclusive and family friendly employment and flexible working policies. We have a wide range of professional services and employee networks to help our colleagues be at their best - and find support if they need it. To find more about our staff benefits, please visit our website: blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk. 

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and ethnic minority candidates are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Black Country Healthcare we recognise and value all forms of knowledge and expertise, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification or criteria in the job description/person specification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

For further supporting information to help you apply for this role please see documents attached under ‘Additional documents’.

Job overview

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting 2 WTE Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Vocational Specialists to be based across a range of our community secondary care mental health services within our Sandwell IPS Team. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a developing team who provide specialist provision to our service users.  This role will support the national ambition of increasing access to IPS employment services as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

The role will support service users in the Black Country and will form an integral part of individuals’ recovery and care plans by working collaboratively with clinicians, service users, families and employers.  The successful candidates will support a caseload of individuals who have experienced severe and enduring mental health problems who are unemployed.  This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of a well-established expanding IPS team, and a robust induction plan will be delivered for the successful candidates.  

Main duties of the job

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting 2 WTE Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Vocational Specialists to be based across a range of our community secondary care mental health services within our Sandwell IPS Team. 

The role will support service users in the community to form a key part of individuals’ recovery and care plans by focusing on employment.  Getting back into employment can help to provide structure, social networks as well as improved mental health, self esteem and financial independence. The successful candidates will support a caseload of individuals who have experienced severe and enduring mental health problems to help them identify and achieve their career goals. 

A career in IPS (Individual Placement and Support) gives you the opportunity to change minds and change lives.

Working for our organisation

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist mental health, learning disability, and community healthcare services for the population of the Black Country.

Across the whole of the region we provide:

  • Adult and older adult mental health services
  • Specialist learning disability services
  • CAMHS

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was formed on 1 April 2020, after NHS England and NHS Improvement approved the merger of Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.

Combining resources, strategies and talented workforce enables us to deliver a wider variety of outstanding services that are based on best practice and are continually improving.

We currently employ over 3,000 members of staff and just like the population we serve, we are made up of diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To manage a caseload of people with severe and enduring mental health problems who require employment support; using the Individual Placement and Support approach to gain benefits advice, overcome barriers to work, developing close relationships with clinical teams and completing rapid job search. The post holder will work to the IPS model and will adhere to the Fidelity Scale ensuring that the service operates as close to the 25 principles as possible.

Person specification

Person Specification

Essential criteria
  • Educated to degree level or equivalent experience
  • Able to build and maintain strong working relationships
  • Experience of supporting people with mental health problems into work
  • Knowledge of the barriers faced by individuals who may be socially excluded and furthest from the labour market
  • Good report writing skills
  • Demonstrates alignment with Trust values
Desirable criteria
  • L4 IAG
  • Intermediate IT skills

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyAge positiveDisability confident leaderCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Bronze Award

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Zoe Watkins
Job title
IPS Operational Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07836 597 356
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