Employment Advisor

Job description

Job responsibilities

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

This role is part of an employment advice service, integrated within a long-established IAPT service which provides psychological therapies to people with common mental health problems. The post-holders will support individuals with common mental health problems to gain, return to, or retain employment. Leeds IAPT is delivered by a partnership of four organisations, and the Employment Advisor will be expected to work collaboratively with partners within a matrix management framework.

The post holder will work with people from a wide range of age groups and cultural backgrounds, using interpreters when necessary and must be committed to equal opportunities and delivering an inclusive practice. We aim for our workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, and we particularly encourage applications from BAME and LGBTQIA+ communities.

1. To manage a caseload of people who have experienced common mental health problems (ego anxiety, depression, phobia, OCD) and who wish to retain, return to, or gain employment.

2. To support clients with identifying skills, matching skills to employment opportunities, training, finding job vacancies, and all aspects of job application processes.

3. To identify potential work solutions that could overcome or minimise difficulties within the workplace, including any possible reasonable adjustments in line with employers obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

4. To work in a way that supports and develops clients independence.

5. To work closely with therapists, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners and others within LMWS, to ensure the client benefits from an integrated care approach

6. To liaise and work in partnership with employers, trade unions, Jobcentre Plus and other organisations in support of clients.

7. To signpost clients, where appropriate, to other services for support.

8. To complete all necessary paperwork including file notes and action plans.

9. To attend team meetings, organisational events and regular management supervision as required.

10. Participate in team meetings and other meetings as required.

11. Represent the employing organisation in a knowledgeable and professional manner at all times.

12. Maintain appropriate professional boundaries at all times.

13. Identify own training and development needs in conjunction with your line manager and participate in training opportunities as directed.

14. Partake in the employing organisations Personal Development Review system.

15. Any other duties commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post.

1. To provide information and advice about Touchstones services to managers, teams, and other people/agencies with an interest in the organisation's work.

2. To undertake out of hours work as required by the service.

3. To be inducted, supervised, performance managed and appraised in line with the organisations performance management policies and procedures.

4. To be responsible for personal learning and development where appropriate and undertake training, both mandatory and optional, to increase knowledge, skills and awareness.

5. To be aware of and implement the general practices of Touchstones Health, Safety and Security policies and keep Managers informed about any serious and untoward incidents, safeguarding issues, health & safety concerns, financial issues, staff welfare.

6. To operate within the aims, policies and practices of Touchstone at all times and to be committed to and promote the organisations equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory policies.

7. To ensure information is dealt with in accordance with Touchstones policies around Confidentiality, Communications, Internet, Email and Telecommunications and steps are taken to ensure that confidential information is secure e.g. service user data.

8. To undertake any other duties as directed by the Manager, in line with the responsibilities of this post.

Person Specification

Knowledge

Essential

• Able to build relationships whilst maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
• Understanding the barriers and difficulties faced by people with mental health conditions in relation to work, and the impact work can have on mental health.
• Proactive in supporting colleagues and contributing to the success of a team.
• Effective written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to recognise risk and safeguarding issues and act appropriately.
• Ability to work collaboratively with employers, professionals and others in support of individuals.
• The organisational and time-management skills needed to manage a caseload of clients.
• Creative in identifying solutions to the barriers faced by others in achieving their goals.
• Competent in use of IT including databases and Microsoft Office applications.

Desirable

• Knowledge of employment law and the Equality Act 2010.
• Knowledge of employment and disability related benefits.
• Knowledge of community resources.

Attitudes and Behaviour

Essential

• Commitment to Touchstones aims and values.
• Solution-focused approach to work.
• Motivated and confident.
• Open to change and able to work flexibly in line with the needs of the service/organisation.
• Commitment to maintain confidentiality at Touchstone.
• Commitment to respecting diversity and anti-discriminatory / anti-oppressive practices.
• Commitment to personal responsibility, development, learning and reflective practice.
• Willingness to be managed and supervised.
• Reliable and Resilient.
• Enthusiasm for taking on responsibilities and projects in addition to core workload.
• Prepared to work in a variety of locations and settings.

Equal Opportunities

Essential

• Must be able to recognise discrimination in its many forms and be willing to put into practice Touchstones Equality Policies.
• Must be sensitive to the needs of disadvantaged groups in the planning and delivery of services.
• A commitment to providing high quality services to the diverse communities.
• Must be able to communicate effectively with a broad range of diverse service users, management and staff, from both organisations and the community.

Skills

Essential

• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written.
• High level of ICT skills, e.g. Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Publisher, PowerPoint).
• Excellent organisational skills to plan, prioritise and meet deadlines.
• Effectively work under pressure, work on own initiative without direct supervision.
• Effective case management and record keeping skills.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of supporting clients with mental or physical health conditions to overcome barriers and achieve goals.
• Experience of assessing client needs and agreeing goals.

Desirable

• Experience of supporting people experiencing mental health difficulties with employment-related issues.

Qualifications

Essential

• Evidence of further study in vocational training, careers advice, job retention and / or employment support or equivalent experience gained through work in the field.

Desirable

• NVQ level 2 minimum or equivalent in a relevant field or evidence of a good customer service background.

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Touchstone

Address

Touchstone I A P T

179 Haslewood Drive

Leeds

LS9 7RE

Employer's website

https://touchstonesupport.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)