Job summary
HeadsUp is funded by the European Social Fund and the National Lottery Community Fund. Led by Enable East and delivered through a partnership of 3 organizations, the project engages with individuals across Essex who are unemployed and experiencing mental health problems and support them through an intensive, tailored programme of employment and well-being support, combined with peer mentoring to help them address the barriers they face to employment. Employ-Ability provides HeadsUp across West and South Essex, Southend and Thurrock.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will provide support and encouragement to participants to help them achieve their employment and training goals, by identifying the shared experiences of unemployment and mental health problems to inspire participants to overcome their barriers.
Specific aspects of the role are:
- Enrolling participants onto the project, which involves checking eligibility and completing extensive paperwork
- Promoting the project at events
- To develop empowering, supportive, and respectful relationships with participants
- To provide one to one personalised support with participants helping them to develop a personalised plan to achieve their goals
- Provide tailored support to help participants become work ready
- Help participants identify their education and training needs and support them to find courses
- Help participants identify career goals and support them to find employment opportunities and work placements
About us
You will be managed by Employ-Ability, Employ-Ability is an Essex based charity committed to championing good mental health in the workplace. Employ-Ability works with Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust (EPUT) to deliver an Essex wide Employment support (IPS) and Employment Retention Support and with Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) to deliver a West Suffolk, Ipswich and East Suffolk Service.
High quality staff are the key to our success, and you will need to be self-motivated, passionate about supporting people and willing to actively promote clients to employers.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Duties and Responsibilities
- Utilise own experience to seek and maintain supportive relationships with participants to help them identify and overcome any barriers to finding employment
- Provide effective support to participants to help them achieve their goals in relation to moving into education, training or employment including signposting them to other agencies for specific areas of support
- Support and enable people experiencing mental health problems to overcome issues relating to anxiety and confidence including referring them to the projects Employment and Wellbeing workshops
- Support participants to attend the projects Employment and Wellbeing workshops
- Deliver tailored employment support to participants in line with the projects Participant Pathway
- To maintain clear and concise documentation in accordance with project requirements
- Maintain monitoring and evaluation procedures in line with the project requirements
- Work alongside the Coordinator to establish opportunities for work placements for participants
- Work alongside the Coordinator to refer participants to attend workshops and training courses delivered by project partners
- Contribute to project communications led by Enable East to promote the project to key stakeholder groups
- Implement processes and procedures outlined in the Sustainability and Gender and Equalities Action Plans to help achieve project objectives
- Work with other project partners to identify opportunities for collaboration
- Undertake necessary training and supervision in order to be able to fulfil the role
- You will be expected to work independently as part of the team, with regular supervision and on-going support.
- Have a knowledge/understanding of the legislation likely to be encountered as part of the role of a Peer Support Worker, e.g. Mental Health Act 1983: Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: Children Act 1989
You will be required to be mobile across a geographical area in supporting clients.
- To undertake any other duties as may be necessary from time to time
This list is not intended to be exhaustive and the job holder will be expected to carry out all reasonable tasks within their capabilities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Duties and Responsibilities
- Utilise own experience to seek and maintain supportive relationships with participants to help them identify and overcome any barriers to finding employment
- Provide effective support to participants to help them achieve their goals in relation to moving into education, training or employment including signposting them to other agencies for specific areas of support
- Support and enable people experiencing mental health problems to overcome issues relating to anxiety and confidence including referring them to the projects Employment and Wellbeing workshops
- Support participants to attend the projects Employment and Wellbeing workshops
- Deliver tailored employment support to participants in line with the projects Participant Pathway
- To maintain clear and concise documentation in accordance with project requirements
- Maintain monitoring and evaluation procedures in line with the project requirements
- Work alongside the Coordinator to establish opportunities for work placements for participants
- Work alongside the Coordinator to refer participants to attend workshops and training courses delivered by project partners
- Contribute to project communications led by Enable East to promote the project to key stakeholder groups
- Implement processes and procedures outlined in the Sustainability and Gender and Equalities Action Plans to help achieve project objectives
- Work with other project partners to identify opportunities for collaboration
- Undertake necessary training and supervision in order to be able to fulfil the role
- You will be expected to work independently as part of the team, with regular supervision and on-going support.
- Have a knowledge/understanding of the legislation likely to be encountered as part of the role of a Peer Support Worker, e.g. Mental Health Act 1983: Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: Children Act 1989
You will be required to be mobile across a geographical area in supporting clients.
- To undertake any other duties as may be necessary from time to time
This list is not intended to be exhaustive and the job holder will be expected to carry out all reasonable tasks within their capabilities.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Desirable
- GCSE level, or equivalent
- Qualification in education or health subjects
Experience
Essential
- Personal experience of mental health issues
- Personal experience of unemployment
- Experience of working alongside mental health professionals
Desirable
- Experience of job search activity on behalf of others
- Experience dealing with people in a front-line service role
Knowledge
Essential
- Awareness of Mental Health Issues
- An understanding of the impact of stigma and discrimination
- A commitment to and understanding of Equal Opportunities
Other
Essential
- Flexibility to travel within the region
- Flexibility to working out of normal office hours.
Skills
Essential
- Ability to share personal story of mental ill health in a professional manner
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- The ability to keep accurate records
- Strong general IT skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build rapport
- Demonstrate an ability, and awareness to maintain personal boundaries
Personal Qualities
Essential
- People-orientated
- Willingness to support people with a range of needs to meet their employment and training goals
- A strong belief in the value of employment
- Non-judgemental and trustworthy
- Passion and positivity
- Motivated and enthusiastic, able to work as a team member
- Understanding of, and a commitment to, participant involvement and empowerment
- Responds positively to failure and is able to translate it into a valuable learning experience
- Conscientious and professional
- Trustworthy, honest, conscientious, and reliable
- A flexible and creative approach to work
- Ability to use own initiative
- Be able to assess and act well in unpredictable situations where multi- tasking will be required
- Ability to assess the environment and make decisions that will ensure their safety and that of participants
- Emotional and social intelligence
- A resilient approach to dealing with challenges
- Resilience in dealing with people who are in emotional distress
- Self-awareness with the ability to identify own stressors and take appropriate action to prevent negative impact of this on wellbeing and seek appropriate and timely support
Person Specification
Qualifications
Desirable
- GCSE level, or equivalent
- Qualification in education or health subjects
Experience
Essential
- Personal experience of mental health issues
- Personal experience of unemployment
- Experience of working alongside mental health professionals
Desirable
- Experience of job search activity on behalf of others
- Experience dealing with people in a front-line service role
Knowledge
Essential
- Awareness of Mental Health Issues
- An understanding of the impact of stigma and discrimination
- A commitment to and understanding of Equal Opportunities
Other
Essential
- Flexibility to travel within the region
- Flexibility to working out of normal office hours.
Skills
Essential
- Ability to share personal story of mental ill health in a professional manner
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- The ability to keep accurate records
- Strong general IT skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build rapport
- Demonstrate an ability, and awareness to maintain personal boundaries
Personal Qualities
Essential
- People-orientated
- Willingness to support people with a range of needs to meet their employment and training goals
- A strong belief in the value of employment
- Non-judgemental and trustworthy
- Passion and positivity
- Motivated and enthusiastic, able to work as a team member
- Understanding of, and a commitment to, participant involvement and empowerment
- Responds positively to failure and is able to translate it into a valuable learning experience
- Conscientious and professional
- Trustworthy, honest, conscientious, and reliable
- A flexible and creative approach to work
- Ability to use own initiative
- Be able to assess and act well in unpredictable situations where multi- tasking will be required
- Ability to assess the environment and make decisions that will ensure their safety and that of participants
- Emotional and social intelligence
- A resilient approach to dealing with challenges
- Resilience in dealing with people who are in emotional distress
- Self-awareness with the ability to identify own stressors and take appropriate action to prevent negative impact of this on wellbeing and seek appropriate and timely support
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.
