Job summary
Working within Primary Care Teams, you will be expected to champion the employment agenda, instilling the belief that people with mental health needs (including physical and sensory) want to work and with the right support can work.
The role will include 1:1 and group work and Peer Support Workers will support service users in developing pre-vocational skills. Pre-vocational interventions will be delivered by the Peer Support Worker and these will support service users to increase their confidence and work ability, develop a daily routine and engage in other opportunities that will enable them to become work ready
Why Join us?
Together we are looking to create growth and opportunity for individuals with mental health conditions and build a better and all-inclusive working world. We work collaboratively to make a real impact in transforming someone's life. We love what we do and feel we offer an incredibly rewarding career with an excellent training and development plan, a generous amount of annual leave and pension scheme.
Benefits:
- 33 days annual leave (incl bank holidays)
- Birthday Leave
- Flexible Working
- Company Pension and Sick Pay
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Life Assurance
- Hybrid working
- Reward Gateway (Employee discounts and benefits)
- Blue Light Card
Main duties of the job
The role of the Peer Support Worker is focused around supporting an individual to become work ready. The Peer Support Worker will assist service users in raising aspirations and developing personal goals, with the aim to be supported into employment, by an IPS Employment Specialists.
You will display excellent diary management in a combination of working in the community, office and at home.
About us
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.
We have been successful in expanding our current IPS Service from secondary mental health into Primary Care services including physical and sensory impairments. In order to deliver on this, we are seeking to recruit a Peer Support Worker to assist in the delivery of this piece of work.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Core Responsibilities:
- To help individuals to consider employment opportunities and identify their own achievable and meaningful recovery goals to compliment the work undertaken by the Employment Specialist.
- To actively, practically and creatively support an individual to progress towards becoming work ready through co-facilitating pre-vocational interventions on a 1:1 and group basis.
- To support the implementation of groups; i.e. job clubs and employability workshops, to enable service users to write CVs and create email addresses. In addition, to support service users in developing other areas of pre-vocational skills.
- Draw upon own lived experience to inspire hope, model self-awareness and facilitate service users in developing their own resourcefulness for managing their health and wellbeing.
- Facilitate and support access to community groups and networks that enable participation in activities, to maximise service user's opportunities for socially valued roles and positive identity.
- Ensure that service users peer recovery goals are integrated into care plan/CMHT process and are reviewed on a regular basis, through liaising closely with employment specialists and care co-ordinators as necessary.
- To actively engage with colleagues and other professionals to ensure the needs of the client group are met through promoting recovery orientated, strengths based practice.
- To attend and participate in multi-disciplinary team meetings where required.
- To be willing to develop self through specialist training opportunities, relevant to IPS, as agreed with team leader.
- To have an awareness of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model and how this is implemented within the service.
- To actively take responsibility for own health and wellbeing through working upon own wellness plan/advanced statement and discussing/reviewing within supervision as necessary.
- To contribute towards an individuals Vocational Action Plan via effective communication with Employment Specialist involved in their support.
- To continue to develop own understanding of government policy in the area of mental health and social inclusion, and to contribute to Trust policies and service development in line with this.
- Any other duties as delegated by the Head of Service commensurate with the responsibilities of this post.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Core Responsibilities:
- To help individuals to consider employment opportunities and identify their own achievable and meaningful recovery goals to compliment the work undertaken by the Employment Specialist.
- To actively, practically and creatively support an individual to progress towards becoming work ready through co-facilitating pre-vocational interventions on a 1:1 and group basis.
- To support the implementation of groups; i.e. job clubs and employability workshops, to enable service users to write CVs and create email addresses. In addition, to support service users in developing other areas of pre-vocational skills.
- Draw upon own lived experience to inspire hope, model self-awareness and facilitate service users in developing their own resourcefulness for managing their health and wellbeing.
- Facilitate and support access to community groups and networks that enable participation in activities, to maximise service user's opportunities for socially valued roles and positive identity.
- Ensure that service users peer recovery goals are integrated into care plan/CMHT process and are reviewed on a regular basis, through liaising closely with employment specialists and care co-ordinators as necessary.
- To actively engage with colleagues and other professionals to ensure the needs of the client group are met through promoting recovery orientated, strengths based practice.
- To attend and participate in multi-disciplinary team meetings where required.
- To be willing to develop self through specialist training opportunities, relevant to IPS, as agreed with team leader.
- To have an awareness of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model and how this is implemented within the service.
- To actively take responsibility for own health and wellbeing through working upon own wellness plan/advanced statement and discussing/reviewing within supervision as necessary.
- To contribute towards an individuals Vocational Action Plan via effective communication with Employment Specialist involved in their support.
- To continue to develop own understanding of government policy in the area of mental health and social inclusion, and to contribute to Trust policies and service development in line with this.
- Any other duties as delegated by the Head of Service commensurate with the responsibilities of this post.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Good standard of education; NVQ 3 or equivalent
Desirable
- Educated to degree level; Health and Social care related qualification
- Qualification in; Information, Advice & Guidance or Employability Service Sector
- Trained IPS approach
Experience
Essential
- Experience of helping people obtain or sustain employment/training
- Experience of working within health, social care or the voluntary sector with people who have experienced mental health problems
- Experience of developing local stakeholder relationships or similar
- Experience of working to a high standard of administration procedures
- Literate in IT/Computer Skills, including Outlook, Excel
- Good oral communication skills based on fluency on the English language
Desirable
- Previous Experience of delivering IPS Employment Support
- Delivering Mental Health First Aid Training
- Use of patient record systems to record client activity
Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of the needs and challenges faced by people experiencing mental health difficulties when looking for employment
- Good understanding of the need for goal setting when delivering employment support
- Good knowledge of local and/or Government employment initiatives.
- Good knowledge of the link between mental health and employment
- Good knowledge of maintain best practice in employment and ways to promote this
- Knowledge of relevant Welfare Benefits, i.e. disability, employment and in-work benefits
Desirable
- An understanding of the principles and practice of supported employment (IPS Model)
- Knowledge of the Equality Act 2010
Personal qualities
Essential
- Ability to assess and service users employability skills and identify support needs
- Able to construct and review person-centered action plans
- Ability to be flexible, open and creative when problem solving, facilitating solutions to challenging situations
- Excellent negotiation skills and persuasive which will benefit ddevelopment of relationships with local employers/ stakeholders
- Commitment to working collectively with colleagues to reach team targets, sharing best practice ideas, stakeholder links and employer leads
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills leading to effective representation and promotion of the service internally with MDT Colleagues and externally with stakeholders
- Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently whiles delivering support in line with Trust values, open, compassionate and empowering
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Working alongside the Team Leader to bring about service improvements for the benefit of the clients
- Be prepared and willing to work flexible hours through prior arrangement as the needs of the job dictate
- Working towards achieving personal targets and committing to making individual performance improvements to obtain these where necessary
- Ability to travel across sites and across Trust boundaries to attend meetings, etc.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Good standard of education; NVQ 3 or equivalent
Desirable
- Educated to degree level; Health and Social care related qualification
- Qualification in; Information, Advice & Guidance or Employability Service Sector
- Trained IPS approach
Experience
Essential
- Experience of helping people obtain or sustain employment/training
- Experience of working within health, social care or the voluntary sector with people who have experienced mental health problems
- Experience of developing local stakeholder relationships or similar
- Experience of working to a high standard of administration procedures
- Literate in IT/Computer Skills, including Outlook, Excel
- Good oral communication skills based on fluency on the English language
Desirable
- Previous Experience of delivering IPS Employment Support
- Delivering Mental Health First Aid Training
- Use of patient record systems to record client activity
Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of the needs and challenges faced by people experiencing mental health difficulties when looking for employment
- Good understanding of the need for goal setting when delivering employment support
- Good knowledge of local and/or Government employment initiatives.
- Good knowledge of the link between mental health and employment
- Good knowledge of maintain best practice in employment and ways to promote this
- Knowledge of relevant Welfare Benefits, i.e. disability, employment and in-work benefits
Desirable
- An understanding of the principles and practice of supported employment (IPS Model)
- Knowledge of the Equality Act 2010
Personal qualities
Essential
- Ability to assess and service users employability skills and identify support needs
- Able to construct and review person-centered action plans
- Ability to be flexible, open and creative when problem solving, facilitating solutions to challenging situations
- Excellent negotiation skills and persuasive which will benefit ddevelopment of relationships with local employers/ stakeholders
- Commitment to working collectively with colleagues to reach team targets, sharing best practice ideas, stakeholder links and employer leads
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills leading to effective representation and promotion of the service internally with MDT Colleagues and externally with stakeholders
- Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently whiles delivering support in line with Trust values, open, compassionate and empowering
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Working alongside the Team Leader to bring about service improvements for the benefit of the clients
- Be prepared and willing to work flexible hours through prior arrangement as the needs of the job dictate
- Working towards achieving personal targets and committing to making individual performance improvements to obtain these where necessary
- Ability to travel across sites and across Trust boundaries to attend meetings, etc.
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.
