Individual Placement and Support Services (Coventry and Warwickshire) - Market Engagement

Descriptions

Individual Placement Support (IPS) is an evidence-based practice, developed in the USA in the 1990s and has been implemented across the world. International clinical trials have confirmed it is the most effective approach for supporting people with mental health problems to find and sustain paid employment., The approach is based on 8 evidence-based principles:, a.The Employment Specialist is integrated into the clinical team, b.It aims to support people to access competitive paid employment, c.Job search is rapid within 30 days, d.There is an emphasis on service users deciding when it is the right time to return to employment, rather than the clinical team., e.Job search is based on service user choice., f.There is an emphasis on building relationships with employers in order to access the hidden labour market., g.Benefits counselling is provided to support the person through the transition from benefits to paid work., h.Availability of time unlimited support, The service will:, •Raise expectations around service user employment aspirations and capabilities., •Be based within secondary mental health services and work as part of a multi-disciplinary team., •Work in partnership with clinical staff to support service users to access paid employment., •Ensure that the clinical team have a clear understanding of the IPS model, and their role in both having employment conversations with people accessing services and providing interventions to support people to both access and retain paid employment., •Ensure that where Employment Specialists working across a locality, they will be part of a virtual employment team. (In line with IPS fidelity this will include weekly team meetings to support team work, case reviews and employer engagement strategies. As well as regular service wide meetings for professional development and information sharing to ensure a co-ordinated approach to employer and external agency relationships)., •Attend relevant employment and mandatory training as required., •Produce quarterly and annual monitoring reports as required.