Job overview

At Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, we are working together to deliver outstanding care. We run community hospitals and community health services across Worcestershire and provide mental health and learning disability services across both Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Our people (all 4500+ of them) provide services for people of all ages, experiencing both physical and/or mental health conditions from over 100 sites.

We will support you to thrive; offer flexible working options for a great work-life balance, help you fulfil your ambitions, and empower you to make positive changes within your team or service. We value diversity and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities.

What we offer;

  • 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
  • Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when you work unsocial hours
  • Flexible and agile working opportunities
  • Great maternity, paternity, and adoption support
  • Wide range of supportive staff networks
  • Health and wellbeing opportunities

Role

Returning to or retaining work is a vital part of recovery for people needing mental health support. With increased funding, we are recruiting Employment Retention Specialists to support clients across the Worcester and Malvern Neighbourhood Mental Health Services, with some cover across the south of the county.

You will play a key role in helping people with mental health needs stay in or return to paid employment. The role involves hands on, person centred support, using Job Retention case management and IPS aligned principles. You will manage your own caseload, working closely with clinical teams, employers and partner organisations to help clients overcome barriers, resolve workplace concerns and achieve sustainable employment. Empathy, resilience and compassion are essential.

An interest in employment support is important, and knowledge of employment rights particularly around job retention is an advantage. Experience in employment or mental health settings is desirable, and applicants from varied backgrounds are welcome.

This is a community based role across Worcester and the wider south county area. The ability to meet travel demands is essential, including to locations without public transport. Mileage expenses are provided.

Responsibilities

  • Proactively manage a caseload of people who have experienced mental health problems to aid return to employment and/or resolve concerns within their workplace.
  • Assess and record clients identified Employment Retention needs and liaise with clinicians in the team if necessary. Agree and produce person centred action plans and support clients to achieve their goals.
  • Supporting clients who experience difficulties in the workplace to retain and sustain their employment status. Through the awareness and development of tools such as benefits advice, work adjustments and support plans, strategies, and tools to share personal information.
  • Assist with activities such as producing a well at work plans, return to work plans, requests for reasonable adjustments, liaising with employers, trade unions as well as other existing and/or potential partners to aid in successful resolution of workplace concerns and absences to support sustainable employment
  • Liaise closely with DWP and providers where appropriate.
  • Enhance job sustainment through education, advice, and guidance to employers on support needs and negotiating reasonable adjustments and considerations.
  • Attend weekly team meetings both as part of the clinical team and the employment services provision.
  • Work to achieve targets set by NHS England and IPS Grow.
  • Proactively support and adhere to IPS principles in relation to Employment Retention support.

The person

We welcome people from a range of backgrounds and with all kinds of life experience, and actively encourage those who have lived experience of mental illness. To be successful in this role we would like you to have:

  • One to one employment support of helping people to obtain or keep education/work.
  • Employment Retention support experience.
  • An understanding of the employment needs and difficulties of people who experience mental health problems.
  • Experience of working with people on a one-to-one basis, offering motivation and support.
  • Knowledge of range of resources for helping people to maintain employment when facing ill health difficulties.
  • The ability to build good relationships with a range of different people, from employers to clients.
  • The ability to manage multiple tasks at once.
  • Skills in vocational assessment and in assessing ill health obstacles to returning to work and working with employees to overcome these.
  • Ability to work independently, reliably, and consistently.
  • Excellent administrative and organisational skills.
  • Data collection experience.
  • A passion for making a difference to peoples lives.
  • Good mediation skills and persuasive style.
  • An ability to meet the travel requirements of the role.
  • A preparedness to work flexible hours through prior arrangement as the needs of the job dictate (e.g. some evenings).

For full details of the duties and criteria for the role, please refer to the job description and person specifications attached.