Job overview

As Shropshire Council we are rightly proud of our achievements and we have proven to be a resilient local authority in our response to the many challenges we have overcome, particularly over recent years. We will be continuing this momentum with ambition and a focus on delivering our four key priorities outlined within the Shropshire Plan: Healthy People, Healthy Environment, Health Economy and Healthy Organisation. We are committed to achieving this by aligning everything we do to our vision ‘Shropshire – living the best life’; to tell everyone that Shropshire Council is a great place to be. We will enable a skilled, happy, healthy, diverse, inclusive, empowered, and proud workforce that influences and leads change, addressing any inequalities. As a member of the IPS Team within Enable, you will support the achievement of these key priorities, making a real difference to the lives of people in Herefordshire. Enable is Shropshire Council’s employment service for people with health conditions or disabilities and has teams specialising in mental health employment, learning disability and autism employment and employment of young people with SEND.

Role

About the role
Join us as an Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Specialist and help people in Herefordshire move closer to the life they want through meaningful, sustainable employment.
As part of the Enable team, you’ll support people in community treatment for substance use, to find and sustain work that matches their strengths, skills, and aspirations.
Full training is provided, and you’ll be joining a supportive, values-driven team committed to inclusion, empowerment, and recovery.
This is an incredibly rewarding role – you’ll have the opportunity to transform the lives of your clients, to give them hope, direction, and support their recovery journey.

Responsibilities

  • Manage a caseload of around 25 clients who have substance use support needs who are motivated to start/return to work.
  • Deliver the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach for which training will be given.
  • Meet and support clients to understand their key skills, aspirations and goals through completing a Vocational Profile and produce an Action Plan to help them obtain and sustain competitive employment. This includes support with their job search, CV production, application forms, interview techniques and career development.
  • Assess client’s support needs related to work which may include benefits/welfare advice, disclosure of health information etc, and provide support & guidance.
  • Attend weekly treatment team meetings as an embedded IPS practitioner.
  • Source job opportunities for clients through tailored job search and regular contact with local employers to explore hidden as well as advertised employment opportunities.
  • Provide education and support to employers, as agreed with the individual, which may include negotiating adjustments, return to work strategy and on-going contact with the employer to ensure job retention.
  • Build relationships with colleagues in treatment teams to engage and generate referrals and create collaborative working partnerships with clinical staff (promoting employment as a positive intervention in the recovery journey).
  • Once employment has been secured continue to provide quality service through conducting regular visits, effective monitoring and in-work support to clients and

    • employers to help sustain employment.

  • Taking an active part in the development of Enable’s services to people with disabilities within Shropshire and across Enable’s services.
  • Demonstrating a high level of understanding and awareness of issues related to equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice and reflect this in your

    • practice.

  • Taking an active part in identified training and development and continuing personal and vocational development activities.
  • Contribute to Enable training and publicity as required.
  • Ensure safe systems of work in accordance with the Shropshire Council’s Health, Safety and Welfare policies and procedures.
  • These duties are illustrative and not exhaustive. The post holder will be expected to become involved in a range of work to enable the service to respond effectively

to the changing requirements of the Council and changes affecting the workforce.

Please see full Job Description

The person

Essential:

  • A good basic education
  • Experience/understanding of working with people with substance use support needs, or a similar client group within health, social services or the voluntary sector
  • Experience of working with someone on a one-to-one basis
  • Experience of managing multiple tasks at any one time
  • An understanding of the employment needs, and challenges faced by people who experience substance use difficulties
  • A knowledge of a broad range of occupations and jobs
  • Understanding of the needs of employers
  • Able to use IT and tools such as MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel
  • Knowledge of the county of Herefordshire

Please see full Person Specification