From IPS Grow’s Director, Niall O’Reilly:

In this issue, we’re reflecting with gratitude on the huge success of the first IPS Grow conference. It brought together commissioners, policymakers and practitioners to celebrate the successes of IPS and reaffirm the case for long-term investment. Key speakers included Dame Carol Black, Baroness Luciana Berger, Sir Norman Lamb and Dr. Mary Doherty, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Adult Mental Health. Thank you so much to everyone who took part. We hope to run the conference again next year. Please keep an eye on this newsletter for future updates.

In this issue, we’re spotlighting the newly published evaluation of IPS in drug and alcohol treatment teams. IPS in drug and alcohol teams is one of the great public policy successes of the last decade. We’ve been blessed to work alongside OHID and fantastic IPS in drug and alcohol teams across the country to support their achievements. With 52% of clients finding employment, the results are truly remarkable.

Elsewhere in the issue, we share details of our onboarding and mentoring offer for new employment specialists. More than 150 people have already applied for this 12-month support from the IPS Grow workforce team. It is another plank of our growing workforce offer, including our Level 3 IPS qualification that launched earlier this year. If you’d like to find out more about the support your team can access, I’d highly recommend that you attend our upcoming webinar, “Innovative Workforce Solutions: A Year of Impact with IPS Grow,” on Wednesday, 19th November. Details for this are below.

Thank you so much for the brilliant work you are doing on behalf of the IPS community and the people we serve. 

I hope you enjoy reading this edition.

In the Spotlight 

Employment for Health: Investing in What Works: IPS Grow Conference

On Wednesday 22 October 2025, roughly 150 colleagues and stakeholders from across employment, mental-health and commissioning services came together for the IPS Grow “Employment for Health: Investing in What Works” conference.

We were honoured to hear from four outstanding Keynote speakers:

  • Professor Dame Carol Black GBE, who opened the event by emphasising how the IPS model is becoming the gold-standard for employment support in mental-health services.
  • Rt Hon Sir Norman Lamb, who used his extensive background in government and mental-health leadership to make a compelling personal and political case for embedding IPS across systems.
  • Baroness Luciana Berger, who joined a fireside-chat to explore what it takes, from policy to practice, to make employment support a core part of mental-health care.
  • The closing plenary was delivered by Dr Mary Docherty, who challenged us to turn the day’s learning into action – encouraging every attendee to play their part in driving meaningful change and further embedding IPS within adult mental-health services.

As well as these inspiring speakers, there were 8 different workshops throughout the day, exploring themes such as Race Equity within an IPS context to Wellness through Employment with Mark Liverman, Director of Wellness and Employment at Tennessee’s Department of Mental Health.

We received excellent feedback across the board, with attendees saying things like:

It was a great opportunity to meet other IPS professionals and to network. Thanks for a great day!

I enjoyed hearing the lived-experience stories and the impact that IPS services have had on real people’s lives.

These comments reflect the two standout themes of the day: the power of networking and collaboration, and the real-world impact of IPS on people’s lives.

The energy and positive feedback make clear that this is a pivotal moment for employment-as-health outcome strategies and we’re excited about the opportunities ahead. You can find the video highlights of the day on YouTube or across our social media.

Lessons from a new evaluation of IPS in drug and alcohol treatment 

A new report was published last week with findings from an independent evaluation of IPS in drug and alcohol treatment led by RAND Europe. The evaluation, commissioned by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), focused on how IPS is delivered in the drug and alcohol treatment context, with a focus on identifying learnings and good practice. What did we find? Consistent themes emerged in terms of strategies used by IPS teams to strengthen integration with treatment services, including activities such as presentations and newsletters designed to raise awareness of IPS, delivering training for treatment staff and providing feedback on referrals, particularly sharing client ‘success stories’ with treatment staff. Effective strategies for employer engagement include taking a targeted and tailored approach and sharing information about local employers with other (IPS/employment) services in the local area. Mutual learning and the sharing of good practice across IPS services is facilitated by OHID and IPS Grow, as well as at the provider and/or local level, helping newer IPS services learn from those who have been in operation for longer. 

Figure 8 Consultancy undertook the fieldwork for the 12-month longitudinal cohort study of IPS participants, a key part of the evaluation. Following IPS participants over the course of a year of their IPS journey has proved to be really valuable. However, this initial 12 months appears to be just the start of a lot of journeys. Many of whom we spoke to had gained a lot of confidence throughout the process, which allowed them to believe in their own abilities, recognise what they wanted, and consider (or gain) employment that was worthwhile to them. Others realised and started on a path to where they wanted to be, with some taking up courses or ‘getting their foot in the door’. IPS, for a lot of participants, seems to be holistic in nature, with employment specialists who are focused on the individual, and not just their employment outcome.’

IPS Work Your Way Launches in Essex

On 1 October, IPS Grow colleagues joined Get Set UK to celebrate the launch of IPS Work Your Way, supporting people with SMI across Essex to find and sustain meaningful employment. 

Get Set UK has partnered with Inclusion and North Essex Mind to deliver this service across the Greater Essex area. The mobilisation of the service was shaped by a system wide approach, with valuable input from NHSE, ICBs, Essex County Council, and IPS Grow. This collaborative effort helped identify potential service delivery risks, develop tailored support plans for Service Managers, Team Leaders, and Employment Specialists, and ensure a smooth transition for individuals already receiving support. This joined up approach is key to creating a cohesive and aligned service, with clear expectations and a shared goal: helping more people into sustainable employment. 
What stood out during the launch was Get Set UK’s commitment to a truly inclusive Greater Essex wide model. Their dedication to involving partners in every stage of planning means that participants remain the key focus for everyone. Notably, the naming of the service was co-produced with participants, reflecting a strong sense of shared ownership and pride in the journey ahead. 

A big thank you to Vicky Brown, Tomi Ayeni and Joanne Barber for their dedicated and swift support for Get Set UK

We look forward to seeing IPS Work Your Way grow and thrive, and we’re grateful to Get Set UK, Inclusion, and North Essex Mind for embracing the support available from IPS Grow.

IPS Grow and BASE Launch National Fidelity Assurance Partnership

We’re proud to announce that IPS Grow, in collaboration with BASE, has been awarded a national Fidelity Assurance contract as part of the DWP’s Connect to Work programme. This groundbreaking partnership will support services across England and Wales to deliver high-quality, person-centred employment support through fidelity reviews and Communities of Practice. It’s a significant step forward in helping more people access and sustain meaningful work.

Click the button below to read the full announcement on our website and learn how this initiative is shaping the future of supported employment.

Read the full CtW statement