York | Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust
Permanent contract
A new and exciting opportunity has arisen for a permanent Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Specialists in York
Deadline: 18th January 2026
* Yorkshire & The Humber
* Full-time
Job overview
We’re committed to co‑creating a great experience for our colleagues. This means listening to what staff are telling us and working together to be the best employer we can be.
Our staff are our most important asset and recognising their excellent work and the vital contributions they make to patient care is very important.
We have achieved the gold Investors in People (IIP) standard and have been commended on great people management practice and demonstrating a commitment to staff development.
We are signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme. This means we have to demonstrate that we’re taking positive action to attract, recruit and retain disabled people.
We have an award‑winning system for delivering efficiency through clinician‑led quality improvements.
All staff who join us are provided with a comprehensive induction programme, starting on their first day of employment.
Continuous professional development is important to us. Once you’re comfortable in your new role, you and your manager will work collaboratively to form a Personal Development Plan (PDP), your personal career aspirations are taken into account and the trust will provide you with the resources you need to develop.
It’s important our staff are able to raise concerns about patient safety and let us know when we need to improve services. We have a number of ways people can do this.
Role
IPS (Individual Placement and Support) is an evidence‑based approach to helping people with mental health conditions find and keep a paid job.
Having a job can bring numerous benefits to people. We know having a job can help people with mental health conditions to recover.
At present, only around 8% of people receiving support from secondary mental health services are in paid employment, while studies suggest almost 90% of people with serious and enduring mental health conditions want to work.
The IPS worker will be working with people who have a mental illness and support them into competitive employment and then enabling them to retain that employment. As an IPS worker you will be looking for paid employment opportunities for clients who are currently involved with secondary care adult mental health services. This will involve developing opportunities with local employers and supporting them as well as the client, to ensure the right person is in the right job.
You must have the Right to Work in the UK in order to be successfully appointed to this role. Please note, this role does not meet the required eligibility criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa and therefore the Trust is unable to offer sponsorship for this particular role.
Responsibilities
You will support clients with job searching, completing CV’s and application forms and interview preparation. Working with our clients, you will liaise and signpost to a range of employment and training programmes within the local area, to include Job Centre Plus.
Developing your knowledge and networks of employment related support services and inclusive employers within the local area is essential to this role. Employment opportunities would include those within TEWV itself.
This role is part of a wider employment support service, working closely with people with moderate to severe common mental health problems and their clinicians. The post holder will support service users to gain or return to competitive (paid) employment following the Individual Placement and Support process, aiming for fidelity to this delivery model. The role will involve working directly with Jobcentre Plus, employers, trade unions and employment agencies to secure paid employment opportunities, including supporting them and their employers to retain these opportunities for up to one year once gained.
Qualifications
* Essential – Numeracy and Literacy level 2 (or above)
* Essential – Minimum of level 4 qualification related to IPS practice e.g. Level 4 – Certificate of higher education (CertHE), higher apprenticeship, higher national certificate (HNC), level 4 award, level 4 certificate, level 4 diploma, level 4 NVQ; if level 4 award (or higher) is not a health or social care related subject will complete care certificate during first 6 months of employment.
* Essential – OR a minimum of 2 years of experience in e.g. delivering employment support, delivering health/social care support, providing coaching/advice and guidance
* Desirable – Evidence of additional qualifications relevant to role
Skills
* Essential – Ability to work collaboratively with members of the MDT to provide an effective service.
* Essential – Ability to deliver employment support interventions competently
* Essential – Ability to communicate information (verbal and written) effectively in a manner appropriate to the individual and situation
* Essential – Adherence to Trust record keeping standards.
* Essential – Ability to adapt intervention using own initiative within own scope of practice.
* Essential – Ability to plan and organise a given caseload and prioritise effectively.
* Essential – Fully compliant with statutory and mandatory training.
* Essential – Completed “Doing What Works” IPS
* Essential – Ability to lead a group session training or equivalent.
* Essential – Ability to use employment related software packages/platforms.
* Essential – Demonstrate IPS and service specific competencies.
* Desirable – Ability to lead a group session
Personal Attributes
* Essential – Awareness of the needs of individuals from diverse social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds
* Essential – Ability to relate to the needs of the patient group
* Essential – Compassionate in meeting the needs of vulnerable people and their families and carers
* Essential – Ability to work on own in a variety of settings using initiative appropriately
* Essential – Ability to work under pressure in a rapidly changing environment
* Able to work flexibly and cooperatively as part of a team
* Committed to continual quality and service improvement
* Committed to promoting a positive image of people with mental health conditions and/or learning disabilities and autism
* Committed to promoting a positive image of IPS and the Trust
* Self‑awareness and committed to continual personal development
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