IPS Employment Specialists

Go back Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 29 September 2026

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. 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.

Following further investment and expansion of the IPS service an exciting opportunity has arisen for a number of permanent IPS Employment Specialists in the following area:

York, Northallerton, Harrogate and Ripon, Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale.

The IPS worker will be working with people who have a mental illness and support them into 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.

The successful postholders 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.

Within your role, you will develop 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 postholders 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.

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care --our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.

We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.

We're committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.

We won't rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life.

The successful applicants will establish ongoing monitoring and support systems for clients once employment is secured. This will include review of employment gained to ensure that this is meeting both clients and employers needs. This will include offering support to employers and clients with any problems that may arise and promoting disability awareness among employers to ensure a positive integration of our clients into the workforce.

The successful candidates will be dynamic and highly motivated, with excellent communication skills to enable you to work/engage effectively with a wide range of agencies and employers, clients and sometimes their families. Innovation, determination and ability to influence assertively…