About this role
Job summary
People with severe mental health issues face significant barriers to employment. Over 75% would like paid work, but only 6 - 8% achieve it.
Our established Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Service at Berkshire Healthcare is looking for a Peer Employment Specialist to support people with severe mental health issues (SMI) to gain, sustain, and retain paid work. Your primary focus will be to promote IPS and employment as a key part of recovery, ensuring patients who want to work can access the service. You will be a visible presence within Community Mental Health Services (CMHS), building strong relationships to generate appropriate and timely referrals.
You will need to have accessed secondary mental health services and reached a stage where you can manage your diagnosis well. What matters most is your lived experience, determination to support others, ability to build relationships with a range of people, and willingness to learn.
We will train you in the IPS approach to help clients make informed choices that support recovery. You will work with clinicians and employers to create opportunities, challenge perceptions, and support people with mental health conditions into work. Previous experience in supported employment or mental health services is desirable. Above all, you will bring empathy, hope, and determination.
The successful candidate will be based at London House, Bracknell and would be expected to travel across Berkshire BHFT locations.
Main duties of the job
- Act as a visible and active presence within CMHS, promoting IPS and employment as a core part of recovery.
- Build strong working relationships across CMHS to generate appropriate and timely IPS referrals.
- Hold a caseload of around 20 clients, supporting individuals to explore employment goals in line with IPS principles.
- Share lived experience appropriately to instill hope, build motivation, and reduce stigma around work and mental health.
- Work closely with IPS Employment Specialists, clinicians, and MDT members to ensure integrated and coordinated support.
About us
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:
- Flexible working options to support work-life balance
- 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
- Generous NHS pension scheme
- Excellent learning and career development opportunities
- 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
- Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
- Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
- Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
- Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
- Free parking across Trust sites
Job description
Job responsibilities
The must haves for this role
- A degree or experience in health, social care, or employment support
- You willneedto have accessed secondary mental health services and have reached a time in your life where you feel you are able to manage your diagnosis well
- Experience of working with and supporting people who have mental health issues (or other disadvantaged groups)
- Ability to travel independently and efficiently across East Berkshire, with access to a suitable means of transport to meet the requirements of the role.
- Able to demonstrate through examples offered at interview excellent motivational, communication and listening skills
- Able to demonstrate a high level of organisation and perseverance in the application and at interview
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role. We recognise that AI tools can support accessibility, equity and confidence for applicants. However, its important that examples and responses given in your supporting statement genuinely reflect your own experience and abilities, as these will be explored further during the selection process. AI must not be used to provide misleading or false information during any stage of the application journey.
In addition to explaining how you meet the person specification, you must complete your employment history for at least the last five years. Any experience, skills or responsibilities referenced in your supporting statement should be evidenced within your employment history. Applications that do not include sufficient employment history to support the experience claimed may not be shortlisted.
Were committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Stonewall Proud Employer, Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.
We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please dont hesitate to call: Gurpreet Athwal on 07815 485139 or email: [email protected] wholl be delighted to help.
Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to a degree level (in any sector) or equivalent workplace experience, this can include one or more of the below
- Experience within the health and social care sector
- Experience within employment support services
Desirable
- Mentorship or clinical supervision training
Continuous professional development
Desirable
- A good understanding of the principles and practice of supported employment
- Trained in the IPS approach
- Additional employability/careers counselling qualification, such as: Level 3 Diploma in Employability Services Sector Qualification, QCF in Advice & Guidance (Level 3)
Lived experience relevant to the job
Essential
- Own personal lived experience of accessing secondary mental health services
- Own personal lived experience of recovery from mental health difficulties
- Experience of maintaining (self-defined) recovery for a substantial period
Desirable
- Paid or unpaid experience as a peer support worker
- Accredited certificate in Life Coaching
- Undertaken peer support worker training (preferably accredited)
Previous experience (Paid/Unpaid Relevant to the job)
Essential
- Experience of communicating and working with people on a one-to-one basis
- Experience of working within diverse communities
- A commitment to learning about and working within the Individual Placement and Support Employment (IPS) model.
- Experience of supporting people to obtain or keep work or achieve other recovery and inclusion goals
Desirable
- Experience of working with people with mental health difficulties or a similar client group within the health, social services, or voluntary sector
- Experience of supporting people to obtain or keep work
- An understanding of the Equality Act 2010
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
Essential
- A commitment to learning about and working within the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model
- Ability to engage and build rapport and trust with service users and clinical teams
- Able to demonstrate empathy, tenacity and hope when working alongside people with severe mental health issues
- Good verbal and written communication skills.
- Good presentation, negotiation, and marketing skills
- Ability to engage with employers using a variety of methods such as face-to-face contact, social media, phone, and email.
- Working knowledge of a broad range of occupations and jobs
- Strong word processing/computing skills, including power point
Desirable
- An understanding of the principles and practices of supported employment or the IPS model.
- Able to collaborate successfully within a mixed-disciplinary team applying effective communication and collaborative working skills
- An understanding of the Equality Act 2010.
- An understanding of the employment needs and difficulties of people who experience mental health challenges.
- Basic counselling and coaching skills
- Ability to provide vocational assessments and profiling.
Additional requirements
Essential
- A preparedness to work flexible hours through prior arrangement as the needs of the job dictate (e.g. some evenings)
- Ability to travel between locations using own or public transport
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details
Employer name
Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust
Address
London House, London Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 2UT
Bracknell
RG12 2UT
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)