Mental Health Employment Specialist
At a glance
- Band
- Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Pattern
- Full-time, Flexible working
- Posted
- 02/09/2026
- Closes
- 13/09/2026
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Role summary
This role involves working within LPFT's Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Team to help service users in the Adult Community Division find and retain paid employment as part of their recovery journey. The postholder will provide IPS services to a caseload of service users, mainly in defined localities within Lincolnshire, and will also assist with complex case management. It requires enthusiasm and commitment to supporting individuals with mental health conditions to access and retain employment, working collaboratively with various employers and agencies. The role involves working autonomously in the community, closely with teams across the Trust's Adult Community Division.
Key responsibilities
- Provide Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services to a caseload of service users.
- Assist other Mental Health Employment Specialists with complex case management.
- Work closely with the Service Lead to further develop and expand the IPS service.
- Collaborate with a wide range of employers and relevant agencies (statutory, voluntary, business sectors) to support service users in accessing and retaining employment.
- Work autonomously in the community, closely with teams across the Trust's Adult Community Division.
Essential criteria
- Educated to degree level
- Or equivalent experience in the field of supported employment
- Or NVQ Level 3/equivalent relevant training to diploma level and/or experience relevant to the duties of the post)
- Experience of initiating, liaising and collaborating with a wide range of individuals and organisations promoting and developing employment, education and training opportunities on behalf of service users
- Experience of working with a range of mental health service users (in health, social care and/or voluntary sectors) implementing individual programmes and interventions
- Experience of actively and regularly engaging with employers and employment providers to seek out employment opportunities on behalf of service users
- Knowledge of good practice in employment legislation protecting disability equality
- Ability to identify and find solutions to improve the wider service over and above those improvements related to the role
- Experience of constructing and reviewing individually tailored programmes using a person centred approach.
- Knowledge of vocational assessment & profiling of service users' vocational needs
- Enthusiasm and commitment towards supporting people with mental health conditions to find paid employment
- Working knowledge of appropriate therapeutic models to engage and retain service users in treatment and to support them achieve their vocational goals
- An understanding of the benefits of work as part of the recovery process and a positive attitude to enabling service users overcome barriers to finding employment
- Excellent marketing and promotional skills with good negotiation skills & persuasive style
- Able to analyse situations / information to identify and support service users to address their individual needs in relation to employment, education and training
- Excellent organisational and time management skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to work independently and collectively as part of a team
- Ability to work autonomously and use own initiative
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Thorough understanding of mental health issues
- Ability to embrace and adapt to new challenges
- Ability to support an individual's recovery
- Knowledge of local employment issues, relevant Government policy and Trust priorities
- Excellent IT skills
- Ability to travel independently to other bases and Service User homes
- Flexible and able to support extended hours opening, if required
- Cover for team members working in other areas
Desirable criteria
- Occupational Therapy, Social Work , Psychology or Employment qualifications
- IPS training
- Motivational interviewing training
- Recent experience of working with service users to help them meet their employment-related goals
- Experience & knowledge of the benefits agency and all disability employment related benefits
- Knowledge of the IPS model
- Personal experience of using Mental Health services
- Experience of collecting caseload and outcome data
- Experience of managing and supervising support staff
- Experience of delivering training and presentations to a wide variety of colleagues and agencies internal and external to the Trust
- Knowledge of relevant welfare benefits and benefits rules
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 5 at £29,970 – £36,483 a year, across England.
This advert: £32,073 – £39,043 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 5d ago · Closes in 7d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Mental Health Employment Specialist
The closing date is 13 September 2026
Job summary
We have an opportunity to work within LPFT's Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Team as a Mental Health Employment Specialist, working with service users in the Adult Community Division to help them to find and retain paid employment as part of their recovery journey.
The post holders will provide Individual Placement and Support to a caseload of service users mainly in defined localities within Lincolnshire but cover for other geographical areas covered by the Trust may be required if the need arises.
This post requires both enthusiasm and a commitment towards supporting people with mental health conditions to retain and access employment.
LPFT holds a "Good Fidelity" status with IPS Grow; you must be willing to undertake training in the model of IPS, the evidence-based intervention used by the service.
IF YOU REQUIRE FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE POST PLEASE CONTACT
Sara Brewin - Service Manager - [email removed]
or
Jasmine Fawcett - IPS Manager - [email removed]
Main duties of the job
The postholder will provide IPS services to a caseload of service users and assist the other Mental Health Employment Specialists with complex case management. As this is a developing service, the postholder will also work closel
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