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The opportunity has arisen for an Employment Advisor to join the Employment Support Team within Talking Therapies in St Helens.

The St Helens Talking Therapies team currently comprises Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners and High Intensity Therapists. The team is supported by a Team Managers, Lead Practitioner and Senior PWPs.

This post is subject to a Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check.

The opportunity has arisen for an Employment Advisor to join the Employment Support Team within Talking Therapies in St Helens.

The St Helens Talking Therapies team currently comprises Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners and High Intensity Therapists. The team is supported by a Team Managers, Lead Practitioner and Senior PWPs.

This post is subject to a Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check.

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 11 million people.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to perfect care care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. Were currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES
1. The Employment Specialist will be required to manage a caseload of between 20-25 people at any one time of service users that have experienced severe mental health issues and are either currently unemployed or to support individuals to retain their current employment.

2. The Employment Specialist will be expected to deliver the Talking Therapies approach, working directly with all relevant stakeholders.

3. The Employment Specialist will maintain a professional relationship with the service users, key internal and external stakeholders, with particular attention to confidentiality and the maintenance
of professional boundaries.

4. To adhere to mandatory administrative and data capture protocols when recording the progress of individuals. To keep accurate and complete records of casework, using the appropriate
electronic clinical notes systems.

5. To act independently, using own judgement, knowledge and initiative to develop and understanding of the needs and potential career aspirations of job seekers.

6. The Employment Specialist will support service users to gain and retain paid employment.

7. To sensitively gather information, to develop a shared vocational profile and an agreed Job Notion or Curriculum Vitae, for each individual job seeker. On occasion complex, sensitive and contentious information will need to be provided and/or received. To deal with sometimes
emotional and distressing behaviour and difficult situations and circumstances.

8. When seeking employment commence rapid job search within 30 days of receiving a referral for a service user, whilst utilising local support networks to help them overcome their barriers to employment.

9. To research the labour market. and spend time getting to know local employers in order to negotiate job opportunities that meet everyone’s strengths, needs, abilities and preferences.

10. It is the responsibility of the Employment Specialist to source meaningful paid job opportunities for service users through tailored job search and regular contact with employers. Spend time getting to
know local employers, in order to negotiate job opportunities in the hidden labour market that meet each individual’s strengths, needs, abilities and preferences.

11. It is the responsibility of the Employment Specialists to undertake job analyses and workplace assessments, when placing service users with employers, ensure that the quality of work environments is explored, including potential for workplace adjustments that will accommodate
individual strengths, skills, symptoms and coping skills.

12. To provide specialised advice to employers concerning employment to job seekers with a range of different clinical needs.

13. To provide specialist education and support to employers, as agreed with the individual, which may include negotiating adjustments, return to work strategies and on-going contact with the employer to ensure job retention.

14. To develop workplace introduction strategies together with a comprehensive package of individualised support to service users once they have returned to work.

15. To provide individualised support to service users and employers once they have returned to work to assist them in sustaining employment.

16. To offer high quality support to employed service users at risk of losing their employment. Offer advice and advocacy support to negotiate return or termination of employment support focusing on the desired outcome of the service user.

17. To appropriately monitor the longer-term career development of individuals supported into employment offering ongoing input as required.

18. Employment specialist to deal with cases involving disciplinary hearings, phased return to work plans and support with mediation between employer and employees.

19. Build relationships with clinical teams to generate referrals and create collaborative working partnerships with clinicians where employment support is integrated into mental health treatment.

20. Build a multi-disciplinary approach to the return to work. For example, involve clinical staff (where relevant) in managing symptoms at work, medication reviews and supporting rehabilitation needs e.g., social skill development, budgeting, travel training etc.

21. With appropriate consent, to communicate and liaise with carers, families, employers and other professionals on behalf of the service user as required.

22. Provide reports and liaise with employers regarding occupational health and human resources to negotiate satisfactory resolutions. Often most needed while the service user is experiencing a deterioration in mental health.

23. Employment Specialist will ensure all mandatory training is completed and up to date. Additional training will be offered and with the expectation that all staff will complete all role specific training provided by external organisations.

24. The post holder will make themselves familiar with their obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act, always ensuring their safety and the safety of others.

25. To ensure that all relevant policies are implemented such as information governance, safeguarding etc.

26. To regularly collect and promote service user employment at recovery story events.

27. The post holder will be involved in highly innovative positive approaches designed to challenge assumptions and discriminative recruitment practices.

28. To provide cover/support to localities with high levels of referrals, complex cases, or where there is a disruption to service due to illness or vacancies.

29. To offer support to access Benefits also to have access to better off calculations prior to gaining employment.

30. To match the service user’s skills with volunteering opportunities leading to paid employment.