Aimed at new Employment Specialists, this practical course teaches how to support people into work using the Individual Placement and Support approach.


Doing what works: Training for Employment Specialists

Our popular "Doing What Works" course is delivered virtually across 4 mornings using a mixture of presentation, group work, digital breakout rooms, polls, pre-work and homework.

Each morning we will set homework for delegates to complete and bring to the following morning, so additional time will need to be set aside by the delegate to complete this.

Individual Placement and Support (IPS) has been internationally recognised as the most effective method of supporting people with severe mental illness into sustainable, competitive employment. 

Employment Specialists working in UK IPS Centres of Excellence™ successfully support 50% of clients into paid employment; irrespective of the severity of their diagnosis or additional substance misuse.

This two day training course is ideal for employment specialists who want to use IPS principles to increase paid job outcomes for people with mental health conditions. 

The training will cover:

• The 8 principles of IPS
• Marketing the IPS service
• The research evidence for the effectiveness of IPS
• Working with the NHS clinical teams to obtain referrals
• Integrating the clinical and employment teams
• Providing benefits advice
• Vocational profiling and ongoing assessment
• Vocational action planning with the service user
• Collaborating with other employment agencies
• Developing relationships with potential employers
• Job carving
• Overcoming barriers to employment
• Disclosure of mental health history
• Providing on-going support for the employer and the service user
• Case studies
• Overcoming local challenges and issues
• Ongoing personal development as an employment specialist