Job Description
WorkWell is a government funded programme that offers an early-intervention work and health support and assessment service. This provides holistic support to overcome health-related barriers to employment, and a single, joined-up gateway to other support services.
We work in partnership with mental and/or physical health clinical teams, GP practices and other referral partners who refer clients who are currently in employment but are experiencing difficulties in the workplace and require assistance to help them return to work, remain in work or find new employment. This programme will also support those who have fallen out of work to get the support they need to return to employment. That support will be tailored to their specific needs and circumstances.
We need a team of four Work and Health Coaches to provide highly effective support to individuals and guide them on their journey to returning, remaining or finding new employment while also supporting them to improve their health and wellbeing. The Work and Health Coach will also be instrumental in supporting participants to remove health related barriers by sourcing and funding appropriate interventions.
There is a total of four roles, with three full time and one part time, Work and Health Coaches.
Who we are:
Founded in 1992 by a group of mental health professionals, Working Well Trust was established to address the issue of low employment rates for people who have experienced mental health issues. Since starting we have seen advances in the specialist support offered to people seeking employment and a change in cultural attitudes towards mental health.
In the last few years we have adapted this approach to work with people with Autism (ASD), people with learning difficulties, physical disabilities or complex issues including homelessness or addiction.
We focus on four main areas:
Employment Support – offering support that meets the individual’s needs using both the traditional stepped approach and the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model.
Employer support – enabling the recruitment and retention of their employees.
Social Enterprises – we offer training within social enterprises for people who want to gain a new skill, increase their confidence and be part of a team.
Business and Enterprise support – providing one to one advice to clients who wish to start up or expand an enterprise.
Co-production - Working Well remains committed to the principles of the recovery model and continuously improve its services through co-production.
To find out more please consult the Job Description and Person Specification below.
Responsibilities
- Manage a diverse caseload of clients providing information, advice and guidance to support clients to address problems in the workplace to help them return to work, remain in work or find new employment.
- Deliver a role with a dual responsibility to clinical & community stakeholders and Working Well Trust while complying with Working Well Trust’s internal procedures and all relationships both internally and externally.
- Meet and support clients to understand the barriers they are facing utilising a version of the Dialog+ approach. You will identify their aspirations and goals by assessing their needs and working with them to coproduce an action plan that will help to accomplish their objectives.
- Assess programme participants’ wider needs related to work which may include directing them towards benefits/welfare advice, mental/physical health with an onward referral partner.
- Those participants where a mental and/or physical health condition is a significant barrier to employment the Work and Health Coach will be required to identify and enrol the support intervention necessary to remove that barrier.
- Where applicable, advocate for clients with their employer to address problems and find solutions to complex workplace matters to increase the likelihood of clients remaining in work.
- Conduct holistic Dialog+ assessments with programme participants providing wellbeing advice and the promotion of healthy lifestyle changes.
- Provide employment coaching, including careers guidance, CV building, interview technique and job brokerage.
- Review, analyse and interpret contracts of employment, organisational policies/procedures, report and other documentation for the accurate provision of information, advice and guidance to clients.
- Demonstrate a sound understanding of the factors required to facilitate and enable an individual’s return to work as well as the issues that a person can face on returning to work and the skills needed to manage the return to work.
- Awareness of the secondary effects on the individual including mental health, impact on confidence and steps to mitigate against a further absence from work or unemployment.
- Knowledge that many individuals with mental health conditions may also have primary or secondary health conditions and disabilities and a thorough understanding of the implications of these conditions in the workplace.
- Proactively promote the service, deliver presentations and training as required.
- .Meet referral and performance targets in line with the specific KPI / SLA requirements of the service.
- Work in close collaboration with the internal Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) function to present and discuss cases. When decided and/or required by MDT signpost clients to referral partners by building and maintaining a network of onward referral partners who offer other forms of support.
- Maintain accurate and compliant electronic client records.
- Source job opportunities for clients through tailored job search and regular contact with local employers to explore hidden as well as advertised employment opportunities.
- Provide education and support to employers, as agreed with the individual, which may include negotiating adjustments, return to work strategy and ongoing contact with the employer to ensure job retention.
- Upon returning to employment or securing new employment, continue to maintain the relationship with programme participants through regular reviews, visits, monitoring and other in-work support to help sustain employment
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable experience of successfully working to targets (E)
- Experience providing case management support to a caseload of clients with health and/or employment related barriers·
- Understanding of the practical impact of common health conditions on an individual’s ability to work.
- Ability to manage a caseload of individuals with different needs and goals.
- Practical experience in accessing external support services and well developed networking skills.
Desirable
- Experience of supporting people to obtain or keep work
- Experience of working within health services
- Own personal lived experience of recovery from mental or physical health difficulties
How To Apply
You can find out more including how to apply by visiting the listing over at Charity Jobs which you can find here Interviews will be arranged throughout the application window, and we may close this vacancy early.