Senior Employment Advisor

Job responsibilities

Core Duties

Undertake training needs analysis of your EAs in Sheffield NHS Talking Therapies service and identify the modular needs of the individual EAs.

Be a member of the Sheffield NHS Talking Therapies Service Management Team

Support and promote the use of employment interventions, including:

Conduct an assessment, discussing the persons job goals and any concerns regarding their capacity for work.

Match job tasks to an individuals ability to do the job and any work solutions that may be required to develop the match.

Refer the person to other support if they have particularly complex barriers.

Offer the person support agreeing a written action plan with the person detailing the steps to be taken to either get back into or retain employment and the appropriate support route.

The EA will develop in-depth knowledge of the local labour market, local support and new initiatives, taking into account the needs of the client to broker effective interventions. Including specialist schemes to help with retaining or finding employment.

Work closely with local agencies to identify appropriate job vacancies.

Advocate on behalf of the person with prospective employers if necessary, aiming to identify work solutions that will overcome or minimise difficulties within the workplace.

Where appropriate signpost the person to other agencies in the statutory and voluntary sectors who will be able to provide advice on other benefits/support the person may be entitled too.

Provide continued personalised support after an individual has returned to work or secured employment to help them to sustain employment.

Build and promote strong relationships and enable effective links between employers and other agencies to support delivery of a personalised client focused service. It is also crucial that you can build relationships with Job Centre Plus and trade unions.

Provide a service that is comprehensive and accessible to a broad range of patients who have commonplace mental health problems and who are over 18 years of age.

To provide a service that is equitable and non-discriminatory in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and disability.

Support therapists, GPs and other primary care workers in making appropriate referrals and in carrying out the employment aspects of their own roles.

Develop a knowledge of the locality and its services and facilities, particularly in relation to mental health issues.

Provide a service that is flexible as far as possible in terms of clinic hours, enabling, where possible, at least one clinic to be run outside normal working hours.

Liaise as appropriate with secondary care mental health services and social service departments.

Ensure that all necessary paperwork is completed, including questionnaires, reports and minutes for each interaction.

Signing off timesheets and travel claims for the Employment Advisors

General

In addition, there is a significant case management, line management and clinical supervision component to the post. This is an opportunity for qualified and experienced NHS Talking Therapies Psychological Well-being Practitioners who are enthusiastic and excited by the development of low intensity services to share their interest and passion, and to develop these qualities and skills in others.

The SEA would be required to implement policies and standard operating procedures for their own work and propose changes that would impact on their work.

The SEA is required to concentrate for frequent periods of time with the workload being potentially unpredictable.

Objectives

To keep up to date with accurate information on local resources, facilities, training and employment.

To keep informed of relevant employment legislation and changes to the benefit system.

To update existing knowledge by attending all relevant training opportunities

To identify and apply for any suitable initiatives that will help to expand and further develop the services.

Management and Development

Ensure that line managed staff maintain appropriate clinical records in keeping with service operational policy.

Ensure line managed staff maintain outcome data as per service operational policy. Data will also need to be collected in order inform the evaluation of the EA in Sheffield NHS Talking Therapies project.

Ensure that line managed staff participate in setting and review of objectives for their post on an annual basis.

Ensure that line managed staff participate in activities of continuing professional development (CPD) on an annual basis.

Participate in audits of clinical activity and evaluative research as required.

Manage an aspect of the service at the level of direct service delivery. This might include one or more (depending on available time) of: co-ordinating psycho-educational material, keeping a central resource file of clinical resources for general use, acting as the key liaison with an identified group of professionals/ organisation, for local voluntary organisations, GP surgeries, employment, Work Directions or Connexions.

Undertake appropriate supervision on a regular basis in accordance with the relevant professional guidelines and policies.

Attend locally organised and national training appropriate to the work role. It is particularly important to attend training on leadership and the supervision of the EA in a Talking Therapies role.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Ability to be self-reflective, whilst working with service users, in own personal and professional development and in supervision
• Able to develop good therapeutic relationships with clients
• Ability to work within a team and foster good working relationships.
• Ability to commit to personal development positively and effectively
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Regard for others and respect for individual rights of autonomy and confidentiality
• Ability to work cross-culturally.
• Able to communicate clearly and persuasively, both verbally and in writing
• Ability to liaise and network with a wide range of organizations and members of the public.
• Basic IT skills, including word processing and database packages.
• Ability to use outcome measures for both clinical and audit purposes problem solving.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to carry out a range of evaluation and monitoring techniques.
• Able to work through interpreters.
• Knowledge of different models of mental health/mental illness
• Knowledge of NHS policies, procedures and guidelines
• Knowledge of working with diversity and knowledge of working with black, minority ethnic groups
• Evidence-based practice/clinical governance
• Knowledge of outcome measures and their use for clinical and audit purposes
• Knowledge of Child Protection legislation
• An awareness of serious mental health presentations (psychosis, bi-polar)
• Evidence of further training in psychological interventions/therapy

Training & Qualifications

Essential

• A qualification or substantial experience in Professional Supervision
• An undergraduate degree and significant experience gained through working in the role / similar position.
• Good experience of customer services
• Training in vocational work, careers advice, job retention and presenteeism.
• Willing and able to undertake the relevant training associated with the role. Particularly leadership and supervision of the EA in Sheffield NHS Talking Therapies role.
• Able to integrate training into practice.

Experience

Essential

• Experience as a work coach services manager.
• Significant experience of screening, assessing and working with a wide spectrum of mental health issues and working with people with mild to moderate anxiety and depression.
• Experience of delivering training to a range of professionals
• Experience of 'partnership working`
• Demonstrable experience of face to face customer service in employment
• Substantial experience of multi-disciplinary teamwork
• Experience of working within the Sheffield NHS Talking Therapies culture
• Experience of supervising others within a health setting of helping profession such as social work, nursing
• Experience of working in a Primary Care Mental Health setting
• Experience of working in a 3rd Sector Mental Health setting
• Experience of dealing with clients whose children are subject to Child Protection legislation.
• Experience of co-working with general nurses and health visitors in a Primary Care setting
• Experience of Healthy Living initiatives
• Experience of audit and research
• Experience of and ability to provide mentor/supervisor role.

Other

Essential

• A caring, responsible and positive approach.
• Reliable, trustworthy and enthusiastic.
• Motivated and innovative.
• An understanding of the context of Sheffield NHS Talking Therapies stepped care.
• Worked in a service where agreed targets in place demonstrating clinical outcomes.
• Ability to manage own caseload and time.
• Willingness to travel to other locations throughout the organisation.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).