Southdown are passionate about promoting the IPS model of supported employment and their Sussex vocational services have been recognised by the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health as an emerging centre of excellence for IPS in the UK. Southdown staff have also been invited to attend an international training course in 2010 at Dartmouth College in the United States, the founding location of IPS.
Please visit the link below for further centres of excellence details:
http://www.scmh.org.uk/employment/centres_of_excellence.aspx
The practical approach of vocational support we have adopted when supporting individuals with mental health issues back to work is now based upon the Individual Placement and Supports (IPS) model (developed by Robert Drake and Deborah Becker)1. This supported employment model has also been extensively researched and found to be effective at achieving integrated community employment for people with mental health problems.
The major components of the IPS model (which are an integral aspect of Southdown’s own model) are:
We believe that the most effective way to enable people with mental health needs back into employment is by teaching, supporting and developing people in the workplace. This approach is backed up by our own experience and case studies. Southdown works with employers and individuals to put equal opportunities into action and offers a confidential one-to-one service to match people to jobs and provides ongoing support.
We firmly support the implementation of the IPS model and our own evidence is producing great paid employment outcomes. As a major Sussex based employer we are also putting into place a range of good practice initiatives within our own employment practices to ensure we increase and retain a diverse workforce that provides a supportive work environment for people who experience mental health issues.
To assist us to bridge the gap Southdown have developed a framework of vocational support that has 4 distinct key stages. These are:
Assessment and goal identification
Back to work plan
Starting work
Ongoing in-work support
The overall framework is an active working tool that each Employment Specialist will use as a guide when working with each employment candidate. Although the toolkit does have time-focused activity periods towards accessing employment, it is delivered as a flexible and sensitive model that fits around the individual and their strengths and needs.
We provide services based on the Individual Placement & Support Model in: