Teams of peer support workers and employment specialists work closely with service users to understand their barriers to employment along with their abilities and career aspirations. They then work with clients to develop skills and build confidence to help them find a path into their preferred career. The IPS Model also supports employers with advice, coaching and regular contact with an employment specialist.
Support offered includes:
- Building and updating CVs
- Searching for and applying for jobs
- Searching for training and development opportunities
- Interview skill techniques and support attending interviews
- On-going in work support for service users and employers
Team members gathered with colleagues and service users at Stafford Ruby Club recently to mark Step On’s 10 year anniversary with an Employment Celebration Event, where attendees got to hear from those involved with the programme and also the people it had supported back into work.
Team Manager for Step On, Jasmin Watts, said:
“The Employment Celebration Event was a great opportunity to reflect on a decade of Step On and successful partnership working between NSCHT and MPFT, and it was incredibly moving to hear from those the service has had an impact on and helped back into employment.
“The whole event really brought home the wider benefits of being employed, such as improved self-esteem, confidence and social interaction, and how people can really struggle without these if unable to work due to ill health. This is why it’s important we build on the success of the past decade and continue to grow the Step On IPS service to help more people overcome their barriers to employment and improve health and wellbeing across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.”
People can be referred to Step On by a mental health professional or they can self-refer if they are receiving support from a mental health service by contacting stepon@combined.nhs.uk or stepon@mpft.nhs.uk.
Watch the video below to hear from NSCHT and MPFT chief executives, Dr Buki Adeyemo and Neil Carr, along with former Step On clients.