Services available in:

• Shropshire
• Telford

“Enable have done so much for me in helping me stay in work, when I’ve been going through a bad patch in my mental health, liaising with my employer on my behalf to help them better understand my condition and find a workable solution for both myself and my employer, enabling me to remain a productive and valued member of staff, I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Enable’s IPS service – supporting people with mental health needs into paid employment:

• 90% of people with Mental Health issues say that they want to work
• Employment has been recognised as an important part of recovery
• Enable can find the right role for you

At Enable, we use a model called Individual Placement and Support (IPS) – research shows that this is the most effective way to support people with mental health issues to find and remain in employment. Enable is a Centre for Excellence in this work.

How does the IPS service work?

Each mental health service has an Enable Employment Specialist attached to it. The Enable worker works closely with the mental health workers to support clients who want to find work.

An Employment Specialist will arrange a convenient time and place to meet the client. This is a relaxed and informal meeting where we start to get to know a bit about them and their hopes for the future. Our aim is to get an in-depth understanding of exactly what type of job would suit them and the barriers that might be in the way of finding this job. From here, we can put together a plan to show how we will overcome these barriers and support the individual into the right role.

How to get referred to the IPS service

All the jobseeker needs to do is to speak to their mental health worker and ask to be referred to Enable.

If an initial meeting with a member of the Enable team is preferred to find out more information before they are referred, we can arrange this too.

The Enable mental health IPS service is open to anyone receiving support from secondary mental health services.

Will employers be interested in taking on someone who has been out of work for a long time?

• We have successfully supported people back into work who have been out of employment for 20+ years and people who have never worked before. As long as the individual wants to work, we can find the right opportunity for them.
• During any period of unemployment, individuals will have often gained skills and had experiences that they may not even recognise – all of this can be very valuable to an employer. The Enable Employment Specialist will spend a lot of time building links with local employers and finding opportunities that would not be advertised – up to 70% of job vacancies are never advertised!

How does this service affect people receiving benefits?

One of the first questions the Enable Employment Specialist will ask a jobseeker is what benefits they receive. We will then support them to access the right benefits advice to ensure that they will be better off in work.

If the jobseeker is a Veteran, please note: this service will not affect their war pension.

Is it best to disclose any mental health issues to an employer?

The question of what to tell an employer and at what stage in the recruitment process can be a daunting one. The Enable Employment Specialist will support the client to consider the pros and cons of disclosing their Mental Health. This will include deciding what information to disclose, who to disclose it to and when to disclose it.

What about becoming too unwell to work after employment?

The support given from Enable is ongoing for as long as anyone needs it; it does not end once we have placed the individual into work.

Before starting a new job we will look at what the client might need to help keep them well in work. With the client’s agreement, this plan can also be shared with the employer. The Employment Specialist will continue to meet regularly with the client to talk through how things are going. If there are difficulties, Enable will help to work out a solution to overcome them.

In the event that the client does become unwell, the Employment Specialist will be there to support them through this and to maintain links with the employer.

To find out more please either speak to your mental health worker or contact us.