IPS
Individual Placement Service (I.P.S.) is an international standard of work, bringing employment front and centre to a person's treatment journey, be that within Drug and Alcohol, Mental Health or Criminal Justice licence conditions
IPS was initially delivered for people engaged in mental health services, where it has solid evidence for being more effective than conventional forms of employment support.
Intuitive Thinking Skills have a wealth of experience running IPS services across England and Wales.
Whilst the traditional IPS model is very much focused on operating within existing Mental Health services, we have taken this model and successfully delivered strong outcomes in both Drug and Alcohol Tier Three services and as a targeted approach with high-risk (MAPPA) participants as a through the gate model.
The principal of IPS means that skilled, employment specialists become an integrated part of the client journey, whether that be drug and alcohol treatment or as part of licence conditions for people newly released from prison.
Our IPS services are delivered to the 8 principles of IPS as follows:
- We aim to get you into competitively sourced and paid employment.
- The service is optional for the participant.
- The service is focussed on getting the participant into work they want to do.
- We work fast, with participants expected to be at first interview within a month of commencement.
- Our Employment Specialist work adds an integrated member of the client’s team, ensuring that employment is integral to recovery journys and/or rehabilitation.
- Our Employment Specialists work with Employers, offering in-work support to employed participants.
- The service is NOT time-limited and our Employment Specialists operate with fixed, small caseloads.
- Debt and benefits planning is offered to all participants.
Intuitive Thinking Skills were selected to deliver the PHE commissioned RCT IPS-AD service in Derbyshire in 2018 as part of 7 pilot sites. This involved the long term research of outcomes achieved when an IPS service was delivered within Tier Three Drug and Alcohol Services.
We are immensely proud of our Derbyshire team, who consistently performed at the top of the outcome measurements in speed to first interview, job starts, job sustainments and secondary jobs achieved for those that did not sustain in their first role.
"Everyone has been very supportive and non-judgemental. I have been made to feel normal and not judged for my nerves and anxieties and past mistakes. Meeting my advisor regularly and talking to him and the skills and guidance of my advisor for the computer side of things has been very beneficial."
In addition to the above, we also deliver a MAPPA IPPS, co-funded by the DWP and NPS services in Merseyside. This is a very exciting through the gate provision for 15 people under the high-risk MAPPA project. We will update these pages as we progress the service.
