IPS Supported Employment Specialist (53608)

LIFESKILLS GROUP•Bowling Green, KY

17d•$17 - $19

About The Position

Supported Employment specialist help individuals find and keep competitive employment. Work to find employment that is consistent with their vocational goals per IPS Practice and Principles and Fidelity.

Requirements

Ability to sit for extended time for meetings, documentation, and clinic services.
Ability to stand, walk, bend, and move within clinic and community settings.
Must have car insurance and be able to transport clients for appointments and community engagement.
Ability travel across regional sites when needed.
Must maintain confidentiality and adhere to all regulatory and ethical standards.
Performance will be evaluated by client outcomes, documentation compliance, and alignment with organizational goals.
Education and experience equivalent to high school diploma and preferred undergraduate degree in mental health, social services, or business.
Ability to work as an effective team member is essential.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with people with serious mental illnesses, experience providing employment services, and knowledge of the work world are preferred.

Responsibilities

Engages clients and establishes trusting, collaborative relationships directed toward the goal of competitive employment in community settings.
Assists clients in learning how their benefits will be affected by earned income.
Helps clients think about long-term employment goals, work history, strengths, personal culture (as defined by each person), justice involvement, and other factors that relate to a current vocational goal.
Completes career profile for each new client with information from the client, mental health practitioners, and with permission, family members or past employers.
Updates the profile with each new job and education experience.
With the client's permission, provides education and support to family members about work and gathers input about skills, interests, strengths of the client and ideas for support.
Discusses client's preference for disclosure of psychiatric status to employers, including possible costs and benefits and specific information to be disclosed.
Provides assistance with the job search regardless of client’s preferences regarding disclosure (i.e., support without employer contact when client chooses not to disclose).
Develops an individual employment plan with the client and with input from the mental health worker, other treatment team providers (for example, the VR counselor) and family members (with permission).
Incorporates information about the person’s culture (as defined by each client) that related to work and school.
Updates the employment plan quarterly or when there is a change in employment or education status.
Conducts job development and job search activities directed toward positions that are individualized to the interests and uniqueness of the people on his/her caseload, following the principles and procedures of IPS.
Conducts at least six employer contacts each week to learn about businesses and employer needs, to talk about specific clients who are looking for work and/or to talk about employer services offered by the IPS program.
Is responsible for a minimum of 12 job starts each year after the first year of employment.
Supports clients making employer contacts by applying for jobs, or learning more about jobs available in the community, within 30 days of program entry, on average.
Provides individualized follow-along supports to assist clients in maintaining employment.
Provides frequent in-person supports during the first month of a new job and at least monthly after working steadily and desired by clients.
Provides education and support to employers as agreed upon by clients, which may include negotiating job accommodations and follow-along contact with the employer/educator.
Provides outreach services as necessary to clients when they miss appointments.
Uses a variety of methods to discover what is interfering with the person’s employment plan.
Participates in weekly meetings with mental health treatment team and communicates individually with team members between meetings in order to coordinate services and generate ideas to help people achieve their employment goals.
Attends monthly meetings with VR counselors to discuss possible referrals and shared clients.
Communicates with VR counselors between monthly meetings.
Spends at least 65% or more of total scheduled work hours in the community.
Helps clients with career development including finding jobs that are more desirable, helping people ask for raises and promotions, and helping with education and training programs that are available to the general public.
Provides supported education, using principles similar to IPS, for clients who express interest in education to advance their employment goals.