Mental Health Individual Placement Support Service

The provision of a mental health Individual Placement Support employment service within the County of Staffordshire, which delivers hope and optimism in its support to Eligible adults . The Provider shall work in partnership with local agencies and groups in the Contract Area to expand opportunities for Service Users, encouraging Service Users to achieve their full potential and supporting individual Service Users to gain sustainable employment. The Provider shall ensure that the provision of the Service is underpinned by the philosophies of recovery, social inclusion, personal responsibility and people directing their own care. The Provider shall deliver the Service in accordance with the key principles of the evidence based Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach to vocational services. The objectives of the Service are: - to enable Service Users to formulate, achieve and sustain their vocational goals, in a supportive and empowering environment - Service Users will gain and retain quality, sustainable employment; - For Service Users to develop their skills and gain new ones in line with their interests, through vocational training and practical work experiences as part of a clear route to paid employment; - to ensure that service users are assisted to retain their employment (e.g. through being supported to negotiate reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 with their employer); - to provide, directly or through partner organisations, careers advice and accurate benefits information to enable Service Users to make informed decisions around taking up and keeping in employment; - to establish vocationally themed Peer Support group(s); - to challenge the low expectations about, and raise awareness of, the employability of people who have experienced mental health problems; - to allocate a named Mental Health Employment Adviser for each Mental Health Clinical and Social Care Team; - to act as one of the key links to employment providers; - to provide employment advice to Care Co-ordinators, employers and others where necessary; -to utilise local resources e.g, employment agencies, Jobcentre Plus, Citizen’s Advice Bureau; - to work as an integral part of the Mental Health Clinical and Social Care Teams; - to give information to Service Users on the range of benefits, e.g. in work benefits, permitted work and to support Service Users to access specialist advice Important note — The participation and process for this tender will be via the electronic tendering portal located at www.staffordshire.alito.co.uk Please ensure you also refer to section VI.3 of this notice. All requests for information to be sent through the electronic tendering portal and messaging facility on the Proactis electronic tendering system. How to register: 1. Instructions at http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/business/procurement/etendering/ 2. Follow the link to Proactis E-Tendering (http://www.staffordshire.alito.co.uk).

Additional information: The Provider shall deliver the Service in accordance with the key principles of the evidence based Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach to vocational services. The key principles are: (1) a focus on paid employment with a primary goal of paid employment; (2) eligibility is based on each Eligible Adult’s individual preferences and anyone who chooses to work is given the help to do so; (3) programmes involve rapid (within one month of contact) job search and minimal pre-vocational training; (4) vocational programmes are integrated into the work of Mental Health Clinical and Social Care Teams; (5) attention to each Service User’s individual preferences and choice is important; (6) there is availability of time-unlimited employment support and this is tailored to each Service User’s individual needs; (7) support to access benefits advice is provided to help Service Users to maximise their in-work welfare benefits; (8) the Service is available to Eligible Adults who are newly unwell and signed off work to retain employment; (9) the Service responds to each Service User’s individual preference and strengths and encourages each Servicer User to be active in planning their own work placements and job search activities; (10) the Service is provided to everyone who needs it, regardless of, but responsive to, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, past history, level of disability or diagnosis; (11) the Service seeks to provide a service for Eligible Adults with challenging behaviours , including those with forensic history, personality disorder and those with drug/alcohol dependency problems; (12) Service Users are considered full and equal partners in the running of the Service. Service Users receive support to participate in the planning, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of the Service. This is an electronic tender. All requests for information to be sent through the electronic tendering portal and messaging facility on the Proactis electronic tendering system. How to register: 1. Instructions at http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/business/procurement/etendering/ 2. Follow the link to Proactis E-Tendering (http://www.staffordshire.alito.co.uk).