Opening doors to employment with IPS
Across our five south west London boroughs, around 500 people are currently being supported by our Individual Placement and Support (IPS) employment teams as they look for work.
To help people with lived experience of our services to join the Trust in paid roles – recognising the valuable skills and insight they bring – our security and IPS teams have been working in close partnership.
With vacancies in the security team, Marcus, our Head of Security, reached out to Billy, an IPS employment specialist, to explore whether he was supporting anyone with relevant experience who might be a good fit.
Since then, five people have secured paid roles within the security team.
Jeremy joined the team last October. “I’m enjoying my role so far. I’ve been welcomed in and feel part of the team, and I’m learning a lot every day. My previous security experience has helped, and both Marcus and Billy have been very supportive. Billy checks in once a week, and I know I can call or text him if I need to. I hope more people get the opportunity I’ve had.”
Marcus is passionate about creating opportunities: “It’s so important that we remove barriers and help people into meaningful employment. Within my team, people can pick up shifts when they want, and if they want full-time security jobs in the future, they can use me as a reference.
“We have a lot of people working with services across the Trust through our Involvement team, using their lived experience to improve what we do – and that’s incredibly valuable. But there’s also an opportunity to work within the Trust without being labelled by that lived experience.”
Billy said: “We have so many departments and opportunities on our doorstep. If people have used or are using our services and are actively trying to find paid employment in their area of expertise, we should be giving them a fair opportunity to get their foot in the door.
“Our IPS service supports hundreds of people looking for work. Many have skills and experience that match roles here at the Trust – including IT, estates and facilities, administration and more.”
Marcus added: “Jeremy has become part of the team really quickly, and it’s a real pleasure having him on board.”
What is IPS employment support? Watch a short video to find out more.
Photo caption — L-R: Billy, Kat (employment specialists) and Marcus.
