Supporting people into employment: 'IPS into work' with WDP

Rob talks to WDP about the challenges and rewards of running an IPS employment support programme.

In this episode of Addictions Edited, Rob looks at how addiction treatment services can help people to find and keep employment. Recorded on 20 March 2022, Rob met three people who work in WDP’s Individual Placement and Support service (IPS Into Work); Rebecca Odedra, Harj Bansil and Claire Bowey. They each talked about finding jobs, the range of jobs they work with and how they deal with potentially stigmatising views when talking to employers. As well as the challenges, they also talk about how rewarding their work can be when helping people in their recovery.

Rebecca discusses how IPS was adapted from mental health settings, how it is evaluated and their experiences of fidelity rating.

“You’ve got people who may have been unemployed for 10 sometimes 20 years, so that is a huge step for them and it’s such an achievement and it’s just nice to be a part of that and help people realise their goals”

Claire Bowey

“What really appealed to me about the IPS model, was that it did not discriminate, it wasn’t someone telling service users that you have to be well to be working, it was very much based on their motivation and then developing the right support around them to foster successful outcomes”

Harj Bansil

Useful links:

About IPS: https://ipsgrow.org.uk/what-is-ips/
WDP website: https://www.wdp.org.uk/
IPS Into Work: https://www.wdp.org.uk/employment-support
IPS Into Work Impact Report 2019-2021: https://www.wdp.org.uk/ips-impact-report

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Supporting people into employment: 'IPS into work' with WDP

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