Individuals
We offer a tailored employment support service to help individuals with mental health challenges find work, further education or training. If you live in Greater London get in touch today.
IPS Workwise Employment Services
IPS Workwise Employment Services is a free employment support programme delivered in partnership by Twining Enterprise and Working Well Trust. The collaboration offers clients over 60 years combined experience of supporting individuals with serious mental health challenges access effective employment support to aid their mental health recovery journey today and beyond.
How is the programme delivered?
Our Employment Specialists provide support to empower individuals with serious mental health challenges, who want to work as part of their recovery journey, to gain and sustain paid employment through the internationally recognised IPS (Individual Placement Support) model.
Who can use the service?
To be eligible for the service clients need to be a resident of, or registered with a GP in, the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Newham, Havering, Redbridge or Waltham Forest. Client’s must also have a serious mental health challenge, be over the age of 18, and feel motivated to find and retain meaningful employment. Individuals receiving secondary mental health care are eligible to refer themselves to the programme on info@twiningenterprise.org.uk or have their NHS mental health care practitioner refer on their behalf.
How does it work?
Once registered on the programme, a dedicated Employment Specialist will work with clients alongside their mental health and/or social care practitioner to provide them with:
- Support to find the right job
- Preparing a great CV
- Advice on effective job searching
- Improving interview skills
- Approaching local employers
- Advice on how work might impact benefits
- In-work support after job start
- Help to retain existing employment
- Help to boost confidence, self-esteem and motivation to work
- Work alongside their mental health team
- Support their mental health recovery journey
The IPS Workwise Employment Service programme is commissioned by the NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB).
West London Works
West London Works (WLW) is a free employment support programme delivered in partnership by Twining Enterprise and Shaw Trust. The collaboration offers clients almost 70 years combined experience of supporting individuals with physical and mental health challenges access rewarding employment opportunities to help accelerate their recovery and build a brighter future.
How and where is the programme delivered?
The WLW programme utilises an empirically tested framework of employment assistance – the Individual Placement Support (IPS) model - which is delivered for free in primary and community NHS settings throughout the London Boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hounslow, Hillingdon and Hammersmith & Fulham.
Who can use the service?
To be eligible for the service clients need to be registered with a GP in one of these seven London Boroughs, over the age of 18 and motivated to find and retain meaningful employment. Eligible individuals can either refer themselves to the programme on info@westlondonworks.co.uk or have their NHS practitioner refer on their behalf.
How does it work?
Once registered on the programme, a dedicated Employment Specialist will work with clients alongside their health and/or social care practitioner to provide them with a bespoke support service tailored to their employment preferences. The service will help clients identify their employment goals and create a realistic employment plan that will not impact on their existing benefits.
The WLW programme is part of the national IPS in Primary Care (IPSPC) movement, commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and managed by the West London Alliance.
Barnet & Haringey IPS
Twining’s Barnet & Haringey IPS Employment Support Service is a specialist programme designed to help individuals with more severe and lasting mental health challenges find and sustain work. If you are under an NHS secondary care team, and would like to be supported into work please contact us.
If you live in Barnet or Haringey, are unemployed and currently receiving support from a secondary care mental health team, including the Early Intervention in Psychosis or Recovery & Enablement Track teams we can help you.
Using the IPS framework of mental health recovery, our Employment Specialist will meet with you regularly to identify barriers, create goals and work towards achieving them.
Once you are in work, we continue to support you for as long as you need us. We have an excellent track record in helping clients with complex needs find work, and our employment specialists are always standing by to help.
Barnet Employment Advisors (EAs) in NHS Talking Therapies
How can we help you?
The central premise of Twining’s Employment Advisors (EAs) in NHS Talking Therapies provision is to assist therapists to ensure their clients’ path to recovery is as smooth as possible. The role of the EAs is to embed themselves within the therapy team, to receive referrals for those clients that may have obstacles remaining in, or returning from a period of sickness to, work; or perhaps to help those out of work to overcome barriers in order to start to think about looking for work.
Work in itself, or looking for work, can be stressful and sadly these stresses are often magnified when anxieties about debt, rent or mortgage issues, benefit concerns and worries such as loneliness or ill health become all consuming.
Twining’s EAs understand the sensitivity needed to discuss potential Reasonable Adjustments with employers to ease clients’ pressures in work. They also understand that not all clients will be ready to look for work immediately and can, with the agreement of the client, draw up an action plan to investigate college courses or voluntary work which will assist in raising confidence and provide potential qualifications or experience before the client decides on their next step. EAs can provide guidance around financial concerns but will also signpost for more specialist advice if required.
By doing this the EA will relieve the therapist of time-consuming tasks that detract from the time available for therapy. Working within the therapy team the EAs will help to alleviate employment related stresses and worries, this will hopefully positively impact the client’s mood, assist their time in therapy and contribute to the overall wellbeing recovery.
Services provided
- Writing CVs and completing application forms
- Job searching strategies
- Interview and presentation skills
- Preparation for first day at work
- Working with patients that have very recently lost work
- Light touch guidance and careers advice especially for those considering their next step
- Work with client and therapist to produce an action plan
- Advice on education and training to further career
- Working with clients off sick or struggling at work (retention) to liaise with employers
- Detailed and in-depth support for retention referrals to secure reasonable adjustments
- Assisting clients with benefits and debt, or signposting to partner organisations for more detailed support
- Supporting patients with advice to employers on disclosure of mental health challenges
- Help to alleviate employment related barriers and stresses, to assist those in therapy with their recovery
Contact us
If you are an NHS Talking Therapies therapist in Barnet and working with a client you think may benefit from our support, or would just like an informal discussion about how we may be able to help your clients in the future, please contact us on info@twiningenterprise.org.uk or 020 8840 8833.
Developing Futures
E-mentoring programme for 18-24 year olds from ethnic minority backgrounds
Are you a young person from a minority background experiencing mental health challenges? Or do you know, or work, with someone who is?
Our free e-mentoring programme is here to help! Unlock your potential and achieve your educational and employment dreams with our free 12-week e-mentoring programme.
How does it work?
We will match mentees with trained and DBS cleared skilled volunteer mentors from the public and private sectors, dedicated to mentees success. The e-mentoring will happen over 12-weeks using Brightside’s online youth mentoring platform. The focus will be on developing hope, confidence, motivation and social and human capital for mentees on the programme.
Who is involved?
Young 18-24 year olds in the Boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow and Haringey. The programme is supported by the Mayor of London and the Social Business Trust.
What you'll gain as a mentee
PERSONALISED SUPPORT: our mentors are handpicked, experienced and come from a variety of different backgrounds, ensuring you receive the best guidance tailored to your unique needs.
FLEXIBILE COMMUNICATION: connect with your mentor through text messages, video and phone calls, allowing you to access support whenever and wherever you need it.
EMPOWERMENT: with our mentors' support, you'll gain the confidence and motivation to conquer your challenges and improve your education, work experience, and employment prospects.
COMMUNITY BUILDING: join a network of like-minded individuals who share your experiences and can provide additional support and encouragement.
HOLISTIC APPROACH: we understand that mental health contributes to overall well-being; our programme aims to help you build resilience and develop coping strategies for now and beyond.
If you live in any of the following eight boroughs of Brent, Barnet, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow, have mental challenges and unemployed or struggling in work, please contact us today
