Community Employment Specialist – Project Worker Background on

Community Employment Specialist – Project Worker
Background on the Community Employment Specialist Role
The Disability Employment Strategy Pathfinder will provide an opportunity to test a
more personalised and flexible approach towards supporting disabled people into
employment. The Journey to Employment (J2E) projects will deliver a strand of the
Pathfinder by taking a holistic approach to employment support and provide
personalised work ready activities such as:
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peer support,
person-centred planning,
condition management, and
Social activities to build confidence.
Each J2E project will be supported by a Community Employment Specialists (CES).
This new specialist role will provide a unique opportunity for someone with the
appropriate skills to work in the J2E project and the Jobcentre. This unique role will
be employed by the J2E project as project worker and work between the project and
the Jobcentre.
The CES role will provide a new dynamic to the employment support and offer
advice on different approaches to overcome barriers to employment as well as
suggesting alternative local support. The CES will be able to provide valuable lived
experience and an understanding of the issues unemployed disabled people face.
The CES role will also have an opportunity to share their knowledge on disability with
Jobcentre Plus staff. The CES will be able to provide an understanding of disability
issues for staff and provide insight into how disability can affect employment.
J2E projects will be responsible for selecting the appropriate individual to deliver this
unique role and oversee the CES work.
Job detail
The Community Employment Specialist role is an innovative new way of providing
support to disabled people by working across the Journey to Employment (J2E)
project and the Jobcentre Plus.
The Community Employment Specialist will use their lived experience of disability to
offer peer support to unemployed disabled people on their journey to employment.
The CES will sit within the Journey into Employment (J2E) project and work in both
the project and Jobcentre environment.
The CES will provide advice, mentoring and support to overcome barriers for
disabled people as well as support JCP staff to gain an in depth knowledge of
disability issues and the barriers disabled people face.
Key Tasks:
Working in the J2E project
1. Ensure employment support is joined up and incorporates traditional JCP
approaches and the more innovative holistic, peer support approaches provided
by J2E.
2. Provide valuable lived experience and an understanding of the issues
unemployed disabled people face.
3. Support J2E participants to identify personal barriers, manage health conditions
and a route to overcome barriers.
4. Provide a peer challenge when necessary and provide an opportunity for
individuals to reflect on their abilities and think twice about what is achievable.
5. Identify a range of role models who will share their experiences, provide
mentoring support and champion what is achievable. Hearing from peers who
have overcome health conditions to secure employment is a powerful message
and can help build an attitude of “I can” rather than “I can’t”.
Working in the Jobcentre
1. Work alongside Job Coaches and Partnership Managers in the Jobcentre and
provide lived experience and knowledge of the issues unemployed disabled
people face.
2. Provide advice to unemployed disabled people on approaches to overcome
barriers to employment and suggest alternative local support.
3. Build the capacity of JCP staff by offering an opportunity for staff to gain an
understanding of disability issues as well as providing an insight into how
disability can affect employment.
4. Provide a vital link between the JCP office, local disability provision and the J2E
project.
5. Actively encourage engagement between the J2E project and Jobcentre Plus.
Person Specification
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A self-starter, who is proactive in making links, building relationships and
engaging with a wide range of disabled people and JCP staff.
Has a flexible approach to work and has the ability to work in different
environments and adapt working styles.
Has excellent planning skills and can deliver a project to time and within
budget.
An excellent communicator, who is able to adapt their communication style to
meet the needs of their audience.
Have a lived experience of disability and an understanding of the barriers
disabled people face in gaining employment.
A good knowledge of all disabilities, especially mental health, autism or
learning disability and how this impacts on employment.