ASC0283 - Individual Placement and Support (IPS) in Community Drug and Alcohol Treatment

This Service concerns the delivery of employment support for people receiving structured community treatment for drug and alcohol problems who are either unemployed or are employed but at risk of unemployment.

IPS is intensive employment support delivered by trained employment specialists and provided as part of substance misuse services, rather than separately through mainstream employment support services.

The employment specialists shall be based in the main City Centre hub for Leicester’s Community Substance Misuse Treatment Service.

A key part of the service will be to develop and manage an employer engagement strategy and drive relationships with the local authority and partner services.

IPS is based on eight principles:

1. To get people into paid, competitive employment.
2. Is open to all those who want to work – work is part of the recovery journey, not the destination.
3. Tries to find jobs consistent with people's preferences.
4. Works quickly – contact is made with an employer within weeks.
5. Teams are embedded in and integrated with the treatment services - so that employment becomes a core part of treatment and recovery.
6. Employer engagement – Employment Specialists develop relationships with employers based upon their clients’ work preferences.
7. Provides individualised support for the person and their employer - helping people to keep their jobs at difficult times.

The proposed Contract will be for an initial period of 2 years to commence on 1st February 2023, with an option to extend, subject to satisfactory performance outcomes, as well as the availability of funding and agreement by the Crown, for a further 3 years to 31st March 2028, taking the contract term to a maximum of 5 years.