Strengthening international ties through IPS knowledge sharing

13 February
Group photo of IPS colleagues.

In November 2024, we had the privilege of hosting a delegation of IPS colleagues from Sweden. They visited our Tunbridge Wells site at Highlands House, a clinical team setting we share with NHS staff. IPS Grow selected us to host this visit due to our outstanding practice and recent Exemplary Fidelity score, along with the Exemplary Mark of Quality. The purpose of the visit was to showcase our best practice which align to the IPS model.

We welcomed eight IPS Employment Specialists from Gothenburg, Sweden, to Highlands House. The event aimed to share best practice and highlight our exemplary service delivery, which has earned us prestigious accolades.

The day featured insightful sessions where our Employment Specialists shared their knowledge. We were honored to have visitors from IPS Grow and a Disability Employment Advisor from the Job Centre in attendance. A standout moment was when one of our clients, Jamie, shared his inspiring journey, leaving a lasting impression on everyone.

We received tremendous support from the staff at Highlands House, including Carolyn Harbert and Sharon Hodgson, as well as a Care Coordinator, Support Time Recovery Worker, and Social Workers who provided an overview of their roles. The final exercise of the day involved demonstrating our approach to Employer Engagement out in the community, which received excellent feedback from our visitors.

This event not only strengthened our international connections, but also offered valuable learning opportunities for all involved. We are dedicated to showcasing IPS as the most successful evidence-based method for supporting people with health conditions into meaningful work. We look forward to continuing our mission of helping clients achieve their goals and delivering exceptional IPS support!

“Thank you so much for such an inspiring day!! Among other things I take with me how much you meet the clients in the community, how good you are at including persons with lived experience when you recruit and your excellent employer engagement. We were all very grateful for your generosity and kindness Welcome to Gothenburg!”

Sarah Voxendall IPS -supervisor at Arbetsinriktad Rehabilitering (AIR), Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gotheburg, Sweden. PhD-student at the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology

“On 21st November 2024 I attended an event run by the Shaw Trust IPS scheme in Tunbridge Wells. They were hosting visitors from Sweden to give them an overview of the scheme. I was there to do a presentation about how I, as a Job Centre Disability Employment Adviser, worked with the Employment Specialists to help support job seekers on the scheme. There was a varied programme of speakers, and it was an interactive day with plenty of opportunities to ask questions. But there were also pauses to allow the delegates to reflect and to network.  It was interesting to see how the Employment Specialists linked in with the Work Psychologists. The event certainly helped me better understand how the IPS scheme can support people into work.  I have used this understanding to help promote it to my colleagues.

It was great to hear a number of good news stories and see practical examples of the support. The highlight for me was Jamie’s story and the video he had presented to raise awareness of CALM. It was really good that he was able to attend the event too. It was interesting to hear how the Swedish guests were trying to run a similar scheme and the challenges they were facing. I felt the event was nicely paced.  I was made to feel very welcome.  And the refreshments provided were excellent too.”

Steve Row – Disability Employment Adviser - Department for Work and Pensions

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Diane Côté
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To find out more about Chris follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.