Individual Placement and Support (IPS): an evidence-based supported employment model – toolkit

Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is an evidence-based supported employment practice that is effective in helping people with mental health conditions gain and keep competitive employment. This toolkit provides information about IPS and tools to implement it.

IPS was developed in the early 1990s to address the problem that people with mental health conditions were either told that they were not able to work because of their illness or steered toward day treatment programs, vocational evaluations and even sheltered workshops. Many surveys over the years have shown that people with mental health conditions want to work. And over the last three decades IPS has demonstrated that employment is a cornerstone of recovery.

IPS is defined by eight core principles.

1. Eligibility is based on consumer choice.
2. Focus on competitive jobs.
3. Employment services are integrated with mental health treatment.
4. Attention to consumer preferences.
5. Personalised benefits planning.
6. Job search starts soon after consumer expresses interest in working.
7. Build employer relationships.
8. Individualised long-term job support.

The IPS Toolkit is a collection of educational tools and resources that are designed to assist a variety of stakeholder groups with IPS implementation. The Toolkit includes resources such as a training guide, a fidelity assessment scale, an annotated bibliography of current IPS research and information for key participants and stakeholders in IPS programs.