East Kent IPS Employment Service

East Kent IPS Employment Service offers free, specialist employment support for anyone aged 16+ living with any mental health condition (diagnosed or undiagnosed) in the East Kent areas of Thanet, Folkestone, Hythe, and Romney Marsh.

What we do: Our service helps people with mental illness to find and sustain paid employment (minimum 4 hours per week). We provide rapid, person-centred, trauma-informed, and time-unlimited support, with job search starting within four weeks—even if you have been out of work for years.

• Individualised 1:1 support, including creation of a Vocational Profile and Action Plan
• Benefits support and 'better off in work' calculations
• Help with CVs, application forms, and cover letters
• Job searching and registering with jobsites/agencies
• Interview techniques and mock interviews
• Support discussing mental health or CV gaps with employers
• Guidance on permitted work while retaining benefits
• Assistance applying for Access to Work funding
• Creation of a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) for the workplace
• Support for workplace transition and managing anxieties
• Help with travel and social demands of employment
• Ongoing in-work wellbeing support with 6-monthly reviews
• Signposting to other organisations for wider life support

We also run weekly Job Clubs, co-facilitated by staff and Peer Volunteers, providing a safe space for peer support, self-management tools, and help with workplace barriers and triggers.

How to access: You can self-refer or be referred by another organisation. Support is available in person or via WhatsApp, email, text, phone, and video calls.

Cost: This service is completely free.

Availability: Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm. Closed weekends.

Delivered by: Rethink Mental Illness as part of Live Well Kent & Medway, on behalf of Kent County Council and the NHS.