Growth Company to Deliver ‘Working Well: Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care’ Initiative Across Greater Manchester

• The Growth Company (GC) will deliver the Working Well: Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (WW IPSPC) initiative across Greater Manchester.
• The initiative aims to help people with physical or mental health disabilities into sustained employment – or provide them with support to stay in or return to their current job.
• Referrals are set to begin in September, with participants able to access tailored, one to one support.

The Growth Company has won the contract to deliver the Working Well: Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care initiative across all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester.  

Commissioned by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the initiative aims to help adults with physical and/or mental health disabilities into – or back into – sustained employment.

WW IPSPC follows the “place, train, and maintain” model. This means prioritising flexible one-to-one support for individual participants, from guidance on how to write a CV and apply for jobs to bespoke career advice and follow-up assistance once paid work has been secured or resumed. It also involves direct and ongoing engagement with employers to produce the best possible outcomes.

This tried-and-tested approach builds on participants’ needs, strengths, and talents. In the process, it enables them to realise their potential for recovery, recover more rapidly and effectively, build strategies to manage their health conditions, build social connections and support networks, gain financial independence, and improve their general health and wellbeing. In addition, the approach provides support for employers to help them create a work environment where all employees can thrive.

The WW IPSPC initiative will be delivered as part of the wider GM Working Well programme, with referrals beginning in September.

Reacting to the news, Michelle Leeson, Managing Director of GC Employment, said: “Many people in Greater Manchester and beyond have a physical or mental health condition that adversely impacts their day-to-day lives, making it difficult for them to find or stay in work.

“The Working Well: Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care initiative gives individuals and organisations the tools to remove barriers to sustained employment.

“We are looking forward to building on the success of similar projects, empowering people and communities to make a positive difference along the way.”

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The Growth Company is an award-winning social enterprise with a mission to generate growth, create jobs, and improve lives. We offer employment services across Greater Manchester, the Liverpool City Region, Lancashire, Cheshire, and Yorkshire and Humber.

Get in touch today to find out more.

Working Well: Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) is commissioned by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and funded by UK Government. The programme is delivered across Greater Manchester by The Growth Company in partnership with Groundwork and will support up to 1,500 individuals between September 2023 and March 2025.