IPS supports people in their efforts to achieve steady, meaningful employment in mainstream competitive jobs, either part-time or full-time.
This stands in contrast to other vocational rehabilitation approaches that employ people in sheltered workshops and other set-aside jobs.
IPS services are typically delivered by supported employment teams that operate within community mental health agencies.
When someone chooses to enroll in IPS, that person and the employment specialist make a plan together and begin to look for regular jobs in the community as soon as the client expresses interest in doing so.
Part of the employment specialist's job is to connect people with benefits counseling so that they can make informed decisions in this area.
[15] Mental health agencies often face financing challenges in implementing IPS due to the absence of clear reimbursement policies for vocational services in psychiatry.
This program has resulted in the formation of a national learning collaborative that supports the implementation of IPS services in everyday (i.e., non-research) settings.
[17] States that enter the learning collaborative receive four years of seed funding to support initial implementation efforts.
Randomized trials of IPS have been conducted in Canada,[18] throughout Europe,[19] including in the UK, in Australia,[20] The Netherlands,[21] Switzerland,[22] and Hong Kong.