IPS Grow
IPS Grow, hosted by Social Finance, scales evidence-based Individual Placement and Support (IPS) employment services across England's health system for people with severe mental illness. It delivers fidelity reviews, training and the Certificate in IPS qualification to 70+ providers, funded by NHS England and DWP contracts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What IPS Grow does
IPS Grow is a UK national support organisation hosted by Social Finance, a not-for-profit specialising in social impact programmes. The organisation scales Individual Placement and Support (IPS), an internationally recognised, evidence-based employment methodology for people with severe mental illness and substance use conditions. IPS Grow does not deliver IPS services directly to end users; instead it provides the central infrastructure behind a network of 70+ IPS providers operating across 7 regions, 135 Clinical Commissioning Groups and 44 health systems in England.
Its core offerings include fidelity reviews against the IPS Grow Quality Mark (which sets a 40% employment rate benchmark for services in good fidelity), training and technical support for IPS providers, the Commissioning Self-Assessment Toolkit, the IPS Grow Key Performance and Outcome Framework, and operational tools such as Vocational Profiles, Wellness Action Plans and In-Work Support Plans. IPS Grow has co-developed the first Certificate in IPS (Level 3 qualification) with the Institute of Employability Professionals and operates the FutureNHS IPS Workspace and the IPS Europe and International Learning Communities for practitioner knowledge sharing.
The business model is government-funded: Social Finance holds the contracting relationships with NHS England and the Department for Work and Pensions, and a new 56-month DWP Connect to Work Fidelity Assurance contract (August 2025 to March 2030) extends coverage into England and Wales. End-user IPS services are free, and IPS Grow does not bill providers or individuals; its effective customers are IPS providers (training and fidelity support), NHS commissioners (commissioning guidance), and employers (recruitment pipeline), with revenue flowing from two central-government counterparties.
IPS Grow firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- IPS Grow
- Legal name
- IPS Grow
- Website
- https://ipsgrow.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- IPS Grow, hosted by Social Finance, scales evidence-based Individual Placement and Support (IPS) employment services across England's health system for people with severe mental illness. It delivers fidelity reviews, training and the Certificate in IPS qualification to 70+ providers, funded by NHS England and DWP contracts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where IPS Grow is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
IPS Grow business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- NHS England Contract: Social Finance secured a new contract with NHS England to continue IPS Grow's critical work supporting IPS expansion across the health system
- DWP Connect to Work Programme: 56-month national contract (August 2025 to March 2030) with Department for Work and Pensions to deliver fidelity assurance for Connect to Work IPS services in England and Wales
- Free Support Services: IPS Grow provides support free of charge to IPS providers, health services, and commissioners - funded through government contracts rather than direct client fees
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
IPS Grow product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IPS Grow is a national support organization, hosted by Social Finance, that provides expert assistance to IPS providers, NHS Trusts, health services, and commissioners across England. It delivers fidelity reviews, training and technical support, mobilization and implementation support, workforce strategies, and the Level 3 Certificate in IPS qualification to scale evidence-based Individual Placement and Support employment services for people with mental health conditions.
Product overview
IPS Grow is a national support organization hosted by Social Finance that provides expert assistance for the development and delivery of evidence-based Individual Placement and Support (IPS) employment services across the UK health system. Rather than a traditional software product, IPS Grow offers a portfolio of service offerings including Fidelity Reviews to assess service quality, Training and Support for IPS providers, a Services Map for locating providers, commissioning tools (including the Commissioning Self-Assessment Toolkit and Key Performance Framework), professional qualification (Certificate in IPS), and community platforms. The core offering centers on quality assurance through fidelity reviews, workforce development through training and the IEP-accredited Certificate, and community building through learning collaboratives and the Growing Together Newsletter. IPS Grow also partners with BASE to deliver Connect to Work Fidelity Assurance services under a DWP contract running through 2030.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- IPS Fidelity Reviews Quality assessment service that evaluates IPS services against fidelity standards to ensure evidence-based delivery of employment support for people with mental health conditions.
- Training and Support for IPS Providers Practical advice, learning collaboratives, and technical support to help IPS providers develop, implement, and scale high-quality employment services.
- Services Map An online directory enabling users to find IPS service providers in their region across England.
- Certificate in Individual Placement and Support A Level 3 professional qualification for IPS Employment Specialists supporting people with severe mental illness, developed in collaboration with the Institute of Employability Professionals.
- Connect to Work Fidelity Assurance National fidelity assurance service delivering annual fidelity reviews across Connect to Work IPS services in England and Wales, in partnership with BASE.
- IPS Learning Communities Online learning communities (IPS Europe and International Learning Communities) enabling knowledge sharing and best-practice exchange among IPS practitioners.
- IPS Data and Reporting Support Data and reporting support for IPS providers, including KPIs and outcome measurement aligned with the IPS Grow Key Performance and Outcome Framework.
Quantifiable outcome
- IPS achieves twice the rate of job outcomes versus traditional employment support (EQOLISE project)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use IPS Grow
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
IPS Grow technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
IPS Grow partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)core56-month Connect to Work contract (August 2025 - March 2030) for Social Finance to deliver fidelity assurance for Connect to Work IPS services in England and Wales.
- British Association for Supported Employment (BASE)corePartnership with BASE to deliver IPS Fidelity Assurance for Connect to Work. BASE reviews supported employment providers using their Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF).
- Social FinancecoreSocial Finance hosts IPS Grow and is the contracting entity for NHS England and DWP contracts. Social Finance is a specialist in impact investing and social sector programs.
- NHS EnglandcoreNHS England has secured a new contract with Social Finance to continue IPS Grow's critical work expanding IPS across the health system in line with the NHS Long Term Plan.
- Centre for Mental HealthmajorCentre for Mental Health recognized CNWL's IPS service as part of their IPS Centre of Excellence Programme.
- Institute of Employability Professionals (IEP)majorCollaborated with IEP to develop the first-ever Certificate in Individual Placement and Support (Level 3 qualification) for IPS Employment Specialists.
- NHS Trusts and Mental Health Foundation TrustsmajorNetwork of NHS trusts delivering IPS services including Black Country Healthcare NHS FT, Bradford District Care NHS FT, CNWL, and others.
- Public Health England (now OHID)majorPublic Health England approved expansion for IPS Drug & Alcohol services following the IPS-AD trial recommended by Dame Carol Black.
- IPS Provider OrganizationscoreNetwork of 70+ IPS provider organizations including Enable, Southdown, HumanKind, Step-On, Working Well Trust, and others delivering IPS services.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
IPS Grow competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Shaw Trust: One of the UK's largest employment-services charities, delivering supported employment and disability employment programmes across the country. Direct competitor to IPS Grow's network of IPS providers and operates in the same commissioner-funded supported-employment space.
- Remploy: UK provider of employment support and disability employment services, historically government-owned and now part of the MAXIMUS network. Competes with IPS Grow's provider network for DWP and NHS commissioned employment programmes.
- British Association for Supported Employment (BASE): UK trade body for supported employment that runs the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF). BASE is literally a delivery partner for IPS Grow's Connect to Work Fidelity Assurance contract, making it a directly comparable quality-assurance peer in supported employment.
Broad incumbents
- Mind: UK-wide mental health charity that funds and influences employment support for people with mental health problems. Comparable in target population and policy advocacy but delivers employment support through affiliates rather than a national fidelity programme.
- Centre for Mental Health: UK mental health policy and research charity that designates IPS Centres of Excellence and influences commissioning. Operates in the same mental-health employment evidence space as IPS Grow and shapes the policy environment IPS Grow depends on.
Emerging players
- Royal Mencap Society: UK learning disability charity that runs employment support services for people with learning disabilities, an adjacent population to IPS Grow's mental-health clients. Operates in a parallel but distinct supported-employment commissioning stream.
- National Autistic Society: UK charity providing employment programmes for autistic people, a population with significant mental-health co-morbidity. Comparable as an employment-support provider targeting neurodivergent populations with similar evidence-based methodologies.
- Rethink Mental Illness: Major UK mental health charity that delivers employment support services for people with severe mental illness, including IPS-style interventions. Comparable in target population and mission but operates more broadly across mental health advocacy, not exclusively IPS fidelity.
Others
- Social Finance: Parent and host organisation of IPS Grow. A UK impact-investing non-profit that develops social-outcome programmes. Functions as an enabling ecosystem participant rather than a competitor, but provides the contracting and operational platform IPS Grow relies on.
- Institute of Employability Professionals (IEP): UK professional body for employability practitioners that co-developed the Certificate in IPS qualification with IPS Grow. Functions as a workforce-credentialing partner rather than a competitor, but is comparable in standard-setting role for the supported-employment profession.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
IPS Grow social profiles
Digital presenceIPS Grow financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
IPS Grow leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
IPS Grow funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
IPS Grow M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about IPS Grow
What does IPS Grow do?
IPS Grow is a national support organization, hosted by Social Finance, that provides expert assistance to IPS providers, NHS Trusts, health services, and commissioners across England. It delivers fidelity reviews, training and technical support, mobilization and implementation support, workforce strategies, and the Level 3 Certificate in IPS qualification to scale evidence-based Individual Placement and Support employment services for people with mental health conditions.
Is IPS Grow a public or private company?
IPS Grow is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was IPS Grow founded?
IPS Grow was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is IPS Grow based?
IPS Grow is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does IPS Grow make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. NHS England Contract is the primary driver. The others are DWP Connect to Work Programme and free Support Services.
Who are IPS Grow's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Shaw Trust, Remploy and British Association for Supported Employment (BASE). Broad incumbents are Mind and Centre for Mental Health. Emerging players are Royal Mencap Society, National Autistic Society and Rethink Mental Illness. Others are Social Finance and Institute of Employability Professionals (IEP).
Does IPS Grow have an API?
No public API is recorded for IPS Grow.