Julia Stapleton

Julia’s IPS career began in 2005 in the UK’s first IPS service in South West London and St George’s Mental Health Trust with training provided by Dr Rachel Perkins and Miles Rinaldi. 

She brings a range of other perspectives to the role including more than six years as an IPS Grow Regional Lead for London, various roles across three government departments (including at a senior leadership level in the DWP) and, most importantly, the viewpoint of being a prior IPS client.

Julia Joined Social Finance in 2019 as the Regional Lead for London. She worked across all boroughs to assess, guide and support best practice and performance improvements through communities of practice, fidelity reviews and targeted training. She is a skilled trainer/​communicator who can facilitate large groups online or in person.

As a client of IPS services, a Regional Lead, and an employment specialist with more than 10 years practice in both primary and secondary care services, she has a multifaceted and nuanced understanding of the IPS Model.

In 2019, Julia kickstarted IPS Grow’s work on race equity by initiating conversation with IPS services and facilitating the first community of practice in which race was the focus. She went on to lead on this strand of work for IPS Grow, facilitating the South of England focus group and working alongside our USA counterparts to develop new approaches and support for services.

Previous roles in private office for the Department of Environment and at HM Prison Service HQ gave Julia an insight into the structures and functions within central government. In her strategic role within the DWP, she supported a remote team of community partners working to challenge stigma and unhelpful practice and helped job centre teams to shift the culture of support for those with health conditions across 26 JCP sites in Berkshire, Surrey and Sussex.