"HIGH demand" for accommodation and support for people with complex needs in Northern Ireland will see provision from a single social care provider almost doubling in the next five years.
Praxis Care has revealed ambitious expansion plans for additional bespoke accommodation and other support by 2025.
It is the north's largest charity provider of care for adults and children affected by mental ill health, learning disability, autism and dementia.
Although it also has services in the Republic, Britain and the Isle of Man, the "majority" of the 1,350 new jobs - which will almost double its overall workforce - will be in the north.
Belfast-based chief executive Andy Mayhew said it will build on "decades of experience" providing support services to people "across the spectrum of need and particularly at the higher level of complexity".
"We are growing in response to the high demand for our services and aim to expand to support 3,000 individuals by 2025.
"Our strategy for the next five years is to build on what we have learned.
"It is about working alongside service users and their families to create bespoke support and accommodation solutions which reflect their choices, is informed by contemporary evidence-based practice from research and is delivered by highly trained and well-supported staff.
"We have seen remarkable improvements in our clients' daily lives as they receive the support they need to live a full and happy life."
