Reconnect substance misuse worker

Nhft; Northampton; Remote; GBP 25,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

NHFT is an NHS Community and Mental Health Foundation Trust delivering physical and mental health services across the county and community settings. This Band 5 role focuses on assessment and planning for people leaving prison, with emphasis on substance misuse or alcohol difficulties, building links with specialist services and supporting colleagues.

The post requires a full driving licence and prison clearance, and we welcome applicants with registered nursing, social work, or occupational

Qualifications

• Experience in substance misuse services or as a registered practitioner.
• Knowledge of recovery-based models in drug/alcohol use.
• Understanding of interfaces with mental health, criminal justice, and other services.
• Experience working in custodial environments.

Responsibilities

• Liaise with statutory and non-statutory agencies to enable early identification of those leaving prison needing access to community healthcare.
• Work independently under the guidance of the team leader.
• Develop robust links with local substance misuse services to aid joint working and referrals.
• Provide specialist mental health/substance misuse assessments for complex needs to identify onward referrals and care pathways.
• Provide brief interventions to service users while awaiting access to identified services.
• Maintain own caseload within scope of practice and escalate concerns as appropriate.
• Collaborate with service users to identify onward community needs and referrals.
• Develop knowledge of third sector agencies and referral procedures.

Skills

Significant experience in SubstanceMis

Recovery-based models knowledge

Mental health and criminal justice lia

Custodial environment experience

Leading interventions in substance use

Education

Registered nurse / Social Worker / OT or related degree

Job description

Reconnect seeks to improve the continuity of care of vulnerable people leaving prison by supporting their transition to community-based services, thereby safeguarding health gains made whilst in prison and working to improve the wellbeing of people in prison, reduce inequalities and address health related drivers of offending behaviour.

The role of the Band 5 substance misuse worker is to undertake assessment and needs planning for those leaving prison, having a particular focus on those who have either current or historical substance misuse or alcohol difficulties. The post holder will build strong links with specialist substance misuse services, provide additional support and assistance to colleagues working with substance misuse and complex cases and be an expert within the team in relation to drug and alcohol difficulties and provide support to Recovery support workers/ peer workers when developing plans that include substance misuse issues and safety planning around these.

We are looking for applications from people who have either a registered qualification(Registered nurse/SW/OT) or a degree in a related field/ and or substantial experience of working with people with substance misuse/alcohol difficulties.

Due to the post covering countywide a full driving licence and access to a vehicle is required.

Prison clearance will be prerequisite prior to any unconditional offer of employment due to requirement to work both within custodial settings and the community.

Main duties of the job

• To liaise and communicate effectively with statutory and non-statutory agencies to enable early identification of those leaving prison who may require additional support to access community healthcare services.
• To work independently under the guidance of the team leader
• To build robust working relationship with local substance misuse services to aid joint working and referral processes.
• Act as a point of contact to junior colleagues to provide support and advice where appropriate.
• The ability to analyse multi-agency partnership information as well engage with individuals to inform delivery and manage risk/harm.
• Provide specialist mental health/ substance misuse assessments for individuals with potentially complex and multiple needs to identify and inform onward referrals and care pathways.
• To provide brief interventions to service users whilst awaiting commencement with identified referred services
• To maintain own caseload, being mindful of own capabilities and working within the scope of practice, escalating concerns to a team leader as appropriate
• To work collaboratively with service users to identify onward community needs and referrals.
• To develop knowledge of third sector support agencies and be aware of referral procedures and develop effective relationships with key agencies.

Working for our organisation

NHFT is an NHS Community and Mental Health Foundation Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in hospital settings and in the community. We provide over 200 services across the county - as well as some specialist services in bordering and nearby counties. We work together with our partners to ensure that everyone who comes through our doors receives compassionate, person-centred care, regardless of their background or circumstances.

NHFT promotes a culture of learning, to improve the care and safety of our patients and colleagues. We have achieved our 'outstanding' rating by encouraging opportunity, innovation, development and growth across our workforce.

At NHFT we believe that work should be rewarded in every sense which is why we are proud to an accredited living wage employer.

We aim to support financial wellbeing and create an environment where are people feel valued and able to thrive.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To increase access to and uptake of healthcare and relevant services for people leaving prison
• To reduce health inequalities for prison populations
• To ensure that the health needs of individuals who are leaving prison are met.
• To ensure a safe transition from prison to community healthcare and support services in England and to provide ongoing support so that engagement is maintained.
• To facilitate engagement and liaise with community healthcare and / or other services and enable delivery of a coordinated response.

Person specification

Knowledge and Experience

• Significant experience of working within Substance misuse services and/or registered practitioner (nursing/allied health professional)
• Demonstrates good knowledge of recovery-based models within drug/alcohol use
• Understanding of the interface within other services including mental health services and the criminal justice system
• Experience of working within a custodial environment

Skills

• Experience of working and leading interventions for individuals with substance misuse

We are an equal opportunities employer, which aims to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons from all backgrounds.

All roles are subject to the home office immigration rules and therefore eligibility must meet certain requirements for any sponsorship to be considered. Please visit the government website for more information regarding eligibility,

At NHFT we support many of our colleagues to work flexibly and we will consider requests for flexible working from day one. For this role, we are open to discussing a range of options including flexible hours, agile/home working, compressed hours and part time hours. Please have a conversation with the recruiting manager about the flexibility you need and we will promise to explore what is possible with you.

Applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job will be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process please make the recruitment services team aware as soon as possible.

All posts that are engaged in a regulated activity will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and a DBS re-check on a three yearly basis whilst employed in such a role. Staff employed in these posts will therefore be asked to register with the DBS Automatic Update Service upon receipt of their DBS certificate and must update yearly , the annual fee will be reimbursed subject to Trust policy. For further information please visit: DBS Update Service: applicant guide - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Please note if a DBS is applicable for the position then a charge will be deducted from your first salary.

Please note that all new starters to the trustare subject to a probationary period.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.