Job Title:   Drug & Alcohol Project Worker, Midlands Service

Report to:  Service Co-ordinator

Objective:  To effectively deliver services pertaining to the Provision of a Community based Drug & Alcohol treatment support, family support, harm reduction, rehabilitation and aftercare service for individuals over 18 years and their families for the Midlands area i.e. Longford, Westmeath, Laois & Offaly

Type of Contract: Fixed Team Contract until end of December 2021

Location: Laois/Offaly                       

Hours: 39 hours per week

Salary: €30,360 – €37800 pro rata (DOE)

Qualifications & Experience

• Have a relevant qualification (minimum Level 7 or equivalent) e.g. social care, addiction, nursing, community or youth work together with qualification/training in Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Relapse Prevention.
• Have a minimum of 2 years relevant employed work experience in addiction, community development, health & social care, education or related fields including experience of crisis support, key working, case management and group facilitation
• Have an understanding of the current National Drugs Strategy, Substance Misuse Strategy, National Drug Rehabilitation Framework, logic model reporting, QUADS and/or Safer Better Healthcare (SBHC) Standards
• Additional Training Desirable: CRA/CRAFT
• Access to own transport with a full clean driver’s licence is required for this role.

Service Delivery

• Provide a mobile needle & syringe exchange programme across the midland region.
• Provide a range of rehabilitation and aftercare supports targeting service users from the region including those exiting drug and/or alcohol treatment programmes or exiting prison
• Provide education, information, advocacy and treatment support to service users and their families as required
• Target, engage and establish a relationship with local drug and/or alcohol users with a view to linking them into relevant services who are not currently in contact with services
• Assess the needs of service users and match their needs with the appropriate evidence based interventions and arrange input from other relevant agencies where necessary
• Have an individual integrated care plan which is based on a comprehensive assessment of their needs, with appropriate treatment, rehabilitation and recovery goals, agreed with the service user. Ensure service users are case managed and tracked as they move through the continuum of care.
• Formulate and implement a referral pathway and plan for those transitioning from the service
• Provide a range of therapies including brief interventions, motivational interviewing, relapse prevention, cognitive behavioural therapy and any other therapies as appropriate
• Support service users who are engaging with a detoxification programme
• Work closely with community, voluntary and statutory services to ensure that service users can access support in relation to other needs i.e. housing, employment and education etc.
• Provide care and support that offer both a harm reduction and recovery ethos reflecting a person centred approach to care
• Deliver a range of harm reduction interventions in group, one to one and outreach settings to include safer injecting practices, infection control etc.
• Work with street drug users and local agencies to ensure drug related waste and litter is collected and disposed of safely for the purpose of promoting community safety
• Support the work of the Midland Regional Drug Litter Committee
• Provide psycho-social support for persons leaving drug and/or alcohol treatment services or released from prison or moving from one point on the continuum of care to another
• Establish and deliver structured therapeutic support, group-work sessions, one to one interventions and activity based sessions
• Deliver a range of stabilisation programmes to service users
• Ensure regular service user reviews take place where appropriate with probation, health services and any other agency the service user are engaged with
• Support service users through the process of regaining their capacity for daily life from the impact of problem drug and /or alcohol use and reintegrating into their communities.
• Responsible for working in partnership to maximise benefits that can be achieved for individuals and families by utilising wider resources and support networks that are available locally

Reporting

• Produce standard monthly and quarterly reports for the Service Co-Ordinator and/or Head of Day Services in line with funding agencies requirements and compile any ad hoc information requests relating as required.
• Compile and report on complaints and compliments received as required
• Responsible for ensuring that statistics/data are kept updated on the CRM system at all times and provide reports to the Service Co-Ordinator in keeping with all required deadlines and on an ad hoc basis as required.
• Responsible for maintaining a complete, accurate and up to date record for each treatment episode on the HRB on-line web based system

General Responsibilities

• To oversee the support and supervision provided to volunteers and placements in the Midlands service.
• To work with the HR Department in relation to all HR processes including recruitment, performance management, disciplinary processes etc.
• Comply with all verification visits by funding agencies
• To support and participate in all audits and/or evaluations
• To comply with all requirements in relation to all the appropriate paperwork for the service such as client files, accident reports, service user complaints, minutes of meetings etc.
• To communicate effectively and to maintain appropriate accountability to the Service Co-Ordinator/ Head of Day Services
• Keep up to date with developments in the midland region
• Attend and participate in relevant committees as advised by the Service Co-Ordinator
• In conjunction with the Service Co-Ordinator to continuously develop the role to ensure that all aspects of the service are managed effectively and in line with service requirements
• To become familiar with and ensure that all MQI’s policies and procedures are being adhered to particularly those relating to Health & Safety, HR, Confidentiality, Boundaries and staff code of conduct etc.
• Compile and report on complaints and compliments received as required
• Undertake any other duties as assigned by the Service Co-Ordinator/Head of Day Service and his/her nominee.

If interested please send your CV and completed application form to recruitment@mqi.ie  before 5pm on Friday 6^th August 2021