Job Description

Background and Service:

GDAS are recruiting for a role to join the new service within the Housing Support Grant Funded Complex Needs Service, working in partnership with Newport City Council's unit where the post holder will be supervised and supported through GDAS with the project managed by Newport City Council.

The Complex Needs Team seeks to achieve the objectives set out in the Housing Strategy along with delivering harm reduction work in line with the Welsh Governments Substance Misuse Strategy.

GDAS Values

GDAS is delivered in consortium with 3 of Wales largest substance misuse providers; Kaleidoscope, Barod and G4S.

The uniqueness of our shared experience is reflected in the following aims for the life of the new contract for the benefit of Gwent communities:

To share our individual specialisms and best practice to enhance our integrated service delivery To commit to and drive innovation in order to ensure we are constantly improving our treatment offer To embrace a culture of candour, using lessons learnt as an opportunity to reflect on and improve our systems To embrace the principles of the Healthier Wales Strategy, collaborating with our social care partners and service users to create a seamless whole system approach that focuses on improving health and wellbeing

The service will support:

People designated as having complex needs as defined as homelessness or threat of homelessness, substance misuse, VAWDASV or mental health; People to whom the council has a statutory homelessness duty who are living in a variety of settings including Council TA (with/without 24-hour security), supported accommodation (PRS/RSL) or sleeping rough. People subject to a variety of Multi-disciplinary Team meetings whose focus is support and services to people with complex needs.

Ensure services commissioned to support co-occurring cases are aligned and working in partnership with housing and homelessness services.

Access to the service to be agreed in collaboration by HSG Co-Ordinator, NCC Homeless Advice and Prevention Team, NCC Temporary Accommodation Team and NCC Rough Sleeper Co-Ordinator and other professionals involved in assisting homeless people with complex needs. The post-holder would work closely with NCC's Housing Needs Unit to help to prevent and relieve homelessness. To work in line with The Welsh Governments Rapid Rehousing guidance which aims to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated. Work in a multi-agency way to assist NCC to meet the Local Authority statutory homeless duty where one exists.

The post holder will manage a lower caseload of co-occurring service users who use substances and/or alcohol.

Role Purpose:

Under supervision of the Assertive Outreach Team Leader and Complex Needs Service Manager, the post holder will work as part of the multi-disciplinary Complex Needs Team and report directly to the HSG Co-Ordinator to support the delivery of recovery care plans for clients with a range of mental health, substance misuse presentations and housing needs in the community and facilitating appointments in the community and signposting.

This will include targeted wrap around substance misuse support that seeks to prevent homelessness and maintain accommodation. They will be vital in liaising with professionals; ensuring substance misuse and other appointments are flexible to need and providing harm reduction advice, brief interventions and signposting into voluntary and statutory substance misuse services according to need.

They will have working knowledge and experience of both drug and alcohol detoxification and treatment programmes with an understanding of holistic aspects of care. They will have experience with service users who have mental health and co-occurring substance misuse difficulties providing the speediest, most effective facilitation to connect with the services they may need.

The post-holder will work directly with service users with complex needs across the area. The main aim of the role is to engage with these individuals, identify barriers and work with them towards maintaining a tenancy. The post holder will support the delivery of community based mental health, substance misuse and housing support services within the area.

They will work closely and in partnership with the other elements of the service including specialist mental health, substance misuse services and housing in the borough. They will support the Assertive Outreach Manager in developing links between services that ensure service users with complex needs access the full range of care and treatment services to meet their needs.

A further key role will be for the post holder to be part of the team supporting a caseload of dual diagnosis/complex needs service users with the support of the Assertive Outreach Manager. This post will involve linking with partnership agencies e.g. mental health services, substance misuse services and housing initiatives.

The post holder will work intensively with people to support them in their home and/or community, preventing further decline in their presentation and emergency services responses alongside facilitating appointments in the community to promote wellbeing and recovery

They will also have part of their time planned for specific activities which may include linking/signposting with partnership agencies to support service users whilst they are in crisis, supporting the assessment of service users within community mental health, substance misuse and housing needs. The post holder will be expected to work to a clearly defined personal recovery plan with the service users and use the range of interventions required.

The post holder will deliver all services in line with Kaleidoscope's Operational Policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), ensuring that care is safe, undertaken to a high standard and informed by up-to-date practice. The post-holder should therefore be committed to evidence-based practice, sound clinical governance and continual improvement.

The post holder will have a non-judgmental approach to people who have substance misuse and mental health problems and be able to provide a welcoming and accessible service to existing and potential service users.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

To fully inform service users about their recovery/treatment options, involve them in decisions and consent, and encourage them to take opportunities to achieve a sustained recovery To ensure individuals' personal strengths/recovery capital, including social capital and networks, continue to be built during their recovery. To attend and report to safeguarding reviews, meetings and conferences, Multi- Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) and Domestic Abuse Conference call (DACC) To work within agreed policies, procedures and protocols to safeguard children and vulnerable adults. To offer emotional support, advice, information and education where appropriate to service users, carers and their family including signposting them to other services. To foster and maintain good working relations with members of other community teams, health and social care workers. Receiving and sharing information from GPs, carers and other partnership agencies. Be able to recognize signs of abuse and know procedures they need to follow to escalate their concerns. Help and support service users to maintain their health including BBV, sexual health and mental health by means of signposting to appropriate support services. Participate in the delivery of care programmes and undertake duties, which are allocated by the Assertive Outreach Manager. Work with service users who have complex needs and housing related issues, or those at risk of losing a tenancy. Report and record observations of service user progress and behavior both positive and negative to the team and document appropriately. This reporting will require updating Civica and Palbase. Report immediately to qualified professionals any change observed in a service users' condition, that may contribute to the safety of service users or the wider public. Demonstrate a positive attitude and always maintain a professional manner. Display a calm and patient approach to those service users in times of crisis. Safely escort and accompany service users needing to attend appointments. Visit clients in their homes being aware of lone working safety issues and policies. To contribute to the promotion of health, prevention of illness and improve wellbeing as directed by the Assertive Outreach Manager. To promote healthy lifestyle choices including potentially leading exercise activities/groups and support clients to access community facilities to this aim. Work with service users who have complex needs and demonstrate a flexible attitude consistent with the team approach. Liaising with partnership agencies in the community who help to support the client group. In consultation with the post holder, this job description is liable to variation to reflect actual, contemplated or approved changes in/or to the job role. This role does require the post holder to work outside of normal working hours.
In carrying out the above duties the post holder will:

Work flexibly across operational sites. Work flexibly within an agreed number of hours of work to maintain the most appropriate level of service provision. Seek to improve personal performance, contribution, knowledge and skills. Participate in appraisal, supervision and Learning & Development processes. Keep abreast of developments in services, legislation and practice relevant to the relevant client group. Ensure the implementation of all service policies. Contribute to maintaining safe systems of work and a safe environment. Undertake other duties appropriate to the grade of the post. This post has been identified as requiring the post holder to provide evidence of BBV immunization status to carry out the role effectively. The role may require the post holder to undertake Dry Blood Spot Testing/ Substance Misuse Testing/ Working in Needle Exchange therefore Kaleidoscope wishes to ensure that staff are not at risk of infection or transmission of a disease that may affect their own or patient safety. Staff will therefore need to evidence their immunization history, exemption or non-responder on commencement of employment or at routine intervals at the request of the Organization.
Job Type: Full-time

Pay: 26,265.00-28,305.00 per year

Benefits:

Additional leave Company events Company pension Cycle to work scheme Enhanced maternity leave Enhanced paternity leave Health & wellbeing programme Sick pay
Work Location: In person