Drug and Alcohol Worker

Substance Misuse Outreach Worker

**Hours of work**:Monday to Friday 37.5 hours per week

**On call rota**

**Role**:
York Road Project (YRP) is a local homeless charity located in the heart of Woking we have been a vital service in the community for over 22 years. Here at YRP we work with several hundred individuals every year, who for many reasons find themselves without a safe and stable place to call home. Our primary focus is to provide direct access, short-term accommodation to those facing homelessness. In addition, we have a compassionate and skilled staff team who offer advice, and support, enabling individuals to move forward, towards independent living.

What sets YRP apart is that we are the only safety net for homeless individuals in our local area. We recognise the urgency and complexity of the issues they face, and we are committed to making a tangible difference in the lives of those experiencing homelessness in Woking. Our person-centred approach addresses not only the immediate need for shelter but also the underlying factors contributing to homelessness, such as a lack of access to healthcare, education, employment opportunities, and social support networks.

You will work alongside statutory and non-statutory agencies to provide clients with holistic, trauma informed and person-centred support, helping them sustain their accommodation, both temporary and long-term. This is a challenging but rewarding role which needs passion, skill, compassion, and empathy to support individuals away from the cycle of homelessness and towards a stable, contributing lifestyle in the community. All training will be provided.

**Main responsibilities**
- Engaging with people experiencing homelessness, with the aim of moving them into more settled lifestyles.
- Working with a case load of 15/20 clients
- To provide holistic and trauma informed support to help clients sustain their accommodation, both temporary and long-term.
- To support clients into pathways that encourage them on their road to recovery.
- To build and retain partnering relationships with services such as the X-Change and I-Access.
- With client’s involvement, develop and deliver person centred support plans.
- Involvement in all other YRP services.

**Key Tasks**:

- To always represent the organisation in a professional manner.
- Ensure YRP is a welcoming and secure place for our clients.
- To provide substance misuse advice, information, and harm reduction based on individual’s needs.
- To provide support to secure and sustain ongoing engagement with I-access (drug and alcohol treatment)
- To provide substance misuse advice and information to other staff within YRP.
- To create early intervention links with prisons, hospitals and GP’s, I-access (substance misuse treatment) and any other relevant agency.
- To support individuals in their recovery to find employment, undertake training, develop budgeting skills, cultivate positive social circles and be better equipped to maintain their accommodation and independence.
- To transport clients to appointments as required
- Assist individuals to attend multi-agency appointments for assessments and interventions.
- Advocate for individuals within multi-agency and project meetings.
- Follow all organisational policies and procedures, reporting any breaches to the Operations Manager.
- Ensure all support plans and client files maintained and regularly updated.
- Ensure good communication between staff in different teams using the database and up-to-date support plans.
- To cover on call as part of a rota.
- To assist in The Day as and when required to meet the needs of the organisation.
- To collate accurately and on time, quarterly/annual statistics as required.
- To undertake any tasks as identified by your manager as and when required, to meet the needs of the Organisation.
- Post holder may be required to work outside normal working hours.

**Meetings to be attended**:

- Day Team Meetings
- Full Team Meetings
- Appropriate external meetings.

**Policies and procedures to be adhered include**:

- Fire Safety
- Health and Safety
- Equal Opportunities Policy
- Confidentially Policy
- Data Protection Policy
- Drug and Alcohol Policy
- Food Hygiene
- Safeguarding and the Protection of Vulnerable Adults
- All internal policies and procedures.

**Record Keeping**:

- Recording all contact with clients electronically/hard copy in a timely manner ensuring accuracy at all times.
- Recording and securing all paper documentation according to the Data Protection and Confidentiality policy.
- Ensuring that any monies received are recorded and stored securely as per policy.
- Ensuring that all records are completed accurately and on time to meet the needs of the Organisations Commissioners.

**Training**:

- The post holder will be required to undertake internal and external training which may be away from the normal place of work and outside of normal working hours.

Schedule:

- 8-hour shift
- Day s