Trainee Substance Misuse Worker

**Trainee Substance Misuse Worker**

**Reports To: Team Leader**

**Grade/ Salary: £19,358.04 per annum**

**Location: Newtown, some travel across other Powys services may be required**

**Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week, may include occasional evenings**

**Contract: Maternity Cover**

**Background and Service**

Kaleidoscope is a pioneering substance misuse treatment provider, offering evidence-based treatment and holistic support to individuals who access its services.

We are a forward-looking organisation, passionate about developing services and listening to service users’ needs, which is at the heart of what we do. Our achievements include initiating the first needle syringe exchange, on site methadone dispensing and setting social enterprises. Kaleidoscope understands that, through listening to people, we will continue to be both an innovative service provider and one that campaigns for the interests of those seeking help.

The Powys substance misuse service provides a range for services for anyone experiencing problems because of drug or alcohol misuse, including counselling and prescribing medication via our specialist GPs. These services are delivered from 4 offices across Powys and include the following.

We provide training, support, and consultancy for any service in Powys on substance misuse and offer a range of leaflets on the effects of substance misuse to anyone in the Powys area. People also have access to needle exchange services to reduce the spread of viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis C as well as a range of harm reduction services, which includes prescribing drugs such as methadone to help stop people using illegal heroin and a drug called prenoxad that helps reverse the effects of an overdose through using opiate type drugs.

To offer the correct service, we offer an assessment that helps us and the client to understand what needs need to be met, to better help and support them. At the start of treatment clients have an induction programme that helps them understand what receiving treatment involves and what is expected of them when in treatment. In some cases, we may need to refer on to other services, which may involve sending someone to other specialist treatment services around the country

**Role Purpose**:
The Substance Misuse Trainee Position is an exciting opportunity to become a qualified Substance Misuse Worker. Kaleidoscope will provide you with the necessary training (and allowing time to complete such training) and the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of delivering front line substance misuse services. The role will include a client-based role to engage with drop-in presentations who require low level intervention, learn how to undertake assessments and work with people who have drug and alcohol problems by holding a small caseload; and a team administration function to support the functioning of the local office. You will be supported and carefully managed by the Team Leader as your role develops via regular supervision every 4-6 weeks, and these will devise your personal development via a training action plan

Kaleidoscope offers competitive sickness and annual leave with added days as your time with Kaleidoscope progresses. We also offer a range of wellbeing opportunities including access to support payment for several health care services you may need and access to private counselling.

The post holder should enjoy face-to-face contact with a welcoming, non-judgemental approach, towards people who have recognised that their use of substances has become problematic. She/he will have excellent communication skills, be able to work closely with other multi-disciplinary agencies and flexibly and efficiently within a small team, to ensure services are delivered equitably and at times to suit the client’s needs

**Our Values**:
**Main Duties and Responsibilities**:

- Take and process referrals and triage assessment of individuals with substance misuse problems and entering the data to set up electronic service user records.
- Provide needle exchange services for drop ins and clients and provide harm reduction information
- Entering and maintaining accurate client records, prepare various spreadsheets and reports from data collected for Team Leader and/or Service Manager
- Always ensure personal safety and good practice measures
- Be involved in the promotion and facilitation of meaningful, purposeful service user involvement
- Covering the service Single Point of Contact (SPOC); ensuring that telephone calls from outside agencies, clients and internal staff are dealt with promptly and courteously
- Oversee and distribute incoming/outgoing correspondence/invoices
- Preparation, collation and entry of service user databases and various spread sheet recording systems and be able to prepare reports from data collected as directed by the Team leader or Service Manager
- Establish and manage effective filing systems to ensure that all documents are kept in a