Are you looking for a sense of purpose in your job? Would you like to support people who are or have experienced homelessness and also struggle with alcohol or drug use? Being an outreach worker is varied and rewarding work. It also provides invaluable insight into health and social care systems for anyone interested in public health and policy work.
The Role
You will be a professional and motivated individual committed to providing assertive outreach and case management to engage or re-engage people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness into wellbeing services and drug and alcohol treatment. You should be able to work independently but also as part of a supportive team. Key responsibilities include:
1. Carrying out triage and comprehensive assessments related to substance misuse, risk assessments, and developing person-centred care and risk management plans.
2. Providing evidence-based psychosocial interventions tailored to individual needs and goals, utilizing Via's Core Model curriculum and other tools such as ITEP maps.
3. Conducting street outreach to engage or re-engage homeless individuals misusing drugs or alcohol.
4. Delivering satellite provisions within local services like hostels and day centres.
5. Offering harm reduction advice and interventions, including needle exchange, advice on synthetic opioids, and suicide prevention.
6. Representing Via professionally in collaboration with partner agencies in housing, immigration, healthcare, etc.
Strong communication skills, empathy, and patience are essential for caring for service users with diagnosed mental illness, complex trauma, and engagement difficulties with mainstream services. Language skills in Punjabi, Romanian, Lithuanian, or Russian are desirable but not essential.
The Service
Via's Outreach service in Redbridge works alongside other services including drug and alcohol services, sexual health, and smoking cessation. The team collaborates with various partner agencies to support people experiencing homelessness or vulnerable housing, aiming to reduce inequalities and improve health and wellbeing.
Via is dedicated to professional development, offering training in trauma-informed care, the 'Tackling Substance Misuse' qualification, supervision, and opportunities for career progression within a lively and aspirational organization.
Additional Information
Via is a Disability Confident employer, offering interviews to applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria. For more details, please visit our website.
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