The Senior Community & Engagement Worker will provide day-to-day leadership and oversight to Community Alcohol Workers and Assessment & Engagement Workers in Forward Leeds. You will ensure high-quality, compassionate, and effective support for individuals affected by alcohol and/or multiple disadvantages, who often struggle to engage with conventional treatment systems.
This role will require a combination of operational leadership, staff support, service development, and direct client work. You will coordinate and develop team practice, facilitate multi-agency collaboration, and ensure accessible pathways to treatment and harm reduction. The role includes overseeing assessments, outreach, structured interventions, and planning for detoxification (both residential and community-based).
You will be a key contact point between Forward Leeds hubs, external agencies, and community services, ensuring holistic and person-centred approaches that promote positive health and recovery outcomes.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Team Management: Provide leadership and operational oversight to Community Alcohol Workers and Assessment & Engagement Workers, including day-to-day guidance, formal supervisions, appraisals, and reflective practice support. Ensure staff rotas are completed and staffing levels maintained across teams and sites.
2. Continuous Improvement: Hold regular team meetings to promote consistency, information sharing, and quality practice. Promote and monitor best practice in safeguarding, equality, and diversity, and ensure all concerns are acted upon appropriately. Promote a team culture of learning and development by identifying training needs, supporting mandatory training completion, and encouraging innovation.
3. Service Provision: Support staff to deliver timely, community-based assessments and engagement activities with service users, including assertive outreach and home visits. Lead on delivering inclusive services to minority ethnic groups and those facing barriers to engagement. Support assertive outreach activities in early mornings, evenings, and weekends as needed.
4. Stakeholder Management & Partnership Working: Liaise effectively with GPs, Hospitals, Mental Health Teams, Rehab Facilities, and other partners to ensure wrap-around support. Contribute to the development and implementation of Forward Leeds care pathways and referral procedures. Represent Forward Leeds and St Anne's in multi-agency meetings, forums, and professional networks.
5. Data-Driven Insights & Compliance: Ensure accurate and confidential record keeping, compliance with policies and procedures, and adherence to standards from CQC, NICE, and other governing bodies.
6. Service Development: Explore and lead service development initiatives to address unmet needs or improve client outcomes. Monitor team outcomes and performance against KPIs; analyse trends and gaps in service, and report findings to the Service Manager.
7. Service Delivery: Oversee structured one-to-one sessions and therapeutic interventions using appropriate tools and techniques (e.g., AUDIT, ITEP, safe alcohol reduction plans). Facilitate harm reduction work including relapse prevention, overdose awareness, alcohol harm awareness, and safer substance use advice. Maintain a personal caseload, undertaking care coordination and effective case management where needed.
8. Co-production: Encourage co-production and service user involvement across planning and delivery.
Requirements
* Full UK Driving License
* Experience of leading or supervising frontline staff in a health, social care, or community setting. Willingness to work towards H&S Level 3 or hold equivalent qualification.
* Competence in using assessment tools and delivering harm reduction advice.
* Experience working with people who are hard to engage, including those experiencing multiple disadvantages (e.g., homelessness, mental health, substance use).
* Willingness to work flexibly, including early mornings, evenings, or weekends for assertive outreach.
What you need to evidence to be successful:
* Planning & Organisation: Ability to plan, prioritise and oversee team delivery, ensuring staff rotas, assessments, and service user engagement activities are coordinated effectively.
* Teamwork: Proven ability to lead, supervise and support a team, promoting collaboration, shared learning, and reflective practice.
* Communication: Strong interpersonal and communication skills to liaise with service users, staff, and external agencies, and to represent the service in multi-agency settings.
* Creativity & Innovation: Ability to identify service gaps and develop innovative responses to unmet needs, promoting inclusive and accessible service delivery.
* Learning & Development: Commitment to identifying training needs, supporting professional development, and creating a culture of learning and continuous improvement.
* Service Delivery: Skilled in providing structured interventions and harm reduction approaches, including alcohol reduction planning, relapse prevention, and safer use education.
* Stakeholder Engagement: Experience of building effective partnerships with health, social care, and community organisations to ensure holistic client support.
* Personal Development: Willingness and ability to reflect on own practice, seek feedback, and engage in development opportunities to enhance performance.
St. Anne's offers employee benefits including:
* Rising 20 to 25 days plus statutory bank holidays
* 24 Hour Employee Assistance Programme
* Continuous training and career development opportunities
* Cycle To Work scheme
* Refer A Friend recruitment initiative
* Flexible working opportunities (post-probation)
* Group Personal Pension Scheme
* Discounted income protection scheme
* Free car parking at most services
* Free life assurance cover
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