ESF Lead Practitioner

Job Purposes & Core Details

To:

1. This is a fixed term position until December 2018, in North Aberdeenshire Recovery Service, for a person to work with substance misuse service users.
2. To take on cases with multiple barriers to employment and help reduce these barriers.
3. To develop service users employability skills. Enable them to move towards and into employment and training.
4. Work to the service and organisation's aims and values and promote the citizenship of the people we support.
5. Deliver support to people who use Turning Point Scotland's services and in so doing contribute to the provision of the highest possible quality of social care support which meets the service specification.
6. Operate at an advanced level of social care practice, which includes taking a higher level of responsibility for service delivery and development, and a leadership role.
7. Work in accordance with the organisation's aim of making services fit people.
8. Undertake CPD (continuous professional development) and use appraisals and supervision fully.
9. Keep your registration and membership to relevant professional bodies up to date and valid.
10. Undertake any outstanding require qualification for registration, or if not working in a registered service qualify at SVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care.
11. Undertake any other duties or responsibilities as may be deemed appropriate to the post by the Service Manager (or nominated deputy).

Main duties and responsibilities

Support to people who use services - To:

• Provide support and assistance to people who we support in accordance with their support plans and service aims.
• To ensure that support is focused on the achievement of specified ESF aims and objectives, outputs and outcomes.
• Be responsible for undertaking initial and on-going assessments of people who we support.
• Advise people who we support in accordance with guidance from senior colleagues or in accordance with the service aims.
• Be a key worker for a person or people who have complex or multiple needs.
• Maintain professional confidentiality and boundaries at all times.
• Support and assist people who we support in crisis situations, and/or manage physical risk or behaviour likely to cause incidents, in accordance with the support plan or service protocol.
• Travel within the service area you are contracted for and supporting the travel and transportation of people who we support in accordance with their support plan (mobility, own car, service vehicles, public transport etc).
• Have an good understanding of the causes and effects of social exclusion as is relevant to the service and area in which you work.

Planning, policies and record keeping - To:

• devise, review and update support plans, record events and observations and keep appropriate records as require in the service.
• contribute to the creation and maintenance of support plans and record keeping.
• prepare paperwork for and participate in service user reviews as a lead person when required.
  
• plan and co-ordinate elements of support in accordance with the support plan.
• prepare and implement risk management plans, and follow and update risk assessments.
• work with data in line with the data protection act.
• work with and comply with standard operation (finance, operational, Health and Safety and Human Resources) and service procedures. 

Interactions with other people - To:

• support new staff and volunteers/those on placement to comply with the SSSC Codes of Practice
• provde informal support to staff on a daily basis
• have a collegiate approach and team work well with a diverse group of people
• manage and resolve conflict promptly and raise issues appropriately using the correct internal processes.
• directly communicate with the families of the people we support as appropriate.
• liaise with workers from other agencies.
• support others to comply with, and the service to meet with, the relevant legislation and National Care Standards.
• support others to ensure they comply with SSSC Codes of Practice.
• maintain confidentiality with shared information.
• liaise with landlords and similar others on behalf of people we support if required. 
• be aware of health and safety and contribute fully to keeping my work environment, community, people who use services and myself safe.

Leadership - To:

• provide leadership to staff to support people we support in accordance with their support plan and maintain people we support records correctly.
• assist with the service manager to prepare information and the service for inspections.
  
• provide on-the-job training and/or coaching to new staff. 
  
• be the 'named worker' or shift leader or lead on a specific part of the service such as group work.
  
• continuously seek service development and improvement. 
• contribute to Turning Point Scotland.
  
• keep abreast of the sector 'big picture', operational environment and changes.
  
• appropriately challenge oppressive or potentially abusive behaviours or practices.
  
  

Miscellaneous - applies only in certain services

• to undertake sleepovers, overnight and weekends working and occassionally participate in people who we support holiday's as required.
• to ensure the service\location's stock or goods are in place and replenish/order as required.
  
• to undertake training that may be technical or specialised that will benefit the service.
• to provide techincal testing services (BBV/swab and similar) and/or to train others in emergency, risk reduction action and medications.
• to be responsible for the dispensing of medication, in particular, when at work. 
• to perform lone working for significant lengths of my work time undertaking tasks that require a high level of independence and initiative.
  
• to provide formal supervision under the guidance of a senior colleague and with additional training or a qualification provided.
  
• to have a good understanding of welfare in relation to how it will impact on your service user group.
  
  

Our Aberdeenshire service has offices in Peterhead and Banff and is a substance misuse service that provides support to people over 16 who are affected by drug and alcohol use throughout North Aberdeenshire.

We deliver a variety of interventions including needle exchange, drop in services in rural locations, open access sessions, structured day services, alternative therapy sessions, arrest referral, specialist group sessions and one to one intensive interventions.

Our aim is to work with individuals in a person centred way to promote recovery.

Essential Criteria

Qualifications:

• Must be qualified to SCQF Level 7 also known as SVQ level 3 in Social Care or equivalent.

Experience:

• Must have had direct professional experience of supporting people requiring support with substance misuse.
• Must have successfully supported a number of service users who have a wide range of support needs and personal aims on a wholly person centred basis.
• Has experience of working with people who have barriers to social inclusion and supporting them to become more socially integrated.  Able to help identify and reduce barriers to employment for people with substance misuse problems.
• Must have direct profesional experience of supporting people who behaviours can challenge services.
• Must be able to be wholly respectful towards all service users and colleagues at all times.

Attitudes and Values:

• Must be able to demonstrate an understanding and commitment to the values that underpin social care focussing on inclusion, person centred approaches and citizenship.
• Must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the need to maintain professional boundaries between social care workers and people who use service

Other skills and knowledge:

• Be able to demonstrate an understanding of and the skills to operate to the SSSC Code of Practice for Social Care Workers. 
  
• Must be able to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills in order to communicate well with service users and colleagues at all levels in the organisation.
• Must have a full driving licence and ability to use own car for work related activities.
• Must have basic IT skills and an ability to use the internet

Experience

• Has experience of participation in group work
• Has experience of working in a lone working environment.
• Has direct experience of working with people who are at times chaotic and marginalised and supporting them to become more socially integrated and able to access services.

Other skills and knowledge

• Has experience of working in an environment where the SSSC Codes of Practice for Social Care Workers are in place
• Have knowledge of understanding the barriers to employment, have some knowledge of job search, CV development and education opportunities available to individuals.

Advantageous experience -

• to have taken a lead role within a team on a professional social care project or activity
• Has had a coaching or mentoring role
• Have an understanding of the wider social care framework and experience of interaction with others involved in supporting the people we support

We are a large, stable national provider and a charity. As we are not for profit there is ongoing investment into our staff training and development, a good GPP pension scheme, and annual leave and sick pay that significantly exceeds the statutory minimum.

We also have a brilliant employee assistance programme (independent advice, information and support online, by phone and in person), a group reward scheme to help your money go further and access to a contributory ‘hospital’ fund. We have a relationship with a credit union and promote saving directly from salary.

We aim to provide a working environment where opinions and ideas are valued and arrangements are in place to ensure that there is a high level of staff representation and that people are encouraged to make their views heard and to participate at service and organisational levels.

 As a leading national social care provider our breakthrough and forward-thinking models of practice and service are well recognised. Examples of this recently have been: Housing First, Psychologically informed environments (PIE), Citizenship and both Scottish and International research and evaluation of a range of projects. We work across a wide range of types of services and the organisation provides pathways for development: a career development workshop; appraisal; learning and training options; internal forums and project groups; and opportunities for internal secondment, temporary acting up or sideways roles and career progression.

The salary scale for the post will be (reduced pro rata for part time posts, the full time equivalent is a 37 working hour week)

• £18,434
• £18,902
• £19,434
• £20,057
• £20,668

The annual leave entitlement will be (reduced pro rata for part time posts and will include a proportional entitlement to public holidays)

25 days per year, plus 8 public holidays and 2 local holidays.