Drug and Alcohol Worker (Helping End Homelessness) in Swansea

Reports To: Team Leader

Salary: £26,790-£28,880 per annum

Location: Swansea, Neath Port Talbot

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract: Funding is via The National Lottery Community Fund through the Helping End Homelessness Programme. Fixed term until 31st May 2027.

Employed by: Barod Project

Introduction: VERVE brings together an Alliance of Barod Project, Kaleidoscope Project, Adferiad Recovery, The Wallich and key commissioning partners. These are four respected organisations with more than a century of combined experience delivering substance use services across Swansea and Neath Port Talbot (SNPT). Each partner contributes specialist expertise, deep local knowledge, and a proven commitment to high-quality, person-centred support. Together, this Alliance forms a deliberate, strategic partnership designed to meet the ambitions of the Alliance Mandate and contribute to system-wide transformation.

This collaboration is built on our shared belief that the complexity of need within substance use services requires a unified, integrated response. By bringing together our collective strengths and specialist knowledge, we are creating a service that is more effective, more responsive, and better equipped to deliver improved outcomes for the communities we serve.

Vision and Values: Our vision is ambitious and rooted in collective responsibility and shared decision-making. This vision will be embedded across partners and stakeholders to nurture strong professional relationships and foster a ‘people-first’ culture, where staff feel empowered to deliver compassionate, innovative, and high-quality support.

VERVE promotes an inclusive, values-driven culture centred on dignity, fairness, and co-production. We empower people using our services and support our workforce to thrive. We are committed to creating a diverse and equitable workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported, and where our services reflect the communities that we serve.

Role Summary: The post-holder will work mainly within the Engagement Service element of VERVE. They will identify drug using individuals and their concerned others and provide harm reduction information and encourage them to access substance use support. The post-holder will conduct high level assessments with the service user and offer brief interventions, referral to time limited treatment and/or Tier 3 services. The post-holder will deliver Needle Syringe Programme services and outreach campaigns.

Role-Specific Responsibilities:

• Work within VERVE providing support to all substance users (drug and alcohol) who present for recovery and aftercare support.
• Assist in the delivery of an integrated service through the provision of assessment, aftercare action planning, engagement, retention, planned discharge and onward referral as appropriate.
• Communicate VERVE’s vision and deliver its mission, corporate strategy and business plans.
• Contribute to the safety of communities from drug related crime and negative impacts on health services and provide opportunities for employment, training, education and pro-social activities to aid and sustain recovery.
• Involve appropriate individuals in the planning of the individual’s aftercare and promote service user involvement and co-production in service delivery.
• Ensure appropriate safeguarding and data protection principles are adhered in working practice.
• Inspire and enthuse individuals to maintain positive lifestyle changes.
• To work with partner agencies to address the needs of the individual.
• The role will work outside the normal 9am to 5pm to engage with those individuals who may find it difficult to engage with services.
• Raise awareness of substance use and related issues in communities.
• Deliver mobile needle syringe programme.
• Promote outreach campaigns.
• Deliver Tier 1 Liaison and Targeted Screening Programme to professionals.
• Provide targeted screening to high-risk groups and training and train other professionals.
• Promote services and interventions and provide supported referrals to appropriate services.
• Deliver evidence-based and manualised brief interventions in group-work settings and on a one-to-one basis to stance users and concerned others.
• Conduct high level assessments including risk assessment.
• Deliver harm reduction initiatives including Naloxone training and Dried Blood Spot Testing Services.
• Engage service users and concerned others via open access provision.
• Refer to onto appropriate services.
• Devise, with service users and concerned others, individually tailored time-limited support plans, based on a clear assessment of need that assist individuals in building social capital.
• Actively influence and support service users and concerned others in co-production and service user involvement in shaping service provision.
• Contribute to the achievement of the service’s vision, values, strategic priorities and service objectives.

Essential Qualifications and Experience:

Person Specification: Ideally all these requirements must be met by the candidate on appointment. However, in certain circumstances a candidate may be appointed who does not meet a particular requirement. This is providing that the shortfall can be made good in a reasonable time, and the candidate brings other skills, knowledge or experience which are valuable to the role and the Organisation.

Essential:

• Full, current driving licence and use of a vehicle which is insured for business use.
• Level 3 in Advice and Guidance (or equivalent).
• Degree in a Health and Social Care related topic (or equivalent).
• Training in any of the following areas: Safeguarding, Boundaries, Substance Awareness, Harm Reduction, Safer Injecting, Psychosocial Interventions.

Role-related knowledge, experience and skills:

• Time management skills.
• Literacy and numeracy skills.
• Excellent IT skills: competency in Microsoft Word, Outlook, Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, Canva and Internet Explorer.
• Ability to problem solve, work under own initiative and able to work under pressure.
• Ability to work flexibly as part of a collaborative team.
• Effective interpersonal and networking skills.
• Good communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to adapt to working with people irrespective of their role, background or experience.
• Commitment to VERVE values and mission.
• Previous experience of working within the substance use sector or similar field.
• Understanding of substance use treatment pathways.
• Welsh language speaker.
• Understanding/knowledge of ACEs and their impact.
• Experience of a trauma-informed approach.