Team Leader in Southend-on-Sea

We are looking for an experienced Team Leader to join our community-based treatment service, supporting adults aged 18 and over who are experiencing difficulties related to drug and/or alcohol use. Our services provide a person-centred, integrated approach to treatment, combining clinical, psychosocial and wellbeing interventions to meet the holistic needs of people in the community. We use both harm reduction and abstinence-based approaches, tailoring treatment and support to the individual needs and circumstances of each service user.

As Team Leader, you will play a key role in ensuring the delivery of high-quality, effective services. You may hold a small caseload and will support practitioners to deliver high-quality assessments, SMART care plans, structured one-to-one interventions, group work and structured treatment programmes. You will also provide appropriate harm reduction advice and guidance and, where required, undertake urine and oral swab testing to support clinical treatment.

As the Rough Sleepers Initiative (RSI) Lead, you will take responsibility for managing a team of frontline workers, predominantly within the RSI team, while working collaboratively across the wider service. You will develop and maintain effective working relationships with partner agencies involved in the initiative and ensure that services work together effectively to achieve positive outcomes for people experiencing homelessness and substance misuse. Partnership working will be central to the role. You will work closely with organisations and professionals including GPs, hospitals, mental health services, housing providers, employment services, health trainers, probation, police and social services. Through effective collaboration, you will help service users navigate changing circumstances, make positive lifestyle changes and prepare for the future.

Working alongside the Service Manager, you will help ensure the service meets the KPIs and outcome indicators set by the commissioner and The Forward Trust, while maintaining compliance with relevant CQC standards and quality requirements. You will have a particular focus on monitoring outcomes, supporting effective partnership working and ensuring that the service consistently delivers high-quality, person-centred interventions. Flexibility is an important part of the role, and depending on the service, you may be required to work evenings and/or weekends.

We are looking for an experienced and motivated substance misuse professional who can combine strong clinical and therapeutic knowledge with effective team leadership. You will have:

• Experience of managing or leading within a community-based substance misuse service.
• Experience of carrying out comprehensive assessments and designing and implementing high-quality SMART care plans, as well as supporting staff to deliver these to the required standard.
• Experience of delivering structured interventions to service users and the ability to share your knowledge and expertise with direct reports.
• Strong knowledge and experience of psychosocial interventions and their application within substance misuse services, with the ability to develop the knowledge and practice of practitioners, peer mentors, volunteers and apprentices.
• Experience of using motivational interviewing techniques effectively in both one-to-one and group settings.
• Strong IT skills and confidence using IT systems to support case management, record keeping and service delivery.

We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community. We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important.

Joining us as an employee, we will offer you the following benefits:

• Flexible working
• Support for Families – We support our employees through every stage of family life by offering enhanced maternity and paternity pay for eligible employees who have completed 26 weeks' continuous service, alongside family-friendly policies and a supportive, inclusive workplace.
• Training and development opportunities
• Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)

Please note that we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. Please note that remote roles may require occasional travel for site visits, training and meetings.

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for Forward Trust, please click apply to be redirected to our website to complete your application.