Support Worker Detox- Specified Purpose

About Us: At Dublin Simon Community, we're dedicated to making home a reality. We empower individuals to access and sustain housing through services like prevention, addiction treatment, emergency response, and targeted interventions, in collaboration with our partners.

If you share our values and want to make a difference, we'd love to hear from you. We're looking for client-focused, friendly, and adaptable individuals to join our team.

We prioritise best practices in HR, including staff training, communication, and involvement in decision-making, to create a supportive and effective work environment.

About the role:

As a Support Worker in our treatment services (BBV/Detox) you will support clients as part of a team to ensure their safety and needs during stabilisation/Respite from alcohol or drugs.

The Detox Unit has a capacity of 11 beds, providing specialised care for clients addicted to alcohol or benzodiazepines. Medical interventions are tailored to individual needs, ensuring a personalised approach to detoxification. This low-threshold service is specifically designed for homeless adults who meet the admission criteria, with no strict methadone maintenance cut-off and no requirement for clean urine tests. Clients are permitted limited leave after the first week.

The programme lasts between three to five weeks, with 24-hour nursing care to ensure safe withdrawal management. A key worker provides case management support in coordination with the referral agent. The unit offers a daily group programme led by the key worker, alongside wraparound support services, including one-to-one counselling, health and wellbeing sessions, literacy support, and personal development initiatives.

The team works closely with clients, addressing both medical and social needs, making the service accessible to individuals often excluded due to medication management, poly-substance misuse, and associated behavioural challenges.

Contract Type - Specified Purpose- Full-Time
Working Hours - 37.5 per week, Monday-Sunday availability, including night shifts.
Location - Usher's Island, Dublin 8.
Salary - €33,500 - 38,250 depending on experience + 12% Night Allowance.

Your responsibilities:

• To process referrals, admissions and discharges to the BBV UNIT as per referral and assessment procedure. To induct clients to the unit as per induction procedure
• To work in line with your individual score card to achieve the organisational strategy.
• To engage with and build a professional trusting relationship with clients treating them with dignity and respect in order to work within the values of Dublin Simon Community.
• Work closely with Project Worker & Nursing Staff to contribute to supporting service users to work towards the goals set down in their care plan.
• To assist Project Workers with the co-facilitation of all meaningful activity and social programmes including the "Reduce the Use programme".
• Co ordinate social activities for clients taking into account their individual needs and in conjunction with staff on duty.
• To perform tasks related to the day to day running and maintenance of an effective residential service such as food preparation, hygiene of the home, standards of living, maintaining of building.
• To ensure that a welcoming and friendly environment is maintained ensuring all rooms are prepared for service user arrival.
• Assist the project worker / nurses with regular room searches to ensure unit is kept, drug and alcohol free.
• To escort clients to medical and other appointments as requested by the lead nurse& or project worker.
• Maintain positive and mutually beneficial relationships with relevant external agencies in both the voluntary and statutory sector and to effectively liaise with a range of service providers both Voluntary and Statutory (referrals, mental health, occupational therapy and so on) in order to establish or improve services available to service users.
• Ensure service users are consulted and involved in the operation of the project as far as possible through the service users groups in Dublin Simon Community.

Essential for the role:

• Level 6, 7 or 8 in a relevant field with 6 months of experience in a similar setting (including voluntary work and college placement)
• Or
• Level 5 in relevant field with 12 months experience in a similar setting (including voluntary work and college placement)
• A Passion for helping people.
• Flexibility to work in an agile environment.
• Willingness to learn.
• Experience in carrying out Health & Safety inspections and audits.

Benefits to working with Dublin Simon Community:

• 25 days annual leave.
• 5% matched contribution to your pension.
• Paid Sick Leave Policy.
• Paid Maternity Leave Policy.
• Bike to Work Scheme.
• Commuter Travel Tax Savers Ticket.
• 1st-week Comprehensive Training.
• Progression Opportunities.

Shortlisting will be in progress throughout the period that the vacancy is live, so you may be called for interview and/or the vacancy may be filled before the closing date.

Please note that we reserve the right to offer the position to a successful candidate prior to the deadline of receipt of applications and we advise that you apply early.

Please note: If you are unsure of any of the requirements, please contact the Recruitment Team at (01) 6354860. Shortlisting will continue throughout the recruitment process.

Dublin Simon Community is an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from all qualified individuals.