Purpose of the post
•Ensure that the people of Gwynedd are at the heart of everything we do.
•The role of the mental health liaison worker is to provide services to people in relation to substance related harm by:
•Addressing the mental health needs of the individual by ensuring mental health issues which may become barriers to successful outcomes are fully explored and addressed.
•Providing a liaison focal point to facilitate access to other mental health services or other related community-based services which may assist in the recovery process.
•Support referrals for wider support that may be impacting on emotional wellbeing, such as maintaining tenancies, enhancing community inclusion and building skills to independence.
•Delivering the agreed local support plan for the person in relation to their mental health needs.
•Connecting people within the service to community activities, events and informal networks of support.
•Ensuring there is a circle of support around each person and co-producing that support network with the person.
•Engaging people with issues relating to their own substance misuse.
•Reducing substance related harms to people.
•Improving and supporting people’s motivation for change.
•Appropriately assessing and allowing individualised care pathways to be developed with people.
•Providing a range of evidence-based interventions.
•Maintaining partnership working across the broad community sector.
Responsibility for functions
•To provide a direct service to children and young people in informal education and community group settings across the area providing appropriate information about substance use/misuse, risk reduction, health and social and mental well-being.
•To carry out assessment of children and young people’s need for care, including the use of initial and comprehensive assessments tools. Through assessment, identifying and prioritising needs, risks and referring on to relevant services.
•Provide casework services to children and young people using recognised theoretical models, an action plan and review systems.
Main duties
•The Mental Health Liaison Worker will undertake all of the tasks as outlined, priority will be given to the following;
•Providing face to face intervention, care coordination and support to people seeking help to tackle their drug and alcohol misuse where a mental health issue has been highlighted.
•Conducting triage, risk and comprehensive assessments in order to assess individual needs, identify goals, and prepare a support package and to review the programme and outcomes on a regular basis.
•Providing crisis intervention where necessary and appropriate.
•Supporting referrals on to other relevant agencies. To support wider needs.
•Empowering individuals and enable them to help themselves through informed choice and decision making.
•Ensuring access to and maintenance of appropriate support networks and services for young people.
•Maintaining appropriate written service user records and case notes.
•Actively supporting people to stay engaged with the service.
•Ensuring active participation of people in all aspects of their support plan.
•Retaining up to date knowledge of all issues, policies and best practice guidelines regarding substance misuse and mental health services.
•Liaising with referring agencies regarding individual assessments and needs and progress, in particular liaising with CAMHS and Ysbyty Gwynedd re young people that have presented in the ED and/ or admitted to the Paediatric Ward.
•Accessing other necessary services and resources identified in conjunction with individual client, through referral, negotiation and advocacy where appropriate.
•Providing accurate information and answer queries on issues about substance/alcohol misuse.
•Participating in the delivery of talks, workshops, presentations, provide training where appropriate.
•Participating in the delivery of outreach campaigns.
•Working within agreed policies, procedures and protocols to safeguard children and vulnerable adults.
•Retaining and maintaining all case management records (paper and electronic) in line with service level agreed guidelines and statutory protocols.
•Including, Mental Health Liaison specific responsibilities;
•Retain knowledge of the range of emotional and behavioural mental health difficulties people can face.
•Utilising a range of tools aimed at improving mental health.
•Identifying when a person’s situation is sufficiently complex or multifaceted to require a further intervention.
•Responsibility for self-development.
•Ensure compliance with Health and Safety rules in the workplace in accordance with the responsibilities noted in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Council’s Health and Safety Policy.
•Operate within the Council’s policies in relation to equal opportunities and equality.
•Responsible for managing information in accordance with the Council’s information management guidelines. Ensure that personal information is treated in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
•Commitment to reducing the Council’s carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan, and to encourage others to act positively towards reducing the Council’s Carbon Footprint.
•Undertake any other reasonable duty which corresponds to the salary level and responsibility level of the job.
•Responsibility to report any concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused.
Special circumstances
•To work flexibly, to undertake such other reasonable duties and responsibilities, across the whole service, and at any location within reasonable daily travel from your main place of work.
•To work flexibly to provide late working and weekend cover as required.