Purpose of the post
•To be part of a specialist team that is led by the Youth Justice Service and the Youth Service, across Gwynedd and Anglesey Counties.
•Providing an early intervention service for young people who misuse or are at risk of misusing various substances
•Schools/Education – Targeted work with those vulnerable to school exclusion.
•Provide school staff with education and up to date information on substance misuse practice and asociated risk management support.
•This will include inclusive and targeted education and prevention programs as well as structured work with young people .
Responsibility for functions
•Providing a direct service to children and young people in formal education and community groups across the area, providing appropriate information, based on evidence, about substance use/misuse, risk reduction, health and social welfare
•Assess the care needs of children and young people, using initial and comprehensive assessment resources as necessary. Thorough assessment, identification and prioritization of needs, risks and referral to relevant services
•Support community groups and informal education organizations to develop, plan and review drug and alcohol education programs to be provided to children and young people in education institutions
•Provide evening service activities three times a week
•Working alongise the schools to educate and support staff
Main duties
•Provide a range of information about drugs and alcohol and their impact on young people
•Engaging with young people who misuse or are at risk of misusing drugs and alcohol, including young people who engage in anti-social behaviour, young people who offend and young people at risk of being excluded from school
•Assess the needs of young people in a holistic manner
•Offer one-to-one support and interventions to young people in order to tackle substance abuse/use problems and other related issues such as sexual health, and abuse that can lead to sexual exploitation.
•Offer timely targeted interventions and support to young people waiting for tier 3 services in order to promote health and social care improvements
•Provide targeted early interventions to reduce risks and foster young people's resilience
•Identify and manage risks appropriately
•Supporting young people to take part in mainstream activities
•Referral to agencies and other professionals in order to fully meet the needs of young people
•Provide intervention programs for young people who use substances in order to prevent them from misusing substances
•Provide awareness raising and training sessions for schools and the wider community
•Develop and deliver drop-in sessions at the identified center and other appropriate locations across the area, including schools, youth clubs and information centres.
•Provide concrete outreach work to engage young people who will not otherwise receive a substance misuse service
•Re-engage with young people who have stopped using the service
•Work effectively as part of the multi-disciplinary team working with children and young people who misuse substances and with wider children and young people's services
•Ensure effective communication and collaboration between other professionals involved in the care of a young person
•Provide a range of services to help improve self-confidence, psycho-social skills, wider key skills and coping strategies
•To identify and investigate best practice in the field of substance misuse - specifically preventative work, education and training.
•To develop and coordinate sessions based on 'Teen Total' sessions in Anglesey.
•To be proactive in identifying areas, families and individuals who can benefit from early intervention or additional support through outreach work.
Special circumstances
•Work flexibly to undertake other reasonable duties and responsibilities, across the service, and in any location within a reasonable traveling distance of your main workplace
•Work evenings and weekends as required
