Job Title: Project Worker (Cocaine Programme) 

Location: Tralee, Co. Kerry

Reports to: Team Leader - Kerry

Hours: 35 hours per week. Some out of hours work required.

Job Type: 1-year Fixed Term

Salary: €36,720 per annum

Purpose: To provide quality service to clients and families/significant others in accordance with best practice in the area of case management, group therapy, psycho-social workshops, and formal / informal interactions with clients.

Contact Email: Dylan.Murphy@coolminetc.ie

Application Ref. HR/CRK/SDL/CPKY/1224

Coolmine is a leading drug and alcohol treatment service providing community, day and residential services to men and women with problematic substance use and their families in Ireland established since 1973. Coolmine Therapeutic Community believes that everyone should have the opportunity to overcome addiction and lead a fulfilled and productive life.

Coolmine, in conjunction with Cork Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force and Southern Regional Drug & Alcohol Task Force will develop multiple community-based drug and alcohol hubs to deliver frontline community-based drug & alcohol treatment interventions in the Cork & Kerry region. We now wish to recruit a Project Worker for this hub. Following the recruitment process, we will establish a panel from which we will select candidates as required in the various hubs. The successful candidates will report to the Team Leader to provide quality service to clients, families and significant others in accordance with best evidence-based practice in the area of case management, group therapy, psycho-social workshops, and formal and informal interactions with clients.

Role Responsibilities: (Include, but not limited to)

• Engage with and build trusting relationships with all clients at a formal and informal level in order to develop a viable and productive therapeutic relationship, treating them with dignity and respect at all times in order to promote and motivate clients towards full recovery, while working within the ACI and Coolmine code of ethics as well as the overall values of Coolmine.
• Engage in assertive outreach to include homeless, traveller, and hard-to-reach populations
• Engage in assertive outreach to local communities as directed by your Team Leader
• Ensuring all relevant documentation, filing, statistics and paperwork are in line with the aims and standards of the project. Provide 1:2:1 support for clients, consulting with them and enabling them towards positive career plans and a healthy drug-free lifestyle.
• Carry out thorough assessments of client needs, identify and develop care plans within an ongoing key working system to identify and review the needs of the clients in order to allow them to make informed decisions about their future.
• Make appropriate referrals to all internal and external services including: initial and comprehensive assessment; care plans; primary treatment plan; process the collections of client urines for testing.
• Facilitate group therapy sessions psycho-educational workshops, community meetings, formal and informal gatherings etc, in a professional and ethical manner and in accordance with Coolmine Therapeutic Community’s standard operational policies and procedures.
• Perform as a full team member supporting colleagues, participating in effective team meetings, attending supervision, and client case reviews and being open to reasonable requests from manager in order to ensure effective working relationships.
• Comply with all Health and Safety regulations and standard operating procedures relating to fire procedures, maintenance, critical incidents, safety for staff, etc. to ensure the effective safety and well-being of all clients and staff.
• Work within the policies of Coolmine Therapeutic Community in order to ensure that a consistent delivery of service, quality standards and best practice are adhered to at all times.

Person Specification

Education

• Minimum of NFQ Level 7 Accredited Diploma / Degree in Addiction Studies or other relevant related studies.
• Must have a valid EU & Irish Work Permit.

Experience

• Two to three years’ experience working within the drug and alcohol field desireable.
• Experience of working with the Social Inclusion care group including homeless, traveller, Roma and others.
• Experience of working in assertive outreach, (e.g. halting sites, hospitals, streets)
• Experience of working collaboratively with hospital clinicians and social work
• Familiar with Community Services
• Familiar with Mental Health services
• Familiar with HSE Addiction services
• Can understand the dynamics and interface between the individual and the community.
• Familiar with various evidence-based models of rehabilitation, counselling, and recovery approaches.
• Experience of the implementation and evaluation of care planning/case management
• Experience of group facilitation.
• Has experience and understands the importance and implications of working as part of a team.

Knowledge & Skills

• Must have a full clean drivers licence and be prepared to drive as part of work.
• Has excellent communication and listening skills.
• Enjoys working with people, is approachable, and demonstrates warm and friendly mannerisms.
• Is clear and explicit about professional and personal boundaries.
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Clear written and verbal communication skills
• High IT literacy skills.
• Have a “can do” attitude and a positive solution focused approach to problem solving and conflict resolution.
• Uses assertive behaviour, demonstrating dignity and respect for self and others at all times.
• Is open to feedback from clients and is open to feedback and appraisal from colleagues and management.
• Is not afraid or unwilling to take on the work or responsibilities that are expected from a client resident.
• Capacity to work effectively under pressure.
• Committed to meeting the needs of excluded and marginalised people.
• Successful candidate would be engaged in recording case files on ECASS.
• Successful candidate would be engaged in recording the NDTRS forms
• Prepare the clients to move to the programs which will include:
  • Signpost to external agencies when appropriate
  • Prepare clients for Coolmine Programmes
  • Prepare clients in moving to Residential Programmes, including medical card application, social welfare payments etc.
• Open to working in an outreach capacity in appropriate services/locations
• Committed to follow up with allied health and social care services.
• Have capacity to attend a considerable number of phone calls and follow up.

Application Process:

Interested candidates who meet the Person Specification requirements should send their CV & cover letter with application reference code to Dylan Murphy, HR Administrator at Dylan.Murphy@coolminetc.ie

Please quote this application reference HR/CRK/SDL/CPKY/1224

The closing date for applications is Thursday the 9th of January 2024

Coolmine Therapeutic Community is an equal opportunities employer.