Dual Diagnosis Practitioner

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for highly motivated senior social worker to join Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) as locally we invest in the development of social workers to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan. EPUT is a highly successful and ambitious organisation dedicated to providing mental health services, substance misuse services and other specialist award winning services to a population of approximately 2.5million throughout Essex, Bedfordshire, Suffolk and Luton. We are seeking enthusiastic and resourceful senior social workers for a two year fixed term contract, who will respond positively and creatively to the needs of individuals. You will work as a Dual Diagnosis Practitioner alongside the community services in West Essex and work with the Essex Specialist Treatment and Recovery Services (STaRS) (excluding Southend and Thurrock) leading on the delivery and provision of an integrated service for people with co-existing substance misuse and mental health problems. The Trust employs the definition of dual diagnosis as referring to people with a severe mental illness (including schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders, bipolar affective disorder and severe depressive episodes with or without psychotic episodes) combined with misuse of substances (the use of legal or illicit drugs, including alcohol and medicine, in a way that causes mental or physical damage).

Main duties of the job

Integral to your role will be whole family working and a multi-agency ethos, underpinned by a non-judgmental attitude and approach. You will undertake assessments and joint assessments with a range of services including Community Mental Health Services, Criminal Justice, Essex STaRS service and the third sector to ensure that service users with multiple needs are not passed from one service to another.

You will support the delivery of strength and asset based approaches promoting recovery and social inclusion with individuals and families including Motivational Interviewing techniques. This post will involve implementing the personalisation agenda through strengths based assessments and you'll be vital to delivering the statutory social care duties and responsibilities within the Care Act (2014).

About us

EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;

• Season Ticket Loans
• NHS discounts for staff
• Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
• Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
• The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
• Day One Flexible Employer

The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment

Join our Staff bank

What is Staff Bank?

Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.

All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.

If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.