Mental Health Specialist Support Officer
10 days ago
Bedford
Mental Health Specialist Support OfficerBedford - Permanent, Full Time£34,500 per annum plus car allowance We are on the lookout for an experienced individual to provide specialist substance misuse support across our housing services, enabling customers affected by drug and alcohol use to sustain their tenancies, reduce harm, and engage with appropriate treatment and support services. The role acts as a bridge between customers, housing teams, and external substance misuse services, promoting a non-judgemental, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented approach. This role is designed to deliver short-term, targeted interventions, and will therefore hold small, focused caseloads to ensure timely, intensive, and effective support. Key Responsibilities Customer Support • Work directly with customers affected by problematic substance use to provide tailored, person-centred support, • Build trusting, non-judgemental relationships that encourage honest conversations and sustained engagement, • Proactively manage a small caseload and ensure full, timely, and accurate recording all casework activity and reporting of outcomes, • Carry out holistic assessments of needs and risk, and establish effective mitigation and risk management strategies, • Develop and review person-centred plans that prioritise harm reduction, stability, and tenancy sustainment, • Apply motivational interviewing techniques to support behaviour change and increase intrinsic motivation, • Work in line with Cycles of Change, adapting support to the customer's stage (pre-contemplation through to maintenance), • Support customers to access and engage with treatment services (e.g. drug and alcohol services, GPs and public health services, peer support groups), • Respond appropriately to crisis situations, including overdose risk, withdrawal, and safeguarding concerns Specialist Advice & Support to Housing Teams • Act as the substance misuse subject matter expert for housing officers and wider teams, • Provide guidance on managing complex cases involving substance use, including associated behaviours and risks, • Support case reviews and joint visits where substance misuse is impacting tenancy or safety, • Deliver informal training, briefings, or coaching on harm minimisation, professional boundaries, and effective engagement strategies, • Promote psychologically informed and trauma-informed approaches to working with addiction Partnership & Link Worker Role • Develop and maintain strong working relationships with local drug and alcohol services, recovery organisations, healthcare providers, and the voluntary sector, • Act as a key point of contact to strengthen partnership working and improve referral pathways, • Advocate for customers to ensure access to appropriate treatment and support, • Attend multi-agency meetings, case conferences, and safeguarding forums, • Identify gaps in provision and escalate where needed Harm Minimisation & Risk Management • Promote harm minimisation approaches, recognising that recovery is not always linear, • Provide practical advice and interventions to reduce risk (e.g. safer use, overdose awareness, access to naloxone where appropriate), • Identify and respond to safeguarding concerns, including self-neglect and exploitation, • Contribute to risk assessments and safety planning for customers and staff, • Maintain accurate, confidential, and timely case records Service Development • Contribute to the development of policies and practices relating to substance use, • Identify trends, emerging risks (e.g. new substances), and training needs, • Support the organisation in embedding a compassionate, trauma-informed approach to addiction and recovery, • Champion stigma reduction across services Key Skills & Experience • Experience of working with individuals affected by drug and/or alcohol use, • Strong understanding of addiction, recovery models, and the Cycle of Change, • Practical experience of motivational interviewing or similar behaviour change techniques, • Knowledge of harm minimisation approaches and substance-related risks, • Ability to engage individuals who may be ambivalent or resistant to engaging with support, • Skilled in managing complex cases involving risk, safeguarding, and tenancy issues, • Experience of multi-agency working and partnership development, • Strong communication and influencing skills Qualifications / Knowledge • Relevant experience in substance misuse, health and social care, psychology, or a related field, • Training or working knowledge of motivational interviewing, • Understanding of safeguarding legislation and best practice, • Knowledge and application of trauma-informed practice Personal Attributes • Non-judgemental, empathetic, and compassionate, • Resilient and able to manage challenging and emotionally demanding situations, • Strong professional boundaries, • Patient and persistent, • Committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion Disclaimer We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. Early application is encouraged to avoid disappointment.