Band 5 Recovery & Wellbeing Substance Misuse Practitioner - Reconnect

Job summary

Enhanced RECONNECT (ER) is an exciting NHS England initiative and we are one of just four pilot sites across the UK. The service will support individuals with convictions who have been identified as high risk of harm to the public and have complex health needs which may impact on their risk of reoffending. Convictions may include violent and sexual offences and terrorist act offences. ER will take a partnership approach to ensure that individuals leaving prison have their needs met, in sustainable ways, to reduce their risk of reoffending, through providing coordinated intervention, support, and risk management across multiple agencies, including health, criminal justice, local authority, substance misuse services, employment services and voluntary sector organisations.

The ER service will be psychologically led and aims to support individuals to better understand and manage their risks, build upon their strengths, learn new skills, and identify and break down barriers to access existing community-based services, using a trauma informed, formulation driven approach with the person at the centre. This exciting role offers the suitable candidate the chance to contribute to the implementation of the ER clinical model, with opportunities to apply clinical expertise and forge new care pathways in the community with a range of non-NHS providers, offering a novel approach to delivering substance misuse interventions to a service user group who have traditionally been underserved.

Main duties of the job

You will work as part of a multidisciplinary team, including psychologists, occupational therapists, nurses, social workers, speech therapists, substance use workers and peer support workers. You will be responsible for contributing to clinical risk assessments and formulations and developing and delivering individualised care to support individuals to engage with their communities and address their substance misuse needs. You will apply your clinical expertise to offer interventions to service users, for up to 12 months post release from prison.

The successful candidate will have extensive experience of working with adults with mental health presentations, psychological difficulties, neurodiversity and complex needs and risks across a variety of forensic mental health settings, including community, inpatient services, and prisons. It is expected that you will have experience of partnership working across health, social care, voluntary sector, employment, and criminal justice agencies. You will require good organisational, interpersonal and communication skills in addition to therapeutic expertise.

About us

Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally. We also offer medical, nursing and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.

Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community. If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people's lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.