The Child and Family Agency has responsibility for the following range of services:

• Child Protection and Welfare
• Parenting, Family Support and Early Help Services
• Alternative Care
• Birth Information & Tracing and Adoption
• Tusla Education Support Services (TESS)
• Children’s Service Regulation
• Counselling and Therapeutic Supports

 

Further information is available on http://www.tusla.ie 

 

Purpose of Role

 

The Senior Addiction Counsellor is part of a regional multi-disciplinary team who holds a clinical caseload under the line management of a Clinical Team Manager.  The team operates within a systemic mentalization-based framework (AMBIT) that focuses on direct work with clients but also work in supporting professional networks to response to client needs for support. All of the work undertaken has a systemic focus on creating and supporting the structures required for young people to cope when there are risks to their mental health and wellbeing.

 

The post holder will provide a professional counselling, therapy, education and information service in the area of addiction and substance misuse to young people who have been referred to the ACTS service. The post holder will provide and manage substance misuse interventions to young people and their families alongside a multi-disciplinary team within Tusla Therapy.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

 

Counselling, Case Management and Treatment Services 

• Lead the development of appropriate evidence-based assessments and interventions for young people where substance misuse is contributing to their overall difficulties.

 

• Provide consultation for interventions being undertaken by other ACTS disciplines where the focus of the intervention is substance misuse.

 

• Provide training and guidance to the MDT ACTS team regarding substance misuse problems.

 

• Develop close links on behalf of the ACTS MDT with addiction services being run by the HSE and voluntary sector to ensure interagency collaboration and care-planning for young people transitioning in and out of care placements and transitioning into adulthood. 

 

• As part of a multi-disciplinary team, to participate in the assessment of young people and their families and concerned persons where relevant.  

 

• Participation in multidisciplinary intervention and treatment processes.  

 

• Working with family members and other key relationships for young people who may be at risk.

 

• Lead the implementation and facilitation of appropriate treatment strategies, both individual and group. 

 

• This role is primarily a direct senior clinical role. There may be additional involvement in supervision activity, depending on service priorities and structures, as identified by line management.

 

• Participate in the development of service for young people where there have been concerns about substance misuse, including the development of links with addiction service providers in other agencies.  

 

• To offer harm reduction information and education to young people, their families, social work teams, social care staff and other relevant stakeholders as appropriate.

 

• Coordination of activity with social work departments, CAMHS, residential care staff, schools, general practitioners, primary health care staff, statutory/ voluntary groups and other appropriate personnel. This involves a focus of effective integration of cross-agency activity focused on client needs.
• Referral to appropriate treatment facilities, detoxification facilities, rehabilitation etc.

 

• Ensure anti-discriminatory practice and cultural competence at individual and service levels.

 

• Ensure practice is in line with the Tusla Participation Strategy. 

 

Education & Training

• Take a lead role in the development of continuous training in the assessment and treatment of substance misuse amongst multi-disciplinary colleagues.

 

• Ensure that there is quality dissemination of information on addiction and substance misuse to young people, relatives, and other key stakeholders as required.

 

• To lead the development of close collaborative working relationships with addiction services in the community.

 

• To act as a resource person and catalyst to enable other staff in ACTS and Tusla Therapy to work effectively with addiction and substance misuse related issues.  

 

• Ensure that there is an effective system to monitor and evaluate intervention outcomes.

 

• Attend mandatory Tusla training programmes. 

 

• Be informed of advances in professional knowledge and practice and ensure their dissemination to the team. 

 

• Build and communicate an understanding of the role and contribution of addiction counselling within TUSLA services.

 

• Support the development of intervention within Tusla that support families to address substance misuse problems as they are emerging.

 

Multi-disciplinary team working

 

• Work closely with other senior clinical staff in an MDT so as to provide integrated clinical service to at-risk young people.

 

• Participate in service planning and change management initiatives in the ACTS service.

 

• Contribute to the development and implementation of information sharing protocols, audit systems, referral pathways, and individual care plans.

 

• Hold a clinical caseload within a multi-disciplinary team, which includes co-working of cases with colleagues from other professional disciplines.

 

• Develop and maintain close liaison with team members, and specialist services to ensure an integrated service for clients.

 

• To provide support, guidance, evaluation, and management of assessments and interventions aimed at reducing substance misuse difficulties.

 

Development and evaluation of service

 

• Ensure that the addiction/substance misuse service being offered within ACTS and the   wider Tulsa Therapy is supported by evidence based best practice.

 

• Work with the Clinical Team Manager to contribute data required for audits, service reports and statistics as required.

 

• Participate in the implementation of systems for ongoing monitoring, audit and evaluation.  

 

Professional Development and performance management

 

• This role is primarily a clinical post providing specialist service to Tusla clients who are at serious risk of harm. However, if there is a supervision requirement for supervision of staff grade addiction counsellors in line with service developments, this requirement may form a part of this role.

 

• To provide guidance to other staff in ACTS engaging in addiction related interventions with young people and their families.  

 

• To engage in regular supervision as agreed with the Principal Psychologist Manager.  

 

• To engage in one-to-one line management with Clinical Team Manager 

 

• To develop and provide in-service training as required.  

 

• To ensure, if acting in a supervisory capacity, cooperation of staff with aspects pertaining to the operation of new technology and new systems.

 

• To ensure, if acting in a supervisory capacity, that staff receive suitable performance management in accordance with Tusla policies and procedures

 

Research & Service Delivery

 

• To develop and conduct relevant research within the service and the evaluation of such research in order to improve treatment and therapeutic standards.

 

• To take a leadership role in initiatives to improve the quality of all aspects of the ACTS service and in particular substance misuse interventions.

 

• To ensure, where acting in a supervisory capacity, the co-operation with staff policy and review procedures.

 

Health & Safety

• Comply with and contribute to the development of policies, procedures, guidelines and safe professional practice and adhere to relevant legislation, regulations and standards.

• Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the service for example National Standards for Child Protection and Care and comply with associated Tusla – Child and Family Agency protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.
• To support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.

 

The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office. 

Applicants must by the closing date of application have the following:

 

1. Possess a relevant qualification in Counselling or Psychotherapy at a minimum of Level 7 on the QQI qualifications framework accredited by one of following professional bodies: Addiction Counsellors Ireland, Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, Irish Council for Psychotherapy 

 

                                                                   Or

 

1. A qualification accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland in Clinical Psychology or Counselling Psychology 

 

Or

  

1. Hold an equivalent qualification accredited by an equivalent body in another jurisdiction.     

    

And

  

Be a fully accredited member with one of the following professional bodies: The Addiction Counsellors of Ireland – ACI, The Irish Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (IACP), or a relevant body within the Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP), or by the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) in the case of Clinical or Counselling Psychology qualifications only. A statement from the accrediting body confirming the date of first full accreditation, and the maintenance of continuous accreditation and registration since that date will be required. 

 

                                                                 And

 

Have a minimum of 3 years’ full time post accreditation clinical experience of managing a case load under supervision in a relevant counselling setting, working with young people, adult individuals, adult couples and families with addiction/substance misuse issues.

 

                                                                 Or

Have a minimum of 5 years’ full-time employment as a counsellor/psychotherapist within a relevant addiction counselling setting, managing a caseload under supervision, working with young people, adult individuals, adult couples and families with addiction/substance misuse issues.

 

Health

A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

 

Character

Each candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character.