Coolmine Therapeutic Community

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 and Alcohol Task Force have developed multiple community-based drug and alcohol hubs to deliver frontline community-based drug & alcohol treatment interventions in the Cork and Kerry region. 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 key working, care planning and case management, group therapy, psycho-social workshops, pro-social activity, and formal and informal interactions with clients. 

Health Diversion / SAOR:

Under the National Drugs Strategy, Reducing Harm Supporting Recovery, the Government established a Working Group to consider alternative approaches to the possession of drugs for personal use in December 2017. Having considered the recommendations in the 2019 report of the Working Group, the Programme for Government priority is to implement a health diversion approach to the possession of drugs for personal use. Under a health diversion approach, people found in possession of drugs for personal use would be diverted to the Health Service Executive in the first instance for a health screening and brief intervention with a health professional known as SAOR (Support, Ask and Assess, Offer Assistance and Referral). 

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. 

Person Specification

Education

Essential:

• Third Level diploma in Addiction Studies, Addiction Counselling or related field, Minimum of level 7 on the NFQ scale.

Desireable:

• Certified SAOR trainer

Experience

Essential:

• Three years’ experience working within the drug and alcohol field.
• Experience of working directly with service users.
• Experience of the implementation and evaluation of care planning and Case Management.
• Experience in providing statistics and reports.
• Full clean driving licence and willingness to drive as part of work.

Desireable:

• Experience delivering SAOR Brief Interventions.
• Experience in a leadership or management position.

Knowledge & Skills

• 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.
• 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
• 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 to a considerable number of phone calls / emails and follow up.