Position Overview

The Case worker primary role will be group facilitation and they will co-facilitate a range of psycho-education group sessions to persons in custody or under community supervision to address substance use and related issues. The groups will consist of, short and low intensity groups, moderate intensity groups, and high intensity group programs. They will be required to conduct an initial engagement with program participants to assist to development of rapport and and individual outcomes for the participant. There is strong literature highlighting the complexity of women’s role as a carer coupled with the need to look after their own needs placing a unique consideration in the provision of individual and group AOD treatment responses. As such, this program is designed to foster connections within the group while providing a safe space to share and respect the unique individual experience and needs of participants.

In understanding the role that expectations of women play in substance misuse, the group is designed to broach gender stereotypes. It will also explore the important role of relationships and the role it traditionally plays in women’s patterns of substance use.

Position Responsibilities

The Case Worker will be responsible to operate within the framework and principles of harm minimisation as articulated in National Drug Strategy 2017-2026, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Drug Strategy (2014-19) and the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Service Delivery Framework 2015 (and subsequent revisions of these documents).

The case worker will:

• Recognise the spectrum of substance use and stages of change
• Work with clients across all stages of substance use
• Respond to the full range of psychoactive substances available (including alcohol, tobacco, licit and illicit drug use, pharmaceutical drug misuse, emerging synthetics, poly drug use)
• Consider the support needs of the client and their family, including dependent children.
• Respond to the method of use and associated risk factors, in recognition of the fact that drug use trends change rapidly
• Will be sensitive around the issues of trauma and the risk of re-traumatisation

Core components of the role will include engagement and pre and post testing assessment, group dynamics and facilitation, a knowledge of brief interventions, counselling using endorsed therapeutic approached, harm reduction education and information, and possible referral options to other services.

A full application pack is available below.