DML Social Worker, Senior Medical, Youth Drug & Alcohol Service

Please Note:

• CV's will not be accepted
• All correspondence via Rezoomo

Informal Enquiries

We welcome enquiries about the role.

Prof Bobby Smyth, Consultant Psychiatrist

Email: bobby.smyth@hse.ie

Tel: 01-9214978

Details of Service

The Youth Drug & Alcohol (YoDA) Service provides treatment to adolescents under the age of 18 who have drug and alcohol problems. The service deals with the full spectrum of adolescent substance use disorders. The service offers a comprehensive outpatient treatment to clients. In terms of the Department of Health report on services for under 18s, it is a Tier 3 multidisciplinary outpatient service (Department of Health and Children, 2005).

The initial broad aims of the service were:

· To ensure that appropriate services/treatment are provided to young people with substance use disorders.

· To demonstrably reduce the harm caused by substance use to young people.

· To develop the capacity of service users to solve their own difficulties.

· To provide education to young people in relation to substance use issues.

· To establish through rigorous scientific research appropriate interventions for the target client group.

· To provide a specialist consultancy service to relevant professionals that will support them in developing their skills in treating the target population.

The service is led by a Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist. Other disciplines in the team include Clinical Nurse Specialists, Counsellors, a Family Therapist and NCHDs training in psychiatry. The staffing compliment is increasing in 2024-2025 as YoDA is one of two pilot sites for implementation of the new Model of Care for Adolescent Dual Diagnosis. This will involve input by staff from new disciplines including an Outreach worker and a Senior Social Worker.

Many young people with a substance use disorder also have comorbid mental health problem, known as dual diagnosis. YoDA has increasing links with a range of inpatient and community-based child & adolescent mental health services.

The service has a trauma-informed and systemic focus, viewing family participation in treatment as very important Team members require the skills to build and maintain relationships with family member and other carers. As young people can also be involved with a range of other services such as CAMHS, TUSLA, Probation, Education and Youth services, team members require skills in interagency working.

The key documents underpinning the service development are the Department of Health report on under 18s from 2005 [ https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/5981/ ], the National Drugs Strategy 2017-2025 and the HSE Dual Diagnosis Model of Care (2023) [https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/cspd/ ncps/mental-health/dual-diagnosis-ncp/ ] .

A number of new tier-2 adolescent Addiction services have developed in CHO 7 in recent years. A key role for YoDA is the provision of support to those services in assessing and managing the co-morbid mental health needs of their clients.

The service operates via a ‘hub & spoke’ type model. The main hub is currently based on Airton Rd in Tallaght. There is also hub in Cherry Orchard Hospital. The service also in-reaches into a small number of community locations (‘the spokes’ or satellite services) in peripheral parts of the catchment area.

YoDA has a track record for conducting research, with many publications in national and international scientific journals, with input from all professional disciplines in same. YoDA also has a culture of supporting professional development, matching training and clinical supervision to the specific and evolving needs of individual team members.

Community Health aims to deliver an integrated healthcare system which is responsive to people’s needs at the lowest level of complexity for the local population. Focusing on service delivery and decision making at local level informed by national frameworks, allows the HSE to:

· provide better direct accountability.

· provide for increased decision making at

· local area level; and

· Deliver services in the community through an integrated management structure.

By working together, the HSE plan seeks to deliver:

· A healthier start for children and reduced health inequities

· Reduced risk factors for chronic disease focusing on harmful alcohol use and rising obesity rates

· Increased community services and support to live independently in your own home or in the community

· Improved access to tests and specialist appointments, closer to home

· Reduced waiting times for diagnostic tests, outpatient appointments, in-patient and day case procedures

· Mental health support that aims to keep you well and responds quickly when you need it

· More person-centred support for people with disabilities to live full, independent lives

For further information, please refer to the documents included with this campaign