Complex Needs Practitioner

Please note: The salary listed reflects the full earning potential for this role. Starting salaries depend on experience and progression within the band. 

About Aquarius  

Aquarius Action Projects is a long-established charity (since 1977) based in Birmingham with a national reach of contracts and Partnerships. Aquarius is a subsidiary of Waythrough – a large charity that specialises in mental health, alcohol, drugs and related areas. 

Waythrough was formed in 2024 following the merger of Humankind and Richmond Fellowship. Together, we’ve created one of the largest mental health and social support charities in England. 

Every year, we support around 125,000 people through nearly 200 services – and it’s all made possible by our 3,500 brilliant staff and volunteers. 

Make a real difference in your community 

Are you passionate about helping others live safer, healthier, more independent lives? Join our team at Waythrough and support people facing challenges around mental health, substance use, housing or domestic abuse. This is more than just a job – it’s a chance to build meaningful relationships and create lasting change. 

About The Role:

Practitioners provide holistic support service for people with needs related to substance misuse, including needs that arise as a result of familial substance misuse. The purpose of the role is to engage people in a variety of interventions, using a person centred approach, empowering them to reduce risk, increase resilience and achieve positive outcomes.

All practitioners work flexibly across the community and within our multi-agency partnership settings, on an outreach basis with a central hub bases at High Wycombe.

The caseload will include a mixture of community and multi-agency referral pathways including health, social care, schools and justice.

A core part of the role will be working with people within their families and community networks to address holistic support needs across all aspects of the person’s wellbeing. This could include diverse work related to knife crime, 5 step family work, exploitation, physical and emotional health as well as substance misuse.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Support and build relationships with people, and their families, who have a variety of needs related to substance misuse, either their own substance use or somebody else’s

• Hold a caseload and complete all recording and case management administration for your caseload accurately and promptly, adhering to GDPR and Data protection policies

• Develop co-produced, outcome focused support plans that reflect each participant’s personal strengths and goals. Support plans will be holistic, covering all aspects of the person’s wellbeing.

• Co-ordinate interventions provided by other agencies to ensure that the right support is offered at the right time to enable the recipient to progress on their journey to recovery.

• Attend and participate in clinical case discussions, completing agreed actions

Client work

• To engage people in a variety of interventions aimed at increasing choice and control in their lives, using a person centred, assertive outreach approach.

• Supporting people from the point of entry into our service, through their intervention and after-care

• Providing screening, co-produced assessment, psychosocial interventions, integrated and outcome focussed care planning, after-care support, and onward transition to other services as required

• Identifying risk, completing and following risk management plans and reviewing them regularly.

• Identifying and responding effectively to safeguarding concerns. This may involve supporting and educating family members, making safeguarding referrals to the local authority and participating in all relevant multi-agency meetings.

• Reducing drug and alcohol related harm to people within our local communities

• Promoting the engagement of people’s family and fostering a wider community network

• Advocating for the person to access partnership services;

• Working with people to support positive, holistic outcomes in relation to their health and wellbeing

• Follow the principles of the No Wrong Door Network to ensure that all people who use our service are enabled to access the correct support by referring or enabling access (including getting clients to appointments) to other services as appropriate.

• Act on advice and support from more senior staff as appropriate.

General

Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of developments in the field of alcohol, substance and an awareness of local community needs.

What We Offer

We value the people who make a difference every day. Alongside meaningful work, you’ll enjoy a comprehensive benefits package:

• 27 days’ annual leave, rising to 32 after 1 year (plus bank holidays)

• Pension scheme with 4.5% employer contribution, matched up to 6.5%

• Life assurance (3× annual salary)

• Enhanced sick pay and family-friendly pay

• Birthday leave and the option to buy up to 5 extra days’ annual leave

• Professional fee reimbursement for relevant qualifications

• 24/7 online GP access and Employee Assistance Programme

• Recognition and long service awards via our Way to Go and Aspirations portals

• £500 Recommend a Friend bonus

• Cycle to Work scheme and Credit Union membership

• Discounts via Blue Light Card, Charity Discounts, Extras and Tickets for Good

• Free will writing service and wellbeing initiatives throughout the year

Inclusion and accessibility 

At Aquarius, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from people with lived experience of substance use or recovery, and from candidates from minoritised ethnic communities. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, abilities, and identities to ensure our services are representative of the communities we serve. 

We have signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme  - all applicants are welcome, and adjustments can be made to enable fair participation.

If you need adjustments or support to apply, please email our recruitment team: [email protected] 

Inclusion and accessibility  

At Aquarius, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from people with lived experience of substance use or recovery, and from candidates from minoritised ethnic communities. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, abilities, and identities to ensure our services are representative of the communities we serve.  

If you need adjustments or support to apply, please email our recruitment team: [email protected]  

How to apply  

If you’re viewing this advert on an external platform such as Indeed, please click ‘Apply via company website’ to view the full job description and submit your application.  

Closing date: