CAREERS

In the latest part of our careers series with Addiction Professionals , Kate Halliday describes how social work can be a hugely rewarding way to make a difference in the drugs sector

When I studied social work I had no intention of moving into the addictions field . I was interested in working in the criminal justice system and on qualifying I got a job in a prison . As a newly qualified social worker , despite the fact that my training had prepared me for many of these issues , I was shocked by the number of clients who described such similar patterns of childhood trauma , substance use and poverty . My experience made me really keen to see if I could be part of the process to support people with addictions to make changes , and I also learnt so much from the clients I was working with and felt a strong sense of empathy .

The next step was to work in a community setting and when the opportunity came to be part of a drug and alcohol team I was delighted to get the job . Having done most of my work within the controlled environment of a prison , it felt liberating to work in the less predictable community environment where there were such a range of different organisations , systems and groups to link in with – employment , education , peer support , and the full range of community groups A key standard of social work is to promote the strengths , rights and wellbeing of individuals , families and communities , and community drug and alcohol teams are a great place to do this .

SPECIALISATION Another great thing about working in a drug and alcohol team is the opportunity to specialise in different areas . When the chance to work from a primary care setting came along , I didn ’ t look back . I moved from working across a large town , to working in a much smaller community . I felt like I knew everyone , and they all knew me , making joint working so much easier . This

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS Social workers are required to have a social work degree or equivalent ( there are some older vocational qualifications that are also be applicable ). There is currently no accreditation for social workers working in addictions .

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT Some social workers choose to study addictions at Masters level and / or are supported in supported at work to specialise in an area of special interest . was such a rewarding time for me in so many ways – primary care is the least stigmatising place I ’ ve worked , with clients receiving support for their addictions alongside other patients waiting for appointments at their GP surgery . For most clients it was a short walk from home , compared to the two buses many people had to take to get to the drug and alcohol team . My attendance rates improved dramatically .

As primary care is so family focused I got to know all the clients ’ children , as many were happy to bring them along to the surgery – drug team waiting rooms face a much bigger struggle to be so family friendly . I discovered that the GPs had often know the clients from birth , and also tended to know other family members – understanding family systems is an important part of social work , and this knowledge was invaluable at times in supporting clients to reach their goals .

KNOWLEDGE BUILDING It was a steep learning curve to update my knowledge on some of the health issues , but I found this really added to my skills . The ability for clients to get their general health seen to alongside their drug and / or alcohol treatment in primary care is amazing – it felt really great to see people get all sorts of issues dealt with , from blood-borne virus testing , immunisation and contraception to long-standing health issues like asthma which clients hadn ’ t prioritised .

‘ As a newly qualified social worker ... I was shocked by the number of clients who described such similar patterns of childhood trauma , substance use and poverty .’

KATE HALLIDAY

Working in the addictions sector provides a great opportunity to practice social work skills and values , build your knowledge , work in multidisciplinary teams and specialise across a range of areas . But most of all , you will get to learn a huge amount from clients , and you can be lucky enough to stand beside people as they make amazing changes to their lives and communities – which is the most rewarding part by far .

Kate Halliday is executive director of Addiction Professionals

14 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • JUNE 2023 WWW . DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS . COM