mental health support workertosubstance misuse worker
A mental health support worker already meets 67% of what the substance misuse worker role asks for. The move turns on 23 required skills not yet in the profile.
67%
52.2/ 100
1 Share of the substance misuse worker role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the mental health support worker profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.
Why this move works
A substance misuse worker role treats 47 of its required skills as things a mental health support worker already does. These are the ones it depends on most.
- accept own accountability
- adhere to organisational guidelines
- adolescent psychological development
- advocate for social service users
- apply decision making within social work
- apply holistic approach within social services
What stands in the way is 23 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 47 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A substance misuse worker role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a mental health support worker background worth leading with.
- already held adolescent psychological development social sciences, journalism and information
- already held promote service users' rights communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held conduct interview in social service communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held protect vulnerable social service users assisting and caring
- already held apply problem solving in social service communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held meet standards of practice in social services assisting and caring
All 47 carried skills, including the 47 the substance misuse worker role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you would need to learn
The 23 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.
- required, not held apply case management required
- required, not held apply crisis intervention required
- required, not held assess clients' drug and alcohol addictions required
- required, not held cooperate at inter-professional level required
- required, not held develop professional identity in social work required
- required, not held empower social service users required
- required, not held inform on the risks of substance and alcohol abuse required
- required, not held make legislation transparent for users of social services required
- required, not held negotiate with social service users required
- required, not held address problems critically required
- required, not held develop professional network required
- required, not held negotiate with social service stakeholders required
- required, not held apply anti-oppressive practices required
- required, not held refer social service users required
- required, not held manage ethical issues within social services required
- required, not held provide support to social services users required
- required, not held consider social impact of actions on service users required
- required, not held organise social work packages required
- required, not held plan social service process required
- required, not held dependency on drugs required
- required, not held social work theory required
- required, not held illegal substances required
- required, not held have computer literacy required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a substance misuse worker role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply anti-oppressive practices skill · sector specific
- 02 apply case management skill · sector specific
- 03 apply crisis intervention skill · sector specific
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 47 skills that carry over
- already held accept own accountability skill
- already held adhere to organisational guidelines skill
- already held adolescent psychological development knowledge
- already held advocate for social service users skill
- already held apply decision making within social work skill
- already held apply holistic approach within social services skill
- already held apply organisational techniques skill
- already held apply person-centred care skill
- already held apply problem solving in social service skill
- already held apply quality standards in social services skill
- already held apply socially just working principles skill
- already held assess social service users' situation skill
- already held assess the development of youth skill
- already held build helping relationship with social service users skill
- already held communicate professionally with colleagues in other fields skill
- already held communicate with social service users skill
- already held company policies knowledge
- already held conduct interview in social service skill
- already held contribute to protecting individuals from harm skill
- already held deliver social services in diverse cultural communities skill
- already held demonstrate leadership in social service cases skill
- already held follow health and safety precautions in social care practices skill
- already held involve service users and carers in care planning skill
- already held legal requirements in the social sector knowledge
- already held listen actively skill
- already held maintain records of work with service users skill
- already held manage social crisis skill
- already held manage stress in the work place skill
- already held meet standards of practice in social services skill
- already held prepare youths for adulthood skill
- already held prevent social problems skill
- already held promote inclusion skill
- already held promote service users' rights skill
- already held promote social change skill
- already held promote the safeguarding of young people skill
- already held protect vulnerable social service users skill
- already held provide social counselling skill
- already held relate empathetically skill
- already held report on social development skill
- already held review social service plan skill
- already held social justice knowledge
- already held social sciences knowledge
- already held support the positiveness of youths skill
- already held tolerate stress skill
- already held undertake continuous professional development in social work skill
- already held work in a multicultural environment in health care skill
- already held work within communities skill
0 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
21 held skills the substance misuse worker role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assist individuals with disabilities in community activities skill
- not needed by the target role assist social service users in formulating complaints skill
- not needed by the target role assist social service users with physical disabilities skill
- not needed by the target role carry out psychiatric assessment of child skill
- not needed by the target role clinical social work knowledge
- not needed by the target role comply with legislation in social services skill
- not needed by the target role conduct forensic evaluations skill
- not needed by the target role customer service knowledge
- not needed by the target role diagnose psychiatric symptoms skill
- not needed by the target role encourage social service users to preserve their independence in their daily activities skill
- not needed by the target role maintain privacy of service users skill
- not needed by the target role maintain the trust of service users skill
- not needed by the target role monitor service users' health skill
- not needed by the target role refer service users to community resources skill
- not needed by the target role support harmed social service users skill
- not needed by the target role support service users in developing skills skill
- not needed by the target role support service users to use technological aids skill
- not needed by the target role support social service users in skills management skill
- not needed by the target role support social service users with specific communication needs skill
- not needed by the target role support social service users' positiveness skill
- not needed by the target role undertake risk assessment of social service users skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- required, not held dependency on drugs required
- required, not held illegal substances required
- required, not held social work theory required
Other moves recorded from mental health support worker
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.