Job Advert 037
Sexual Health On Call (SHOC)
GP or Staff Grade Doctor
NOTE: THIS ADVERT IS NO LONGER VALID!
IT REMAINS ON THE SITE FOR INFORMATION ONLY
Location: Haringey, London
Hours: 2 sessions per week
Salary: negotiable, by experience
Outline of SHOC Overall Service
Sexual Health On Call (SHOC) has been providing services to female sex workers across the boroughs of Haringey & Enfield both at 'on' and 'off' street locations since 1997, and was originally set up to address the sexual health, broader health and welfare needs of this client group.
SHOC offers a range of harm reduction interventions that reduce the risks associated with sexual health, violence and drug use, and support women with a range of issues including; domestic violence, drug use, housing and benefit issues and any other lifestyle issues they may encounter.
As drug use has increased amongst the women working 'on' street in Haringey we have endeavoured to develop our services to meet their needs. At present we run two drop-in sessions at HAGA (Haringey Advisory Group on Alcohol) including a Sexual Health screening and treatment service.
SHOC will now be providing a fast track, low threshold substitute prescribing service to try and remove barriers to mainstream services women may experience.
Service Principles
Ethos
SHOC recognise that women make a decision to enter the sex industry for a number of reasons. We will always support our clients with their choices, and will ensure they have the knowledge, advice, information and interventions needed to make any lifestyle changes.
Mission Statement
SHOC offer female sex workers working or living in Haringey and Enfield a wide range of harm reduction interventions in regard to sex work, sexual health and drug use. We are a non-judgemental service and will support women in their choice to remain in, or leave the sex industry and ensure they have access to various forms of support, information, knowledge, advice and interventions required to make any lifestyle choices and decisions.
Aim and Objectives
Aim
To provide a welcoming, safe and confidential service for female sex workers across Haringey and Enfield boroughs.
Objectives
- To provide harm reduction interventions to sex workers across Haringey and Enfield boroughs.
- To work with the local community and relevant agencies affected by or work with sex workers.
- To support sex workers to make informed decisions in regard to their lifestyle.
Identifying the need for a treatment service
Women involved in sex work can face a number of barriers to drug treatment and harm reduction initiatives. These barriers can be linked to the structure and organisation of drug treatment provision and/or the personal circumstances and lifestyles of the women. (Hunter & May, 2004).
Above all other client groups these women may require specific treatment services which are flexible and can respond to their particular needs. The impact of specialist services has been demonstrated by research. (Hester & Westmarland, 2004).
Solutions and Strategies, drug problems and street sex markets published by the Home Office (Hunter & May, 2004) found many reasons for why sex workers can be precluded from treatment and also made some suggestions on how these can be addressed such as:
- Ensuring that treatment services are linked to existing outreach or services for women involved in prostitution.
- Ensuring services have more flexible opening hours to cater more appropriately for this group.
- Ensuring the availability of crack cocaine specific interventions as are recommended in the National Crack Plan.
- Adopting models of prescribing that offer flexibility and fast access.
- Providing satellite drug clinics at dedicated services for women involved in prostitution so that they can receive help in a setting where they feel comfortable and where they do not have to hide the fact that they are sex working.
Background
Early on it became apparent from the workers experience and an evaluation of the service (Bradford M, 2002) that the extent of the use of drugs and women's propensity to undertake sex work would appear to be directly linked, where higher levels of dependency was associated with more frequent working and a higher turnover rate of clients. Further still, as the level of drug dependency rises, so the ability to fund this habit through means other than sex work diminishes. As a consequence, drug use and sex work become co-dependent.
From the women interviewed further verification of a link between drug use and sex work was provided from those women who had managed to control their drug dependency. It was evident that where control had been obtained, the need to undertake sex work to finance this habit similarly declined.
To meet the many needs of our client group we recognised the need to develop its services to include a 'fast track' treatment service and to move into dedicated premises to provide this and other interventions to enable the women to make substantial lifestyle changes.
The Treatment Service
We aim to have two Doctor sessions one of which will be a Wednesday and the second either a Friday or Monday (although Friday is the preferred option). As this is a new and from a commissioning point of view an innovative service we expect the Doctor to be involved in the development and we will also benefit from the input and support from DASH, the local drug service.
Current funding for this service is until March 2008 with expectations it will be continued and while we acknowledge it maybe difficult to commit for this amount of time we would expect at least six months commitment.
Women working on the streets of Haringey don't all live in the borough or cannot prove residency and as a dedicated sex worker service we would find it difficult only providing treatment to only a number of our clients. The DAAT have agreed to allow us to provide the service to 'all' women who are working on the streets in Haringey. The Senior substance mis-use worker will be working closely with mainstream providers to ensure a seamless transfer of our clients care plan.
Aims & Objectives
Aims
- To provide an easy access drug treatment service for 'on' street female sex workers working in the Borough of Haringey.
- To provide an accessible base to address the wider issues concerning 'on' street female sex workers.
Objectives
- To reduce chaotic illicit drug use.
- To reduce sex working.
- To help to reduce crime associated with drug use.
- To provide the women with alternative lifestyle choices.
For further information please contact:
Michelle Farley
Service Manager - SHOC
Vice-Chair, UKnswp
E-mail: michelle.shoc@virgin.net
Tel: (07976) 566 537
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Important Notes
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