HSC S 31 Support individuals who are substance users

This unit focuses on supporting individuals who use substances in a respectful, non-judgemental and safe way, while following your organisation’s policies and safeguarding responsibilities. Substance use can sit alongside mental health needs, trauma, pain, homelessness, social isolation, or relationship difficulties. People’s reasons for using—and for wanting to stop or reduce—are varied and personal. The links on this page cover each learning outcome; this overview explains the overall approach expected in care and support settings.

A key theme is understanding context. Substance use does not happen in a vacuum. Individuals may use substances to cope with stress, manage distressing emotions, fit in socially, deal with withdrawal, or numb physical and emotional pain. Others may use recreationally without seeing it as a problem, until harm occurs. This unit encourages you to listen carefully, avoid assumptions, and consider wider factors such as mental health, poverty, discrimination, domestic abuse, or adverse childhood experiences. You’ll probably recognise this in your setting when a person’s use increases after a bereavement, housing problems or a change in support.

You will explore reasons why individuals decide to cease or reduce substance use, such as health concerns, family responsibilities, employment goals, financial pressures, or simply being tired of the impact on daily life. Motivation can fluctuate. A person may want to reduce use but feel afraid of withdrawal or of losing their social network. Your role is to support informed choices and access to help, not to lecture or “fix” someone through willpower alone.

The unit covers different substances, how they might be used, and their potential effects. This is to support awareness and safe observation, not to teach methods of use. In care practice, the most important skills are noticing signs of intoxication, withdrawal or deteriorating wellbeing, and responding appropriately within your competence. You will consider how substance use can affect sleep, mood, behaviour, appetite, physical health, relationships and ability to engage with support. You will also look at how mental health and substance use can interact, including when one may mask the other.

Risks are addressed carefully. Risks may include accidents, exploitation, self-neglect, safeguarding concerns, conflict, financial harm, and deterioration in physical and mental health. Some individuals may be vulnerable to coercion or criminal exploitation, particularly if they are socially isolated or have learning disability, cognitive impairment, or mental ill health. This unit supports you to take risks seriously without reducing the person to a “risk”. Language matters. People are not problems to be managed; they are individuals with rights and needs.

Supporting individuals to discuss their circumstances and history is a key practical outcome. This requires trust. Use active listening, respectful questions, and a calm approach. Be clear about confidentiality and its limits, particularly where there are safeguarding concerns. Avoid making promises you cannot keep. It is also important to recognise your boundaries: you do not diagnose, prescribe, or provide specialist clinical advice unless that is within your role and training.

The unit includes safer practices and harm reduction in principle, but in most care roles you should work through agreed ways of working and specialist services rather than giving detailed “how to” guidance. In practice, that means encouraging individuals to engage with appropriate health and support services, promoting safer decision-making through supportive conversations, and helping them follow any plan agreed with professionals. If you are concerned about immediate safety—such as severe intoxication, suspected overdose, or risk of harm—follow emergency procedures and organisational policy straight away.

Disposal of hazardous materials and equipment is included because staff may sometimes encounter items that create risk to the individual, other residents, staff or the public. The safest approach is always to follow local policy: do not handle sharps or unknown substances unless you are trained and authorised, use appropriate protective measures where required, and report and escalate according to procedures. Recording what you have found and what action you took protects everyone. If in doubt, seek advice promptly.

Supporting individuals after they have used substances is another theme. Careful observation, reassurance, and meeting basic needs—hydration, a safe environment, warmth, and reduced stimulation—may be part of support, alongside timely referral for medical help when needed. You will explore when and how to request support and assistance, including involving managers, healthcare professionals, or emergency services. Documentation is important: record objectively what you observed and what you did, avoiding judgemental language.

Action planning is included because change is more likely when it is structured, realistic and owned by the individual. You will explore how to support someone to set goals, identify triggers, plan coping strategies, and review progress. Goals might be small at first. That is okay. For example, in supported housing, a person may agree to attend an appointment with a specialist service and to build one new routine into their week, such as a regular meal or walk. In a residential setting, someone might choose to focus on sleep and hydration first, because feeling physically steadier makes other changes possible.

Managing your own feelings is part of professional practice. Supporting someone who relapses, disengages, or becomes angry can be emotionally draining. This unit encourages reflection, supervision and boundaries. Compassion does not mean tolerating unsafe behaviour, and professionalism does not mean being cold. You can be kind and firm at the same time.

Overall, this unit helps you provide support that is safe, consistent and respectful: understand context, recognise risks, follow policy, involve specialist services, and support the individual to move forward at a pace that is realistic for them.

1. Understand the context of substance use

2. Understand substances, their effects and how they might be used

3. Be able to support individuals to adopt safe practices in relation to substance use

  • 3.1 Support individuals to discuss their circumstances and history of substance misuse
  • 3.2 Advise individuals on methods of substance use and how related activities can be practised more safely
  • 3.3 Support individuals to dispose of hazardous materials and equipment safely
  • 3.4 Describe harm reduction strategies
  • 3.5 Identify the potential effects of attempting to cease or reduce substance use and the strategies/methods for alleviating them
  • 3.6 Describe strategies for alleviating the effects of attempting to cease or reduce substance use

4. Be able to support individuals when they have used substances

5. Be able to support individuals to address substance misuse through an action plan

  • 5.1 Assist individuals to review reasons for making a commitment to reduce substance use
  • 5.2 Support the individual to contribute to the development of an action plan
  • 5.3 Gather and record information in relation to the individual’s progress
  • 5.4 Describe how to manage own feelings in relation to the individual’s progress
  • 5.5 Review the action plan with the individual and agree next steps
  • 5.6 Identify the specialist agencies and support networks in relation to substance misuse

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