Permanent with funding until 31st May 2029
35 hours
£29,855 per annum
Location: Plymouth
Benefits include but not limited to:
- 36 days’ annual leave, inclusive of flexible bank holidays, increasing with length of service
- Enhanced maternity/paternity leave
- We match up to 8% pension
- Free counselling service
- Opportunities to develop and widen your skills
- 2 days of paid volunteering time per annum to support another part of the organisation
About us:
The Children’s Society has been helping children and young people in this country for over 140 years. We deliver essential local services that provide safe, trusted support to children and young people during times of significant need.
Our Youth Impact domain creates impact for children and young people. With highly skilled and experienced staff working across England and Wales, we provide direct support to children, young people, parents and carers, as well as conduct research and influence Government to make changes. We also provide training for professionals. Our value driven team change the lives of children in this country for the better — and with your help and expertise, tomorrow we can support even more.
About the role:
You’ll play a key part in our Plymouth Substance Misuse Service, working with individual young people who misuse substances and their families, and to act as a consultant to other professionals who may require specialist help and support.
We’re looking for a skilled child-centred practitioner with the ability to ensure that all young people in contact with the service are assessed and treated for identified drugs/alcohol problems, making a real impact in the lives of children and young people.
Key skills and experience:
The required skills and competencies for this role are:
- Knowledge of substance misuse (drugs and alcohol) and awareness of national and local initiatives, including vaping, SCRA’s, THC.
- Knowledge of relevant policy and government drug strategy documents
- Knowledge of the criminal justice process, specifically in relation to young people
- Knowledge of child/adolescent development and young person-centred interventions
- Knowledge of psychosocial interventions, SMART Goal planning and Risk Assessment
- Sound knowledge of change behaviour interventions as well of an oversight of addictive behaviours
- Ability to identify, screen, and assess substance misuse needs using tools like DUST
Closing date: Midnight on Sunday 6th September 2026
Interviews: Dates to be confirmed
The Children’s Society is committed to safeguarding and protection of the children and young people we work with. As such, our safer recruitment process includes a Basic or Enhanced DBS check, 5 years of references, and additional vetting checks relevant to the role. We have a comprehensive range of policies and procedures in place to promote safeguarding and safer working practices across all areas of our organisation.
In support of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, shortlisting is carried out on an anonymised basis. Personal details are hidden from the shortlisting panel, and candidates are referenced by a candidate number only. As part of this process, we ask that your CV is anonymised before submission - this means removing personal information such as your name, contact details, age, and any other identifying details.
AI tools can support your application but only when used appropriately. You’re welcome to use them to improve clarity, structure, and research. However, overuse or misuse (e.g. inventing experience or using AI during assessments) may lead to rejection at any stage. We want to hear the real you - authenticity matters.
