Substance Use Engagement Worker
Grade 7 | 30 hours per week (0.8 FTE)
2 Posts Available permanent
- 1 x Youth Justice Service (YJS)
- 1 x Young People's Service (YPS)
Are you passionate about helping young people create safer, healthier and more positive futures?
Southampton City Council is recruiting two Substance Use Engagement Workers to join our dynamic Young People's Service. These are exciting new posts designed to support children and young people whose drug or alcohol use is linked to vulnerability, exploitation, serious youth violence, offending, missing episodes, poor wellbeing or other complex challenges. Based on the job purpose and duties outlined in the job description, the focus is on proactive engagement, harm reduction, relationship-based practice and helping young people access the support they need.
Working within either the Youth Justice Service or Young People's Service, you will build trusting relationships with young people who may be reluctant to engage with traditional services, delivering creative and trauma-informed interventions that reduce harm, increase resilience and improve outcomes. The role includes direct work with young people and families, outreach in community settings, and close partnership working with social care, youth justice, education, health and specialist substance use services.
This is an opportunity to be part of an innovative approach that recognises the links between substance use, exploitation, vulnerability and offending, while helping young people access education, training, employment, positive activities and specialist treatment when required.
What you'll be doing
- Delivering one-to-one and group interventions with young people.
- Building strong, trusting relationships using trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches.
- Supporting young people to reduce harm associated with drug and alcohol use.
- Working alongside Youth Justice Case Managers, Social Workers and Young People's Practitioners.
- Contributing to safeguarding, contextual safeguarding and intervention plans.
- Supporting young people's access to education, training, employment and positive activities.
- Working closely with Children and Young People's Alcohol and Drug Support Services (DASH) and other health providers to support pathways into specialist treatment services.
- Contributing to service development and evidence-informed practice across the service.
About you
We are looking for someone who:
- Has significant experience working with children and young people with complex needs.
- Understands the impact of drug and alcohol use on young people, families and communities.
- Has experience engaging young people who may be resistant to services.
- Is skilled at building positive, trusting relationships.
- Has a good understanding of safeguarding, child protection and adolescent risk.
- Enjoys partnership working and can work effectively within a multi-agency environment.
- Is committed to strengths-based, child-centred and trauma-informed practice.
- Can work flexibly and creatively to meet the needs of young people.
Why Southampton?
This is a rare opportunity to help shape an exciting new area of practice within Southampton's Young People's Services. You will join a supportive and ambitious service that is committed to helping children and young people feel safer, achieve their potential and build positive futures.
If you are passionate about making a difference and believe every young person deserves hope, opportunity and support, we would love to hear from you.
What we can offer you:
Salary: The salary band for this role is £32,061 - £36,362 per annum (pro rata). The starting salary is £32,061 with annual progression through the salary bands.
Here at SCC we have a range of different benefits, a few examples can be found below.
- Excellent local government pension with 15.2% employer contribution
- Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution)
- Generous holiday 25–31 days, based on role and service
- Flexible working options (role-dependent)
- Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents
- Training and development, including coaching and mentoring
- Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks
- Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant
- Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform
- Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres
- Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans
- Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer
For further information on our benefits package please visit: Employee benefits (southampton.gov.uk)
Recruitment contact details:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 023 8083 4033
For more information about SCC please visit Southampton City Council
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