Drug and Alcohol Practitioner

Do you have an understanding of drug and alcohol related issues and experience of working with young people? Would you like to be part of an organisation that counts on the professionalism, insight, expertise and passion of its staff to inspire recovery of the young people and families they work with? Then join us as a Practitioner.

Right now, one of our partners, Aquarius is looking for a Drug and Alcohol Practitioner to join their Bedfordshire Young People’s Team. Aquarius helps young people aged 5-18 overcome the harm caused by drugs and alcohol by working closely with the individual, family members and other professionals . But it’s only possible with the help of people like you.

Your challenge? – To provide information and advice, brief interventions and long term structured interventions to support young people who are using drugs and alcohol or being impacted by someone else’s use. You will be conducting assessments, risk assessments, care-planning and working directly with other services such as schools, social care, mental health services and youth offending. The successful candidate must have exceptional organisational skills and the ability to work with other agencies both face to face, email and via telephone.

An energetic and confident self-starter, you will be required to hold a qualification in health/social care, youth and community work (e.g. NVQ Level 3 or above, DipSW, Mental Health Nursing, Counselling, Addiction Studies). Alternatively, we’ll consider candidates with experience of working in the substance misuse field . As well as good knowledge of alcohol/drug and health related issues, you will be used to liaising with voluntary and statutory agencies and health professionals and comfortable engaging with clients in a variety of service delivery settings. You will have a flexible approach, a commitment to the principles of confidentiality, excellent record keeping and a working knowledge of Microsoft Office.

As this role requires travelling around Bedford, you will also need to have a clean driving licence and access to a vehicle.

This is a permanent full-time role requiring the post holder to work 37 hours per week.

We are committed to increasing our diversity and we would welcome applications from those with lived experience.

This is a rolling recruitment process; shortlisted candidates will be interviewed as and when they apply.

When applying, please upload a CV and supporting statement which should clearly outline your skills and experience.

Learning and development is important to us, and we are pleased to be able to offer a wide range of apprenticeships. We hire apprentices into specific roles as well as offering apprenticeships to the workforce. Anyone can apply to undertake an apprenticeship relevant to the role as long as they are in a permanent post and have successfully passed probation.

Aquarius was a subsidiary of Richmond Fellowship, with both organisations being part of Recovery Focus, a national group of charities highly experienced in providing specialist support services to individuals and families living with the effects of mental ill health, drug and alcohol use, gambling and domestic violence. On 1st June 2024 Richmond Fellowship merged with Humankind to form a single organisation that provides the joined-up mental health, housing and drug and alcohol support we’ve all known has been needed for decades. At the same time, Aquarius became a subsidiary of Humankind, with no impact to terms and conditions of employment. In October 2024, Humankind was renamed Waythrough to reflect the new organisation, of which Aquarius will remain a subsidiary.