Substance Misuse Officer

About Us

West Sussex Youth Justice Service (YJS) is a high performing multi-agency statutory partnership which provides services before and after Court to meet the statutory requirements of the youth justice system. Its primary aim is to prevent offending and reduce reoffending by children. The service works in partnership with a variety of agencies to ensure children are offered appropriate intervention to address their risks, meet their needs and build on their strengths. Further, the service seeks to repair the harm caused to victims and communities by addressing the root causes of offending and reoffending by children.

For more information about West Sussex County Council, please visit our WSCC About Us page.

About the Role

Salary: £31,586 to £34,314 per annum (£25,268 to £27,451 pro rata)
Working Pattern: Part time - 29.60 hours per week (equivalent of 4 days)
Contract: Fixed term/secondment for 12 months
Location: Countywide, but based at Bridge House, Worthing.

• Are you passionate about improving the lives of young people and families affected by substance misuse?
• Do you have knowledge and experience of youth work and/or social care within this field?
• Then we want to hear from you!

We are seeking a dedicated individual with experience of working in a substance misuse intervention and treatment role or a related social care field, to join us as a Substance Misuse Officer.

In this pivotal role, you will work closely with young people involved in the criminal justice system who are at risk of custody or secure remand. This particular cohort of children tend to be well known to the Police and possess a wide range of complex needs including mental health, family breakdown, exploitation, peer on peer violence which are often intrinsically linked to substance use. Your role will be to provide intensive, one-to-one substance misuse support to help address underlying issues, enabling these children to break the cycle of reoffending and reintegrate successfully into their communities.

As a Substance Misuse Officer, you'll work as part of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team. You will support children on intensive bail programmes, offering a mix of practical support, therapeutic interventions, and engaging events such as sports, creative and/or outdoor activities. Your ability to connect with young people through a trauma-informed approach will be key, building positive relationships and motivating them towards change.

We are looking for a candidate who is child-centred in their work. You will have experience working with those with complex needs and demonstrating resilience, empathy, and professionalism when exposed to emotionally challenging situations. If you have experience in youth work and/or a sound understanding of substance misuse treatment with a passion for helping young people overcome adversity, we'd love to hear from you.

Please note you will need to be able to travel across the County and work flexibly, including evenings and weekends, to ensure the needs of these children and their families are met.

Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position.

Experience and Skills

Just some of the skills and experience you will need include:

• Developed advisory, negotiation, advocacy and persuasion skills
• Ability to record information, present reports and give evidence in Court as required.
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, meeting agreed deadlines.
• Perceptive, investigative and analytical skills with which to make assessments within guidelines.
• Excellent written and verbal presentation skills for a variety of tasks e.g. participating in meetings, working with other agencies, attending case conferences and court proceedings.
• Degree, or equivalent qualification, in a relevant field, for example, psychology, child/social care, youth work or criminology, or equivalent demonstrable experience of working within these fields.
• Knowledge and understanding of child protection issues.
• Knowledge of substance misuse intervention and treatment.
• Knowledge of the youth justice system and the importance of whole family working in preventing offending.
• Demonstrable history of working with children / families experiencing difficulties in order to achieve positive results.
• Experience of building effective working relationships with a range of clients and partnership agencies.

For a full list of key skills and experience please refer to the job description attached.

Rewards and Benefits

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

In addition to working within a great team and a brilliant opportunity you will receive:

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE05717.

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and application form. In your application form please outline your motivation for applying and explain how you meet the key skills listed in full and the experience you can bring to the role, ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the above details and job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years' referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.