Glasgow Council on Alcohol (GCA) provides a range of services from a trauma informed position, for the communities in which we serve. These services include

• Counselling
• Group work
• Women’s Service
• LGBT+ Service
• Employability
• Men’s Health
• Youth Work Service
• Peer Support
• Mentoring
• Befriending
• Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABI)

These are to name a few and we are constantly striving to ensure we provide the support our communities want, need and expect from us.

Our training and education department now deliver an Integrative Diploma In Counselling and Psychotherapy and our training delivery ranges from Cosca Skills modules 1-4, Counselling Supervision, Group work, Further Steps to ABI training for Trainers and Trauma Informed Practice to name a few.

We are looking to expand membership of our Board of Directors, to develop the strategic direction, support the aims and objectives and ensure good governance. If you can devote the time and are motivated to assisting us we would welcome your application.

We would be particularly interested in hearing from enthusiastic individuals who have experience in strategy and governance, with skills, experience and knowledge in any of the following areas:

• Human Resources
• Finance/accounting
• Legal
• Charity Governance
• Academia

Board membership is voluntary and unpaid, although travel expenditure may be reimbursed. Learning and development opportunities exist for all Board members, including induction training.

The U-Turn Peer Education Worker will support the U-Turn Peer Education Harm Reduction Service, which is to benefit young people 12 – 18 years old across South Lanarkshire. This service has been funded by NHS Lanarkshire, on behalf of the South Lanarkshire ADP.

The main focus of this service is Peer Education, with the added provision of one to one support and supervision for young Peer Educators. The service adopts an active citizenship approach when working with young people. There will be an expectation that the Peer Educators will work towards achieving qualifications through training and as a result of the work they undertake.

This service will target and focus on some of the most vulnerable young people (aged 12-18 years) living within South Lanarkshire.

The Peer Educators will be supported to deliver peer-led inputs across South Lanarkshire to other Young People and Young People focussed groups incorporate a harm reduction approach as well as a separate element of addressing stigma/language around drug and alcohol use.

In return for choosing to work for GCA, the benefits you will receive are:

• Very generous annual leave entitlement: full time employees start with an annual leave entitlement of 37 days (inclusive of 12 bank holidays) which increases to 38 days after 2 years, 40 days after 5 years and 42 days after 10 years length of service.
• 5 duvet days where employees may take time off at short notice.
• Death in service policy of 2 times salary.
• Cycle to work scheme where employees can save money on a new bike and spread the cost.
• Training and development commitment to help employees perform to the best of their abilities.

Organisation Profile:

GCA was founded in 1965 and is the oldest established Council on Alcohol in Scotland. GCA is a voluntary organisation working to reduce the harm caused by alcohol misuse through the provision of a range of high-quality advice, information, counselling, support, prevention and education and training services.

The number of places we can offer and the geography this programme will be available in, is entirely dependent on funding.

Applications are being accepted Scotland wide, but are particularly welcome from people living in the following areas where the project has previously been or is currently being funded:

Argyll and Bute, Borders, Glasgow, East Ayrshire, Edinburgh, Highland, Inverclyde, Fife, & North Lanarkshire

Do you have lived/living experience of drug and / or alcohol problems?

Are you at the stage in your life where you are ready for employment in the drug and alcohol field?

At SDF, we support, train, and prepare people with personal lived and living experience of their own substance use, to enter the drug, alcohol, and wider social care workforce.

We do this by supporting you through an intensive programme of formal learning and paid work placements.

At SDF, we believe your experience of drug and / or alcohol problems is a strength and the perspective you will offer as a trainee will be valued.

We will provide:

· access to a programme of quality assured training from our specialist workforce development teams.

· a fully funded SVQ level 2 in Social Services and Healthcare with our SQA Learning Centre.

· intensive support, this extends to IT and includes a device to use, we will also provide access to a confidential Employee Assistance programme

We will also provide a salary: £12,192 over the 39 week duration of the course

As a Trainee with SDF, you will learn how to support people who are currently experiencing drug and alcohol problems. You will be supported to use your own experience alongside professional training during a nine-month paid work placement in one of our local partner agencies.

The qualification we will support you to achieve is the industry standard for working in the drug, alcohol and wider health and social care field, and will open up long term employment opportunities for you.

You will also connect with and become part of a tight-knit group of peers and future friends who will be on the programme with you. Alongside your Co-ordinator, they will support you every step of the way.

We offer a monthly salary and a fixed term contract of 30 hours per week for 39 weeks. You will be offered paid study time in these hours, to support you to complete your SVQ.

If you are interested in developing a career in the drug, alcohol, and wider social care field, you have personal lived or living experience of your own substance use, and you feel ready for employment, we would love to hear from you.

Please come along to one of our online information sessions which will be held on the following dates:

- 10th November 1-3pm (Online via Zoom)

- 14th November 10.30-12.30pm (Glasgow – venue TBC)

- 20th November 10.30-12.30pm (Edinburgh – venue TBC)

- 29th November 10.30-12.30 (Online via Zoom)

These sessions will allow you to get answers to any questions you may have around the programme and will be an opportunity for you to meet the Project Support Team prior to applying.

Please email Marieb@sdf.org.uk to register your interest in attending one of the sessions.

If you cannot attend the information sessions and want an informal chat about the project, please contact 0141 221 1175 and we will arrange for a member of our team to call you back.

Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) is Scotland’s national resource of expertise on drugs and related issues. We seek to lead and represent the drugs field in Scotland to improve Scotland’s response to problem drug use. This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of a busy, dynamic, and supportive team within a national third sector organisation.

We are pleased to be recruiting for this position of Coordination and Development Officer to drive forward the growth and development of SDF’s Recovery Worker Training Programme (RWTP) in Highland, at an exciting time of growth and change for the employability workstream in SDF.

This post will work to ensure that people with lived and living experience of drug and alcohol problems are sufficiently represented in drug and alcohol service delivery across the Highland geography.

The Co-ordination and Development Officer will grow an existing small network of stakeholders across Highland to support the project - placement providers (drug, alcohol, and social care agencies), employability partners, and education providers, to support and deliver the project outcomes.

With support from the Senior Development Officer, the role will also seek to establish multiple entry and employment pathways across Highland, in and out of RWTP.

This post is a key part of our Employability Support Team in SDF and will contribute towards the wider work of the team.

Benefits

As an SDF employee you will benefit from generous annual leave entitlement, a range of learning and development opportunities, competitive pension contribution and an employee support and counselling service. SDF encourage a healthy work life balance and offer a flexible working scheme.

Candidates should be willing and able to work effectively from home, ideally from a Highland-based location. The post holder will be expected to attend our Glasgow office as the need arises as well as for team meetings, one to ones and staff meetings. Frequent travel across Highland to support trainees is also anticipated.

Our ambition is to work together to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts all candidates and signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity.