Young Person’s Recovery Coach
- Full time or Part time
- £22,932 – £24,951
- On site: Based within GCA Office in North Claremont Street with travel throughout Glasgow City for service delivery.
- Closing 5th September 2025
- Advertised from 14th August 2025
- 35 hours per week – fixed term until 31st March 2026
Role
We understand that many will have other commitments outside of work and so flexible working, part-time hours or job-sharing arrangements will be considered for the right candidate.
About Us:
Glasgow Council on Alcohol (GCA) is an independent Scottish charity that works to reduce alcohol and drug-related harm at both individual and community levels. Established in 1965, GCA adopts a long-term, trauma-informed and asset-based approach to changing the culture around substance use. Its services are built on a person-centred, harm-reduction model, supporting people whether their goal is to reduce consumption or achieve abstinence.
GCA offers free, confidential counselling services for people concerned about their own or someone else's drinking. GCA delivers a range of interventions including groupwork and employability support as well as a number of holistic and inclusive services, such as a women’s service for survivors of gender-based violence, young persons peer eduction service, LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing support and tailored wellbeing programmes.
GCA is also a recognised provider of professional development, offering a comprehensive training portfolio including education aimed at increasing awareness of alcohol use and promoting healthier lifestyles, COSCA Counselling Skills and a Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy.
GCA deliver services over 6 days per week and throughout Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire, helping people make meaningful, positive change in their lives.
The foundation of GCA is our supportive and inclusive culture for all who engage and work with us.
About the Role:
Young Person Recovery Service is based within the Elevate Team. It will provide diversionary work and to promote recovery for young people where drugs and alcohol have been a risk for them and promote pathways to employment, provide training, education and volunteering opportunities. Young Person’s Recovery Service will support individuals to achieve positive destinations.
This project is led by Glasgow Health & Social Care Partnership (GHSCP), National Health Service Greater Glasgow & Clyde (NHSGG&C) and Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP), and delivered by GCA through Elevate.
The Recovery Coach will make a real impact to individuals’ day to day lives as they uniquely tailor their personal development, offer emotional and practical support and set realistic goals as part of their journey towards accessing various employability opportunities.
Key Responsibilities:
- Be friendly, compassionate and naturally able to build relationships with individuals both in person and virtually
- Support participants to access the full range of provision within recovery services; maximising benefits and recovery capital towards sustained recovery
- Effectively and pro-actively signpost participants, where appropriate, to with a range of services including housing, DWP, Mental Health services, education and training providers to ensure adequate opportunities are available for the young person
- Support individuals in their pathway into employability opportunities through tailored plans, structured encouragement and offering practical support
- Support individuals on a weekly basis. This will include tasks such as ensuring they are undertaking the necessary experience/skills or learning/group work for their personal development by assisting them important appointments or placements
- Build and develop participants’ personal assets, social networks and recovery capital (social, physical, human and cultural)
- Provide support through a variety of activities including regular telephone contact, face to face meetings, mentoring, virtual mediums and group activity
- Providing quality support services to participants through effective planning, monitoring, evaluation and review of their requirements in partnership with them
- Form productive working relationships as part of the multi-disciplinary team, namely GHSCP YP Team, external agencies and professionals, existing and new, to ensure that participants have access to a wide range of recovery and community resources
- Complete paperwork and promptly update the database on all interactions with participants as well as recording outcomes and progressions
- Deliver performance targets for supporting people
- Meet contractual compliance
- Promote the unique, person centred ethos of Elevate Employability
- Prioritise workload to ensure a high quality, person-centred service to all participants
- Adhere to the implementation of risk management procedures (including child and adult safeguarding protocols) taking personal responsibility for keeping up to date on the requirements of these procedures
- Understand health and safety responsibilities
- Undertake any other duties as required by the Service Manager – Employability
Qualifications and Experience :
- Clean current UK Driving License and access to own car is desirable
- A qualification in Advice and Guidance or equivalent qualification is preferrable
- Proven experience of supporting individuals with alcohol and/or drug use
- Working knowledge and understanding of the impact that alcohol and/or drugs has on individuals, families, and their communities
- Proven experience of interacting with individuals in a recovery or criminal justice or mental health or homelessness or employability setting
- Proven experience of working with young people
- Proven ability to manage and support a caseload of clients to achieve targets for employment progression
- Knowledge of Safeguarding and Harm Reduction is desirable
- Experience of using digital technology effectively essential with knowledge of I.T/ Computer Skills, Microsoft Office, and Zoom/Teams
Skills and Competencies:
- Excellent interpersonal and written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage with participants and build good relationships
- Planning, organisation and co-ordination skills
- Team working and networking skills
- Time management skills
- Ability to work on own initiative and remotely from line management
- Commitment to working in line with GCA’s values of collaboration, respect, and empathy
Why Join Us?
- Your work will contribute to make a real difference to people’s lives.
- Competitive salary and benefits package :
- Very generous annual leave entitlement: full time employees start with an annual leave entitlement of 37 days (inclusive of 12 bank holidays) which increases with length of service.
- Duvet days where employees may take time off at short notice.
- Death in service policy.
- Cycle to work scheme where employees can save money on a new bike and spread the cost.
- And much more!
- Opportunities for continuous learning and career development.
- A supportive and inclusive work environment where your contributions are valued.
Application notes
Interested candidates are invited to apply by completing the online application form which can be found here :
glasgowcouncilonalcohol.livevacancies.co.uk/#/applicant/23
If you require our application form in another format, please contact HR@glasgowcouncilonalcohol.org
Closing date for applications: Friday 5th September 2025 at 9am
Shortlisting: Monday 8th September 2025
Date of interviews: Tuesday 16th September 2025 or Thursday 17th September 2025
Start date: ASAP
Equal Opportunity Employer:
GCA is an Equal Opportunities Organisation. We are committed to treating all workers and job applicants fairly and equally, regardless of their sex, pregnancy and maternity, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital / civil partnership status, age, race, disability or gender identity and expression or any other personal characteristic.
About Us:
Murray’s Initiative (formally known as Glasgow Council on Alcohol) is an independent Scottish charity that works to reduce alcohol and drug-related harm at both individual and community levels. Established in 1965, Murray’s Initiative adopts a long-term, trauma-informed and asset-based approach to changing the culture around substance use. Its services are built on a person-centred, harm-reduction model, supporting people whether their goal is to reduce consumption or achieve abstinence.
Murray’s Initiative offers free, confidential counselling services for people concerned about their own or someone else's drinking. Murray’s Initiative delivers a range of interventions including groupwork and employability support as well as a number of holistic and inclusive services, such as a women’s service for survivors of gender-based violence, young person’s peer education service, LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing support and tailored wellbeing programmes.
Murray’s Initiative is also a recognised provider of professional development, offering a comprehensive training portfolio including education aimed at increasing awareness of alcohol use and promoting healthier lifestyles, COSCA Counselling Skills and a Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Murray’s Initiative deliver services over 6 days per week and throughout Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire, helping people make meaningful, positive change in their lives.
The foundation of Murray’s Initiative is our supportive and inclusive culture for all who engage and work with us.
About the Role:
The role of the Alcohol Counsellor is to provide a counselling, advice and information service for individuals aged 16 and over with their own problematic alcohol use or to those affected by other people’s problematic alcohol use
The Alcohol Counsellor will report to the Service Manager - Counselling.
This post requires a Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme membership - successful applicants will be required to join the PVG Scheme.
Counsellor
- Part time
- £26,002 – £28,891 pro-rata
- On site: Different locations throughout North Lanarkshire
- Closing 12th January 2026
About Us:
Murray’s Initiative (formally known as Glasgow Council on Alcohol) is an independent Scottish charity that works to reduce alcohol and drug-related harm at both individual and community levels. Established in 1965, Murray’s Initiative adopts a long-term, trauma-informed and asset-based approach to changing the culture around substance use. Its services are built on a person-centred, harm-reduction model, supporting people whether their goal is to reduce consumption or achieve abstinence.
Murray’s Initiative offers free, confidential counselling services for people concerned about their own or someone else's drinking. Murray’s Initiative delivers a range of interventions including groupwork and employability support as well as a number of holistic and inclusive services, such as a women’s service for survivors of gender-based violence, young persons peer education service, LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing support and tailored wellbeing programmes.
Murray’s Initiative is also a recognised provider of professional development, offering a comprehensive training portfolio including education aimed at increasing awareness of alcohol use and promoting healthier lifestyles, COSCA Counselling Skills and a Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Murray’s Initiative deliver services over 6 days per week and throughout Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire and North Lanarkshire, helping people make meaningful, positive change in their lives.
The foundation of Murray’s Initiative is our supportive and inclusive culture for all who engage and work with us.
About the Role:
The role of the counsellor is to provide a counselling, advice and information service for individuals aged 16 and over with their own problematic alcohol and other drugs use or to those affected by other people’s problematic alcohol and other drugs use
The Counsellor will report to the Service Manager - Counselling.
This post requires a Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme membership - successful applicants will be required to join the PVG Scheme.
About Us:
Murray’s Initiative (formally known as Glasgow Council on Alcohol) is an independent Scottish charity that works to reduce alcohol and drug-related harm at both individual and community levels. Established in 1965, Murray’s Initiative adopts a long-term, trauma-informed and asset-based approach to changing the culture around substance use. Its services are built on a person-centred, harm-reduction model, supporting people whether their goal is to reduce consumption or achieve abstinence.
Murray’s Initiative offers free, confidential counselling services for people concerned about their own or someone else's drinking. Murray’s Initiative delivers a range of interventions including groupwork and employability support as well as a number of holistic and inclusive services, such as a women’s service for survivors of gender-based violence, young persons peer education service, LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing support and tailored wellbeing programmes.
Murray’s Initiative is also a recognised provider of professional development, offering a comprehensive training portfolio including education aimed at increasing awareness of alcohol use and promoting healthier lifestyles, COSCA Counselling Skills and a Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Murray’s Initiative deliver services over 6 days per week and throughout Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire, helping people make meaningful, positive change in their lives.
The foundation of Murray’s Initiative is our supportive and inclusive culture for all who engage and work with us.
About the Role:
The Group Worker will support our peer-led Harm Reduction Service (U-Turn) benefiting young people 11 – 25 years old to design and deliver youth-led inputs on issue-based topics, with a focus to incorporate harm reduction approaches and address stigma/language around substance use.
The Group Worker will have responsibility for developing our weekly groups for our Peer Educators to take part in training around areas such as leadership, team building, issue-based topics and wellbeing. These groups will provide a safe, trauma-informed space where individuals will be able to feel confident to develop coping skills and resilience.
The service specifically targets some of the most vulnerable young people in areas where Murray’s Initiative currently delivers services, aiming to reduce the harm caused by alcohol and other drugs within their communities.
The Peer Educators will be supported to deliver peer-led inputs to other Young People on issued-based topics, with a focus to incorporate a harm reduction approach as well as a separate element of addressing stigma/language around drug and alcohol use.
The Group Worker will report to the Service Manager – Education & Development.
This post requires a Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme membership - successful applicants will be required to join the PVG Scheme.
Join us as an Operations Manager in East Dunbartonshire.
Our team in East Dunbartonshire is recruiting for an Operations Manager, to join them in providing high quality recovery care to a diverse service user group. If you are a dynamic leader, who can inspire others to make a difference for their clients using a compassionate and collaborative approach, we want to hear from you.
As a leading charity supporting people with drug, alcohol, and mental health challenges, we operate over 80 services across England and Scotland, providing free and confidential support to more than 100,000 people each year. Find out more about us here.
Job Description
We are looking for a driven, dynamic & compassionate individual to lead our East Dunbartonshire Young People & Family Service. Our service provides free, confidential support to Young People and Families who are affected by their own or a loved ones substance use. We deliver a wide range of interventions including one to one support sessions, structured group-work, wellbeing activities. We can also provide in-house Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
You will strive to work collaboratively with partners and local communities, ensuring that we are as accessible as possible and that we deliver trauma informed support with the principles of a Recovery Oriented System of Care at the heart of all that we do. You will lead your team, providing development and clear direction aligned with the organisational aims and be a strong advocate for WithYou externally, maintaining and building our profile as you go. An SVQ Level 4 in Social Services and Health care & driving licence would be desirable for this post.
This is a permanent, full-time role working 37.5 hours per week between Monday - Friday 9am to 5pm, with some evening and weekend flexibility as required. The salary for this position is £29,272.60 per annum.
Company Benefits
- 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
- An extra day off for your birthday or a special occasion of your choice
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
- 2 days paid volunteer leave per year
- Auto-enrollment into We Are With You’s pension scheme
- Access to a Blue Light Card - giving you great savings on big high-street and online brands
- Flexible working opportunities and access to a range of services and resources to support you with your wellbeing
- We have an excellent Refer a Friend scheme which offers you a £500 bonus for any recommendations, any role! Our scheme allows you to recommend your friends and family to work with us and earn a £500 bonus payment for every successful referral you make. Please note, the Refer a Friend scheme is only applicable if your recommended friend completes their 6 months probation period
Essential Skills
The most important thing you can bring to this role is clear and inspirational leadership. We’re open to discussions with candidates working in leadership roles outside of the drug and alcohol arena - for example, in mental health or housing. We’re most interested in your ability to demonstrate motivational leadership skills, with the drive to promote staff development and retention. You’ll have the support of a Head of Service Delivery and a wider team of experienced and dedicated stakeholders across the organisation.
If you have experience managing comparable services, as either an established manager or in a team leader or similar capacity and you are looking for the next step up in your career, we would welcome your application.
You should have:
- Experience in drug and alcohol support services, or in an equivalent social care setting
- A proven track record of managing and supervising others
- Experience working with vulnerable people (Young People and Adults)
- SVQ Level 4 in Social Services and Health care (or be willing to complete this)
- Experience of partnership working and within multidisciplinary teams
- Experience of working within community based services
- Ability to develop and lead a cohesive team
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to quickly establish credibility and/or make a positive impact
- Strong communication skills, both verbal and written
About Us
WithYou provides free and confidential support, without judgement, to more than 100,000 people every year experiencing challenges with drugs, alcohol and mental health across England and Scotland.
Our name reflects who we are – a positive place where people can progress, connect with others and get friendly, expert help in a way that’s right for them.
Our staff team changes lives. If you’re passionate about helping people get the support they need for issues with drugs, alcohol and mental health, we’d love to hear from you.
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