Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) is looking for a driven, strategic, and values-led Senior Learning and Development Officer – Drug Trends and Emergency Responses to lead our work in this area at a time when Scotland’s response to drug-related issues requires urgency and strong leadership.

About Us

Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) is Scotland’s national resource of expertise on drugs and drug use. Established in 1986, we are a membership-based charity working towards our vision of a Scotland free from drug-related health and social harm, through compassionate, inclusive, and evidence-informed policy and practice.

Our mission is to improve the country’s response to drug-related issues through compassionate, inclusive, and evidence-informed policy and practice. We bring together people with lived and living experience, service providers, researchers, and decision-makers to create a more humane and effective approach to drugs - one that recognises dignity, reduces stigma, and saves lives.

About the Role

The Workforce Development Team deliver a wide range of learning and development opportunities aimed at enhancing the skills, knowledge and confidence of the workforce who engage with people experiencing problems with alcohol and drugs across Scotland.

The Senior Learning and Development Officer for Drug Trends and Emergency Responses plays a pivotal role in enhancing Scotland’s capacity to address emerging drug trends and in leading preparedness and coordinated responses to incidents, outbreaks, and clusters of harm.

This role offers an exciting opportunity join one of Scotland’s most respected drugs policy organisations.

What We’re Looking For

We’re seeking someone who is:

• A skilled communicator with a deep understanding of Scotland’s drug landscape.

• A strategic thinker who can balance reactive work with long-term planning.

• Confident in working collaboratively.

• Passionate about inclusion, human rights, and amplifying the voices of people with lived and living experience.

What You’ll Get

• The chance to make a real difference at a national level.

• A supportive, flexible working environment committed to staff wellbeing and development.

• Generous holiday allowance and pension contribution.

• Ongoing opportunities for learning and professional growth.

Are you someone who enjoys a varied workload and who is passionate about promoting recovery? The role of Recovery Development Worker ensures a focus on building and strengthening visible recovery within and across communities. You may have lived experience of recovery or have skills and experience in a similar role. This role requires energy, enthusiasm and adaptability across the 7-day working week. Some evening and weekend work is critical to our operational delivery. The role demands a solution focused and strengths-based approach when working with all Recovery Scotland stakeholders.

About the job

The Recovery Development Worker is suited to an individual with "lived" and/or “learned” experience of recovery from problematic substance use or addictive behaviours, such as problem gambling, or someone who has been directly affected by another person’s substance use or addictive behaviours.

This experience of recovery and resilience can instil hope and is a powerful example within recovery communities. Individuals with lived experience of substance use must be at least 24 months free from problematic substance use and not engaging with services.

The post holder will be required to join the PVG scheme.

About you

You will be someone who thrives in a small, enthusiastic, and committed team. Your experience and skills of promoting recovery can be evidenced and you are adaptable, can use your initiative and be confident with autonomous working. Using your lived experience or work experience you foster positive and trusting relationships and you can demonstrate a focus on recovery and resilience. You will have excellent organisational and self-motivation skills. You are committed to developing your skills further and passionate about lifelong learning.

You will be dedicated and compassionate when working with the Recovery Scotland team and with community members, families, volunteers, and external partners.

About Recovery Scotland

Recovery Scotland is a charity working with local and national partners to support and promote recovery from substance use by ensuring lived experience is visible, included and represented. We work with communities supporting a wide range of recovery focused activities and educational opportunities. We work within local and national guidelines promoting resilience and recovery with individuals, families, and communities.

Our work champions community membership, volunteering, self-management, and personal and professional development.

My Support Day is currently seeking new Board Members. My Support Day is governed by a voluntary Board of Trustees, who guide and oversee our organisation. Our board is made up of people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, with an interest in supporting families and loved ones who are affected by someone else's substance use,

The main aim of My Support Day is to support families who are affected by someone else's substance use. My Support Day is a charity based within South Lanarkshire which supports families and loved ones who have been affected by someone else’s substance use. The support is person centred, and individuals are supported via 1:1, support group both face to face and online.

My Support Day are provision holders and distributors of Naloxone.

We are also in partnership between Liber8 to deliver the service FREE – Family Recovery Everyone Everywhere. This service is based across South Lanarkshire to access one-to-one support, group support, learning and development and events for the whole family. This service will also offer counselling, mediation and therapeutic services to Individuals using the service which can tailor their support to suit their needs.

Our Board wishes to expand its skills base and welcomes individuals with relevant financial, community and business experience. We are looking to attract individuals with skills and experience ranging from social media, human resources, community learning & development, legal, finance/fundraising, marketing and, most importantly, an interest in the wellbeing of families who are affected by someone else's substance use with a passion to make family recovery visible.

The position of trustee is a voluntary position, but travel expenses and other reasonable expenses accrued when carrying out the role will be paid.

Time Commitment

We ask board member candidates for a minimum commitment of attending 1 meeting every quarter, held online or in person, with email contact on matters arising between meetings. Alongside this, additional requests may be made for support with board activities such as recruitment of staff on an occasional basis

We are looking for a Substance Misuse Nurse to join our service in South Ayrshire.

Our team in South Ayrshire are recruiting for an experienced Substance Misuse Nurse, to join them in providing high quality recovery care to a diverse service user group. If you are an enthusiastic and creative registered nurse, passionate about changing people’s lives for the better, we’d love to hear from you.

We need your passion and dedication to help us change the lives of the people we support. You will be part of a dynamic team who will value your input and ideas. Our clients will benefit from your clinical skill set, experience and knowledge as you empower them to overcome their personal challenges. We truly believe that education is a powerful tool, we are continuously learning how our clients want to be supported and reflecting on ways to improve our services.

This is an extremely rewarding role, one from which you will have the opportunity to be part of a patient's journey from end to end. We are certain this role will remind you of why you chose nursing as a career pathway. 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 on our website.

Job Description

As our Substance Misuse Nurse, you will provide a range of health and wellbeing and harm reduction interventions to service users in accordance with the agreed model of service delivery. You will deliver high standards of nursing care to those affected by substance misuse and be responsible for the assessment of care needs, development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care.

You will be an advocate for our patients, working closely with them to identify the physical, psychological, spiritual and social support they need. You will work flexibly providing a high standard of nursing care in a variety of settings, promoting the health and well-being of service users whilst maintaining a safe, caring and therapeutic environment.

You will participate as an active member of the nursing and multi-disciplinary teams, accountable for your practice, and work in partnership with other health care professionals, psycho-social case managers, patients and others in the delivery of care. You will support the delivery of specific healthcare clinics or groups, designed to support and educate clients, providing them with practical tools to overcome life’s challenges, this will include pre-session planning and post-session evaluation.

The post is within the Connect4Change Service who provide multidisciplinary intensive, flexible, and assertive outreach support for vulnerable people who:

• are 16+ and a resident of South Ayrshire
• may be disengaging from core alcohol or drugs services
• and / or have had recent contact with emergency services due to their alcohol and drug use
• and / or have experienced a recent non-fatal overdose
• Please note that you must have current NMC registration to be considered for this position.

Please see thefull job descriptionto support your application.

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

• Registered Nurse with current NMC registration and post registration clinical experience
• Experience of delivering nursing interventions in a community setting
• Demonstrable experience of comprehensive assessment of need including risk assessments
• Knowledge of safe storage, handling and administration of drugs in particular controlled drugs
• Be able to work constructively with a wide variety of groups and individuals in a range of settings and work roles
• Be able to assess plans, implement and evaluate service user care and act accordingly if untoward changes occurred
• Be able to positive engage service users and treat the with respect and dignity
• Have effective written and communication skills
• Ideally you will have experience of working in a drug and alcohol setting