Addictions Support Worker

Cnwlnhshealthcharity; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 24,000 - GBP 27,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider is seeking a Support Worker to support clients with drug and alcohol assessments. The role involves providing direct care and facilitating recovery along-side multi-disciplinary teams. The ideal candidate should have NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care, experience with substance use, and excellent communication skills. Competitive salary between £24,937 - £26,598 per annum, with opportunities for career development and a supportive work environment.

Benefits

Generous relocation package

Flexible working options

Employee Wellbeing initiatives

Qualifications

• Experience of working with people with substance use issues.
• Ability to communicate on all levels and to a broad scope of individuals.
• Sensitive understanding of diversity issues.

Responsibilities

• Provide case management and direct clinical care to clients.
• Assess and case manage drug-using clients.
• Facilitate group sessions and home visits.

Skills

Communication

Empathy

Problem-solving

Organizational skills

Team player

Education

NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care

Job description

Search here to find a new job, a new career, an opportunity to up skill or to simply change your career direction.

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

There’s a place for you at CNWL.

We’re passionate about delivering first‑class patient‑centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do.

Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people.

We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and we’ll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career.

With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more – whatever stage of your career you're at, there's always a place for you at CNWL.

To help your onboarding go smoothly, it’s essential that internal applicants:

• Use their NHS.net email address in their TRAC profile
• Ensure your application is marked to show that you are a current CNWL staff member
• Applications using personal email addresses (e.g. Gmail or Yahoo) will not be recognised, and the process simply won’t work. There is also a charge to change new starter personal email addresses to their nhs.net email address.

Before you apply:

• Log into TRAC and update your email to your NHS.net address
• Check your application details and make sure you are identified as an internal applicant
• This small step helps avoid major problems later.

Site ARC‑MK Town Milton Keynes Salary £24,937 - £26,598 per annum (pro rata if P/T) Salary period Yearly Closing 11/02/2026 23:59

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London’s population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.

Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference. We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page.

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Job overview

Previous candidates need not apply

As an integral and highly valued member of the multi-disciplinary team, the Support worker will provide drug and alcohol assessments, brief interventions and practical assistance to service users within the ARC‑MK services.

The support worker will take a lead role in embedding recovery values within the service setting in which they work, alongside recovery workers and nursing colleagues as well as other agencies in the Addictions and Mental Health fields and act as an ambassador of recovery for the Addictions Directorate with external agencies and partner organisations.

As a core member of the multi-disciplinary team, the support worker will work with service users on a 1:1 and/or group basis. They will also have the opportunity to co‑work with other colleagues.

Main duties of the job

• To provide case management and direct clinical care to a defined number of clients as agreed with the Sector Manager or management team. This includes assessment, planning and providing specialist care. It is expected that the caseload will consist of clients of low to medium complexity and the postholder will take a predominant role in providing 1‑1 extended brief interventions, re‑engagement work and co‑facilitating groups and home visits.
• To be able to assess and case manage drug‑using clients, applying the precepts of harm minimisation
• To use agreed and established Outcome Monitoring Tools and any other relevant quality measures
• To manage the transfer of individuals between agencies and services
• To support individuals regarding their substance use, using motivational interviewing, relapse management and other evidence‑based interventions
• To ensure full risk assessment and risk management is delivered effectively, under supervision
• To ensure the highest quality of service is delivered by following local and national quality and performance standards, guidance, protocols, procedures and practice guidelines
• To ensure that all work is performed in accordance with Trust policies and procedures, including the Serious Incident policy

Working for our organisation

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 7,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London’s population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.

Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference. We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. See attached Staff Reward and Wellbeing Handbook detailing our benefits, discounts and wellbeing initiatives for staff.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please note: This vacancy does not meet the criteria for Skilled Worker sponsorship, unless you meet the criteria by temporary exemption from current changes to immigration rules put in force on 22/07/2025. Separate provisions are applied to workers who have been sponsored and held continuously Skilled Worker visa since prior to 04/04/2024.

As such, if you don’t meet the Transitional Provision (above) we are unable to consider your application unless you can provide documentary evidence of your right to work in the United Kingdom. believe you are eligible for sponsorship or already hold a valid right to work in the UK, please ensure you provide full details of your immigration status in the Pre‑Screening Immigration section of your application form.

Please note role eligibility also depends on whether the role meets the salary threshold for the relevant occupational code (SOC CODE).

For further information about the advertised role, please refer to the job description & person specification included in the documents section of this advert.

Communication:

• To participate in multi‑disciplinary meetings, both on‑site and in the community relating to client management.
• To develop close links with Primary Care Services and other relevant partner agencies in the locality.
• To liaise and communicate clinical information with partner agencies concerning clients, within the strict guidelines / protocol on shared confidential information between named partner agencies.
• To promote a positive culture where improving communication, and maintenance of a healthy therapeutic relationship with clients are enhanced and valued.
• To contribute to the promotion of Team cohesiveness, multidisciplinary working and to work collaboratively with colleagues at all times in all parts of the Trust to achieve healthy and effective communication.

Information and Resource Management:

• To be responsible for the effective management of own caseload and to keep records, diary appointments and workload priorities.
• To maintain accurate and up to date documentation of all clients records, ensuring the confidentiality of such records are in line with the Data Protection Act and Information Sharing Protocol.
• To adhere to all service data recording policies.
• To be responsible for ensuring monthly contract and other data reporting activities are submitted within agreed timescales.
• To ensure that all local service administration systems are followed.
• To ensure client information is entered in the service database system and to ensure activity input to clinical systems is accurate and timely.
• To be responsible for use of resources allocated for the purpose of the post.

Person specification

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care
• Basic Level 2 - English and Maths
• Commitment to obtain underpinning knowledge through work based learning and mandatory training
• Any specific training in Dual diagnosis
• Completion of courses that are DANOS compliant
• Motivational Interviewing

Experience

• Experience of working with people with substance use issues
• Experience of supporting with the development of individual care plans for managing recovery
• Voluntary experience in the field of addictions and/or mental health
• Experience of working within Mental Health and/or addictions settings

Skills & Knowledge

• Ability to communicate on all levels and to a broad scope of individuals, both internally and externally to the Addictions Services
• Ability to appreciate / understand other people’s worlds
• Ability to demonstrate empathy, compassion and patience
• An ability to be non‑judgemental
• An ability to act calmly and to respond in a professional manner to distress, disturbance and unpredictability
• Knowledge of how to build community links and networks
• Ability to problem solve and create innovative solutions to help empower service user
• Understanding of issues arising from experiencing ill health related to substance use.
• Ability to work unsupervised in a range of settings
• Sensitive understanding of diversity issues and an ability to promote anti‑discriminatory practice / equal opportunities
• Ability to demonstrate practical skills to provide support with daily living activities
• Good organisational skills
• Effective team player
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of client recovery
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of treatment pathways in addictions
• Evidence of good interpersonal skills and an ability to form good relationships with service users and carers
• Knowledge of basic food hygiene
• Knowledge of basic first aid
• Basic Health and Safety awareness
• Moving and handling awareness
• Awareness of local services
• Knowledge of benefits/ employment systems
• Ability to speak other languages

Other

• A preparedness to work flexible hours through prior arrangement as the needs of the job dictate (e.g. some evenings & weekends)
• Ability to travel between locations using own or public transport

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

• Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.
• Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the UKVI points based system
• Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.
• If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.