Recovery Worker - Criminal Justice Substance Misuse


Company:	The Society of St James
Salary:	£26,986 - £30,561
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Portsmouth, PO5 1JG
Working pattern:	On-site
Job type:	Temporary
Posting date:	3 Aug 2026
Closing date:	14 Aug 2026

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Summary

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic Charity and Housing Association. The Society of St James (SSJ) has been working in Hampshire for over 50 years, delivering high impact, person-centred, accommodation services to adults and young people experiencing homelessness, problematic substance use and mental health problems. We believe that every person is of worth and we are prepared to take risks to house and support the most at risk and socially excluded members of society.

The Role

The role will be based at The Recovery Hub in Southsea, but the work will involve taking on lead positions within the criminal justice substance misuse team and co-location, visiting clients with other services or in clients’ homes, and working alongside key partner agencies. You will work within a flexible 37 hour working week including a rota of regular evening work and some work at weekends.

The Impact you will make

The role will involve working with people who have experienced trauma, substance misuse and mental health issues, where you can use your knowledge of criminal justice services and of the impact of substance misuse on individuals, families and the wider community.

You will be able to support and manage a caseload of clients safely and effectively who will have a wide range of needs, risks and differing levels of motivation to change or engage in treatment.

You will understand the impact of substance use and alcohol dependency and be skilled to offer an array of suitable and psychologically informed behaviour change interventions. This will include monitoring medical Opiate Substitute Prescriptions, completing drug screenings of urine and saliva samples, and exploring Psychosocial support options through one-to-one support so that your work helps people towards making their lives better.

You will work closely with Portsmouth criminal justice services and be based from a range of different locations as directed by your line manager. These locations will include; Portsmouth Probation, Court teams, IOM offender management and Portsmouth custody. You may also need to travel to prisons to meet people on release from their custodial sentences, to help minimise risk of relapse and potentially fatal overdose once people begin integrating back into the community.

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