Job summary
Do you want to support young people to understand substance use and make safer, healthier choices? As a Health & Wellbeing Outreach & Engagement Practitioner you’ll play a vital role in early intervention, working with children, young people, and young adults across Harrow. This role focuses on prevention and education around substance misuse, helping young people understand risks, build awareness, and access the right support. You’ll be out in the community delivering sessions in schools, youth clubs, and local spaces, engaging those who may be vulnerable or harder to reach. You’ll be the friendly, consistent presence of the service, building trust and opening conversations that shape positive decisions. Beyond face‑to‑face engagement you’ll support digital outreach, creating accessible content that reaches young people where they are. You’ll hold a caseload with one‑to‑one sessions focusing on prevention and early intervention. This is an active, community‑based role where every interaction helps prevent escalation and supports healthier futures for young people in Harrow.
Main duties of the job
You are passionate about engaging young people and helping them make positive choices around substance misuse. You thrive in community settings, love building connections, and can communicate with young people from diverse backgrounds. You’re proactive, adaptable, and ready to be a visible and approachable presence in schools, youth clubs, and public spaces.
To be successful you will need:
* Experience working with young people in a community, education or health setting.
* The ability to engage and motivate young people, especially those facing challenges.
* Strong communication skills, both in‑person and online, to deliver health promotion messages effectively.
* Knowledge of safeguarding and an understanding of the barriers young people may face when accessing support.
* Confidence in using social media and digital tools to reach young people and promote services.
* A flexible and proactive approach, with the ability to work independently across multiple locations.
Experience delivering health education sessions or understanding child protection principles will help you thrive, but don’t worry if you do not tick every box.
Qualifications
* Relevant qualification in substance misuse, youth work, counselling psychology, mental health, or an accredited NVQ Level 3 in children, young people or families, social care or mental health.
* Safeguarding children and adults guidance and legislation knowledge.
* Knowledge of developmental needs, equality and diversity, confidentiality, consent and mental capacity, risk‑taking behaviour, emotional health, data protection, drugs/alcohol harm reduction, contraception and STIs.
Experience and additional criteria
* Team player, able to work as part of a team and cooperate with others.
* Interpersonal skills to develop and maintain positive relationships internal and external to the organisation.
* Autonomous, able to work without direct supervision, prioritise work and act on own initiative.
* Strategic thinking to identify and manage risk and assess needs.
* Excellent communication skills, written and verbal, and ability to adjust style to the audience.
* Confidence and resilience to deliver messages and facilitate group work.
* Flexible and adaptable, positive attitude to change.
* Self‑awareness, empathy, moral integrity.
* Highly motivated, reliable, organised, meets deadlines and manages time.
Benefits
* 27 days holiday + bank holidays, rising to 32 days over time (pro rata).
* Life assurance at 2 × basic salary.
* Competitive contributory pension scheme.
* 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme and occupational health service.
* Enhanced sick pay.
* Excellent learning & development opportunities and career progression.
* Annual salary review.
Commitment to Equality
We positively encourage applications from all members of the community, regardless of gender, race, faith, disability, age or sexual orientation, and encourage applications from people who have lived experiences that enrich skills and empathy. We are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, on commencement or once in post.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to appropriate DBS checks.
Employer information
Compass
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