Are you a practitioner with experience of working with families affected by drug and/or alcohol use, delivering substance misuse interventions, and of supporting others to improve their practice and build confidence? This newly created post could be the job for you! WHAT IS INVOLVED? This is one of 3 new practice advisor roles in our Supporting Solutions Service. Our Supporting Solutions Service offers intensive interventions to children and young people who are at risk of coming into the care of the local authority. Our aim is to keep children and young people at home, in the care of their families where it is safe to do so. We also offer support to children and young people who are in the care of local authority but have a plan to return to the care of their family or those who are living with foster carers and need intensive support to prevent a further move. As Substance Use Practice Advisor, you will play a pivotal role in strengthening the overall response of the Supporting Solutions Service to drug and alcohol-related harm. You will guide and support practitioners to deepen their understanding of best practice when working with drug and alcohol-related harm and its impact on children, families, and care planning. You will champion high-quality practice, promote early intervention and help to prevent children from entering care. You will help practitioners embed evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches in their practice when supporting children and families affected by drug and alcohol-related harm. You will promote early intervention, recovery, and the prevention of escalation into statutory services. You will be central to improving outcomes for families, reducing the need for statutory intervention, and keeping families together. If you would like to know more, we encourage you to contact Lucy Armstrong, Team Manager by e-mail at lucy.armstrong@durham.gov.uk or Deb Loraine, Service Manager by e-mail at deb.loraine@durham.gov.uk to arrange an informal discussion about the role. WHAT WILL I NEED? To apply for this exciting new post you will need: A degree in a relevant subject or equivalent Substantial recent post qualifying experience of work with children, young people and families with a focus on identifying and responding to need and risk. Experience of work with families affected by drug and/or alcohol use, and of delivering substance misuse interventions. Experience of delivering presentations to a range of audiences. Experience of supervising/mentoring/supporting other practitioners to improve practice and build confidence. Please refer to the attached person specification for the full criteria. If successful, you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service Enhanced Disclosure. Our commitment to safeguarding Durham County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore if successful in your application, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be sought inclusive of a check of the Children’s Barred List an, due to the position working in regulated activity. Applicants should be aware that the DBS check will disclose both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings, in line with current legislation SHORTLISTING Please be aware that shortlisting may take up to a week after the closing date. Please don’t worry if it takes just over a week for us to confirm next steps. INTERVIEWS Interviews are expected to be held on during the week commencing 15 or 22 June 2026 at Spennymoor Council Offices, DL16 1JQ. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran. OUR OFFER TO YOU We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions. We are committed to providing a culture where good practice can flourish. We ensure our practitioners are highly supported and encourage flexible working to achieve a good work-life balance. You will benefit from a range of training opportunities and professional development through personalised induction, professional supervision, and mentoring. HYBRID WORKING Durham County Council currently operates a hybrid working policy where a model of 2 days in the workplace and 3 days at home/remote will apply. This model is pro-rated for part time roles and arrangements are at managers discretion, alternatively you can work all of your contracted hours within the workplace if you prefer. EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent people and offer support throughout the recruitment process. HOW TO APPLY Please note, we do not accept CVs. All applications must be submitted online via the Northeast Jobs portal. Use the ‘Person Specification’ section of the form to clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential (and where possible, desirable) criteria. Applications that do not evidence the essential requirements will not be shortlisted. Please visit our website to understand our position on using AI to support your application and for guidance on completing your application. If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or via email RecruitmentCYPS@durham.gov.uk All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from donotreply@northeastjobs.org.uk. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates. CONNECT WITH US Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook Visit our website VPRS/161