Substance Use Recovery Worker – The Society of St James, Portsmouth

Substance Use Recovery Worker

Portsmouth Substance Use Services, The Recovery Hub

37 hours per week, Monday - Friday (with regular evening and occasional weekend working) 

Permanent

Salary Scale: 22-26 (£26,986 - £30,561 per annum)

About Us

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 successful candidate will have experience of working with substance use and mental health client groups, have an excellent knowledge of the impact of substance use on individuals, families and the wider community and be able to manage a client caseload safely and effectively. You will understand the impact of substance use and alcohol dependency and offer a range of interventions and support available to help people make their lives better.

Who We're Looking For

We are seeking a compassionate, resilient, and self-aware individual who thrives on making a genuine difference. To succeed in this role, you will bring:

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  A Trauma-Informed Approach: Empathy, patience, and compassion when supporting individuals with complex needs and challenging behaviors.

  
  


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  Relationship & Risk Management Skills: The ability to balance robust risk management with authentic, trust-based relationships with service users.

  
  


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  Person-Centred Focus: A passion for supporting clients to identify and access the interventions that matter most to them.

  
  


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  Professional Standards: High self-awareness and the ability to maintain strong professional boundaries at all times.

  
  


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  Adaptability & Accountability: Experience managing a client caseload safely, adaptably, and with safeguarding at the heart of everything you do.

  
  

The role will be primarily based at The Recovery Hub in Southsea, but the work will involve visiting clients in other services or in their own homes and working alongside key partner agencies.

What we can offer you

We value and recognise our staff, offering some generous benefits, as well as the satisfaction of helping people at risk:

●       A competitive annual leave entitlement of 25 days rising to 30 days, plus public holidays

●       Flexible working options

●       Buying additional annual leave

●       Comprehensive induction and training

●       Counselling, financial, personal support and health and wellbeing services via our Employee Assistance Programme

●       Company cycle to work scheme

●       Discounted laptops and computers with Jamie’s Computers

●       Electric Car Scheme

●       Blue Light Card 

For an informal chat about the position, please give us a call.

SSJ are an equal opportunity employer and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds and walks of life.

At SSJ, we recognise the benefits of a supported workplace. SSJ is affiliated with Unite the Union. To learn more about their membership benefits or to sign up, you can visit their official website.

Application closing date: Sunday 25th October 2026

Interview date: Wednesday 4th November 2026

Due to the high number of expected applicants, we do reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier.

Should you not hear from us within 14 days of the closing date, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.  

1. Cycle to work scheme


2. Discounted laptops and computers with Jamie’s Computers


3. Employer pension contributions via salary sacrifice


4. Flexible working opportunities


5. Counselling, financial, personal support, and health and well-being services via our Employee Assistance Programme