Senior Worker/ Practitioner

Change Grow Live; Sunderland; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 25 days

Wellness hour

Pension scheme

Employee discounts

Job summary

Change Grow Live in Sunderland is seeking an experienced Criminal Justice Senior Practitioner to provide operational leadership within our Criminal Justice Substance Misuse Team. You will support day-to-day delivery, manage complex cases, and coach Recovery Coordinators to ensure high-quality practice.

This fixed-term role (37.5 hours) runs until end March 2028, offering opportunities to influence partnership working with Probation, Prisons, Courts and local services while maintaining frontline

Qualifications

• Significant experience in substance misuse and/or criminal justice services.
• Experience managing complex risk, safeguarding and multi-agency interventions.
• Able to provide professional guidance to colleagues.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed, recovery-oriented practice.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day operational support across the Criminal Justice service.
• Support management of complex and high-risk cases with safeguarding in mind.
• Coach Recovery Coordinators and contribute to quality assurance activities.
• Strengthen multi-agency partnerships with probation, prisons, courts and police.
• Deputise for the Project Manager and promote innovative treatment pathways.

Skills

Substance misuse

Criminal justice

Staff coaching

Communication

Job description

Overview

Change Grow Live are a charity dedicated to the belief that we can make a difference to our Service Users lives.

Our core values are 'Be open, be compassionate and be bold' and our teams apply these daily offering support and respect in a safe environment, treating each user as an individual and working with them to find the right treatment and care options.

Are you passionate about improving outcomes for people involved in the criminal justice system?

Our Sunderland Service is seeking an experienced and motivated Criminal Justice Senior Practitioner to provide operational leadership and specialist support within our Criminal Justice Substance Misuse Team. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced practitioner who wants to take the next step in their career while remaining closely connected to frontline practice.

Where: Sunderland

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract until end March 2028

Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours.

Responsibilities

About the role:

Working closely with the Project Manager, you will provide day-to-day operational support across the Criminal Justice service, helping to ensure high-quality, safe and effective practice. You will act as a specialist resource for frontline staff, supporting the management of complex cases, embedding best practice and promoting positive outcomes for service users. You will support the management of complex and high-risk cases, provide guidance and coaching to Recovery Coordinators, contribute to quality assurance activity and strengthen multi-agency partnership working across probation, prisons, courts, police and wider support services.

This role has been created in response to increasing service demand, growing complexity of need and the expanding role of community-based treatment within the criminal justice system. You will play a key role in supporting service delivery while helping to drive innovation, service improvement and positive outcomes for people experiencing substance misuse and multiple disadvantage. You will also help strengthen our work with key partners including Probation, Prisons, Police, Courts, Housing Services, Mental Health Services and local safeguarding partnerships.

• Provide specialist consultation and support on complex, high-risk and safeguarding cases.
• Support Criminal Justice Recovery Coordinators in delivering high-quality, recovery-focused interventions.
• Assist with quality assurance, case file audits and continuous service improvement activities.
• Support operational oversight and performance management within the Criminal Justice Team.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with partner agencies.
• Contribute to workforce development through coaching, mentoring and practice guidance.
• Deputise for the Project Manager where appropriate.
• Support innovative approaches to criminal justice treatment pathways, continuity of care arrangements and community-based interventions.
• Promote a culture of learning, accountability and excellent service delivery.

About You

We're looking for someone who:

• Has significant experience working within substance misuse and/or criminal justice services.
• Has experience managing complex cases involving risk, safeguarding and multi-agency intervention.
• Is confident providing professional guidance and support to colleagues.
• Has a strong understanding of recovery-oriented practice and trauma-informed approaches.
• Builds positive relationships with a wide range of partners and stakeholders.
• Has excellent communication, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Is passionate about improving outcomes for people affected by substance misuse and criminal justice involvement.
• Can balance operational priorities whilst maintaining a focus on quality and service user outcomes.

Why Join Us?

This is an exciting time to join Wear Recovery as we continue to develop innovative responses to the changing criminal justice landscape. With increasing emphasis on community supervision, treatment and rehabilitation, this role offers the opportunity to have a genuine impact on service development and system-wide partnerships.

You'll have the opportunity to:

• Influence the future direction of criminal justice treatment services.
• Develop leadership and management skills.
• Work alongside experienced professionals across multiple agencies.
• Improve outcomes for individuals, families and communities.
• Be part of a service committed to recovery, innovation and continuous improvement.

What we offer:

• 25 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays. Additionally, you'll receive one extra day of annual leave for each year of service during your first five years, therefore you will enjoy 30 days of leave after five years with us.

• A dedicated 'Wellness' hour each week, access to a 'Wellness' hub, and an Employee Assistance Programme.

• Participation in a contributory pension scheme.

• A wide range of benefits, including discounts for shopping, cinema, holidays, and more.

• A warm and supportive team environment.

• Extensive training, career development, and progression opportunities.

• Refer a Friend Scheme..

A note about using AI in your application

AI can be a really helpful tool when putting together your application, and we're happy for you to use it. However, what we're most interested in is you.

We want to understand your experiences, achievements and strengths, so please make sure your application reflects your own story and clearly shows how you meet the essential criteria and the impact you've made in previous roles.

There's no need to write in a particular style. The strongest applications are those that are authentic, specific and clearly demonstrate your skills, experience and potential. We look forward to learning more about you.

Please ensure that when completing your application form and supporting statement, you reflect on the details outlined in the job description. This will help us understand how your skills and experiences align with the requirements of the role.

Direct applications only — we will not be engaging agencies for this vacancy.

Please note: This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. For applicants with time-limited visas, unfortunately, we are unable to support new visa applications or extensions.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Salary Range (pro rata if part time)

CGL points 28 to 30 (£32,802.41 - £35,069.56)

ILW / OLW /Fringe

N/A - Outside London Weighting Area

Interview Date

3/11/2026

Closing Date

20/10/2026

If you have any questions on this opportunity that you would like to talk through please contact us using the below details:

Madeleine Drummond (Sunderland Services) | [e-mail] | 07814080166

This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an enhanced level.