An opening exists for a research fellow to work within the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group at UCL as part of a 15-month research project funded by the Medical Research Council. The research project is a development of a tobacco harm reduction toolkit for use within the homeless sector. The successful applicant will assist the grantholders in running a person-centered project which actively seeks to engage peers and key stakeholders, including those who have experience of homelessness in the research process.

This post is available from 1st June 2021 to 31st August 2022 in the first instance.

The University of Stirling are looking to appoint an enthusiastic and highly motivated Research Fellow to work on a Chief Scientist Office funded study entitled “Developing an Intervention to Manage Benzodiazepine Dependence and High-Risk Use in the Context of Escalating Drug Related Deaths: A feasibility study”.

We are seeking an experienced Research Fellow to play a key role in the project team and be able to lead some elements of the work independently. The Fellow will be centrally involved in all aspects of the study from intervention development; building and maintaining good relationships and ongoing communication with all project sites; qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis; management of study advisory groups; management of study budget; and write up and dissemination of findings. The successful candidate will ideally have a PhD level degree and experience of health service research. Excellent planning and organisational skills and communication skills are vital.

This Research Assistant (RA) will support an NIH-funded study to develop and pilot test a novel smartphone application to reduce marijuana and other substance use among juvenile court-involved, non-incarcerated adolescents. Activities include participant recruitment and retention; data collection, entry, and organization; managing participant payments; programming online surveys.

The RA will be required to travel off-site to complete in-person activities with participants, including at the Rhode Island Family Court (roughly 0.5 miles from the School of Public Health).

The RA is expected to collaborate with project staff to generate and maintain data directories and other project documentation, conduct literature reviews as needed, and assemble materials for IRB modifications and progress reports.

RA’s are expected to work with several different populations, including adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system and their caregivers or legal guardians, as well as low-income and diverse populations. This job requires flexibility with regards to scheduling, in order to accommodate adolescent availability (i.e., must be willing to work some afternoons/early evenings on a weekly basis).

Alcohol Focus Scotland (AFS) is Scotland’s national alcohol charity, committed to preventing and reducing harm to individuals, families, communities and Scotland as a whole. 

AFS is looking for a motivated leader to shape innovative and diverse learning and development opportunities that make a real difference.  You will lead the development and implementation of a new learning and development strategy, creating innovative solutions and new markets for learning and development and promoting the long-term sustainability of the organisation through income generation.

GCU are looking for an enthusiastic qualitative researcher to work on an exciting project exploring the impact of later opening hours for clubs and pubs in Glasgow and Aberdeen, and the future of the night-time economy post-Covid (funded by NIHR).

You will work in close collaboration with, and under the supervision of, Professor Carol Emslie, who leads Glasgow Caledonian University’s (GCU) Substance Use research group (https://www.gcu.ac.uk/hls/research/researchgroups/substanceuse/

Your responsibilities will include developing interview schedules, collating information from social media, recruiting respondents, conducting qualitative interviews and focus groups, analysing qualitative data and contributing to presentations, reports and papers.  Specifically, you will facilitate (with support from senior qualitative researchers) data collection with the public about their vision for the future of the night-time economy (either through Citizens’ juries or deliberative focus groups) and conduct interviews with bar/club staff.

This vacancy concerns a job as part-time (20%) project manager for an EU-funded project on “Further Enhancing the Implementation of Quality Standards in drug demand reduction in the EU” (FENIQS-EU). A brief summary of the project proposal is provided below:

Quality standards (QS) were a central priority in the EU Drug Strategy 2013-2020 to improve the quality of drug services and to bridge the gap between science and practice. Yet, the extent and ways in which QS are implemented in daily practices of drug prevention, treatment and harm reduction in the EU vary substantially. Some countries have successfully implemented QS and there is a clear need to understand what transferable lessons can be learned from available 'good practices' which can guide the implementation of QS in different contexts across the EU. 

The general objective of this action is to enhance the implementation of QS in drug prevention, treatment and harm reduction throughout the EU, with more services, organizations and countries applying QS in daily practice. The project will focus on the actual application of QS in all EU countries and factors stimulating implementation. By identifying good practice examples and successful implementation strategies, key stakeholders (e.g. policymakers, service providers and users) will have access to do's and don'ts for implementing QS in various areas of drug demand reduction. A key activity will be the organization of a 2-day QS event in Lisbon, eventually resulting in consensus around core implementation strategies. The main output of this action will be a field-tested implementation toolkit, providing step-by-step guidance for individuals and organizations interested to implement QS. Training sessions, webinars and a video tutorial will support the introduction of the toolkit. 

Country representatives and civil society organizations will be involved throughout the project to maximize stakeholders' abilities to share good practices and to implement project recommendations in daily practice and at the local level. Project partners are three academic partners (based in Belgium, Croatia and the Czech Republic) and four pan-European networks (IREFREA, Correlation C-EHRN, Euro-TC, EUFAS), covering all EU member states and DDR areas.

This vacancy concerns a job as a junior researcher (50%) for an EU-funded project on “Further Enhancing the Implementation of Quality Standards in drug demand reduction in the EU” (FENIQS-EU). A brief summary of the project proposal is provided below:

Quality standards (QS) were a central priority in the EU Drug Strategy 2013-2020 to improve the quality of drug services and to bridge the gap between science and practice. Yet, the extent and ways in which QS are implemented in daily practices of drug prevention, treatment and harm reduction in the EU vary substantially. Some countries have successfully implemented QS and there is a clear need to understand what transferable lessons can be learned from available 'good practices' which can guide the implementation of QS in different contexts across the EU. 

The general objective of this action is to enhance the implementation of QS in drug prevention, treatment and harm reduction throughout the EU, with more services, organizations and countries applying QS in daily practice. The project will focus on the actual application of QS in all EU countries and factors stimulating implementation. By identifying good practice examples and successful implementation strategies, key stakeholders (e.g. policymakers, service providers and users) will have access to do's and don'ts for implementing QS in various areas of drug demand reduction. A key activity will be the organization of a 2-day QS event in Lisbon, eventually resulting in consensus around core implementation strategies. The main output of this action will be a field-tested implementation toolkit, providing step-by-step guidance for individuals and organizations interested to implement QS. Training sessions, webinars and a video tutorial will support the introduction of the toolkit. 

Country representatives and civil society organizations will be involved throughout the project to maximize stakeholders' abilities to share good practices and to implement project recommendations in daily practice and at the local level. Project partners are three academic partners (based in Belgium, Croatia and the Czech Republic) and four pan-European networks (IREFREA, Correlation C-EHRN, Euro-TC, EUFAS), covering all EU member states and DDR areas.

• Behaviour Change Programme Manager
• Central London (or homeworking)
• Around £34,492 - £37,666 + Benefits
• Closing date: 10am Monday 1 March.

Alcohol Change UK is delighted to be recruiting a Behaviour Change Programme Manager.

As the new Behaviour Change Programme Manager, you will help hundreds of thousands of people to take more control of their drinking, notably through the flagship Dry January® campaign and the Try Dry® app. Working with colleagues in the communications team and across the charity, you will be designing, developing, implementing and marketing Dry January® and our other cutting-edge behaviour change projects and campaigns. You will be supported to set and meet ambitious plans and targets. You will also work with multiple external stakeholders to make more of a difference and to identify opportunities to bring in income to support the further expansion of this work.

To be successful in this role, you will have demonstrable experience of running successful projects and programmes that deliver positive social and/or behavioural change. You will be an outstanding organiser, able to manage a complex and diverse workload. And you will be adept at managing relationships with multiple stakeholders, producing engaging communications for public audiences, and analysing data to create meaningful reports.

A rare opportunity has arisen to join the Scottish Drugs Forum in a key management position as our Head of Inclusion and Peer Engagement.

This post plays a central role in managing the development and delivery of SDF’s work to improve Scotland’s response to problem drug use through the involvement of people affected by problem substance use. Currently this involves peer research and other involvement and consultation projects and the Addiction Worker Training Project which provides employment and training to people who have experienced problem substance use. This work is to be consolidated and expanded and form a platform for innovative activity in further involvement activity.

This is a senior management post involving key aspects of the organisation’s work, working closely with the Chief Executive Officer and the Management Team to support and represent, at both local and national levels, a wide range of stakeholders including people directly affected by problem substance use, promoting collaborative, evidence-based response to drug use.

The post holder will assist the drugs sector more broadly to develop wider support programmes linked to employability, welfare and housing.

The successful candidate will have comparable managerial experience and will be able to demonstrate the ability to take lead responsibility for project development and delivery. They will have a track record of working with marginalised populations and in particular people with drug problems. The role will include liaison with planning partners including Scottish Government and other NGO’s and will require solid communication and organisational skills, enthusiasm and drive and a collaborative work approach.

This position is located within the Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section (PTRS), Drug Prevention and Health Branch (DHB), Division for Operations (DO), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in Vienna, Austria.

The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the Chief of the Section.

Responsibilities

Within assigned authority, the incumbent will be responsible for the following specific duties:

• Provide support and advisory services to requesting Governments for the formulation and implementation of effective strategies for the provision of treatment of drug use disorders, including especially treatment of drug use disorders in the context of the criminal justice system (e.g. as an alternative to conviction or punishment or in prison settings);
• Promote integrated programme development at the interface of the health and justice area with a specific focus on the treatment of drug use disorders, focusing especially on people with drug use disorders in contact with the criminal justice system and therefore including treatment as an alternative to conviction or punishment or within prison settings within UNODC’s mandate, in cooperation with UNODC field offices and relevant substantive sections;
• Provide substantive assistance and expert advice to the Member States in the drafting of regulations and legislation in the area of treatment of drug use disorders with a specific emphasis on services for people with drug use disorders in contact with the criminal justice system, in line with international conventions, rules and regulations;
• Identify, prepare and contribute to the development of ideas, proposals, conduct training and prepare documents on treatment as an alternative to conviction or punishment for people with drug use disorders in contact with the criminal justice system, in collaboration with UNODC field offices and headquarters;
• Provide substantive support to in-house processes to ensure a coherent and integrated technical cooperation approach in the specific assigned area, in close collaboration with UNODC field offices;
• Liaise with relevant Member States representatives on the development of regional and national programmes with a view to the treatment of drug use disorders and related mental health disorders in prison settings;
• Contribute to the effective mobilization of resources for regional and national programmes that involve components of treatment in the context of the criminal justice system;
• Seek appropriate partnerships with other organizations of the United Nations System in the development of regional and national programmes and related activities to advance the development of treatment of drug use disorders;
• Draft and prepare policy and programmatic documents in the field of treatment of drug use disorders and especially the treatment of drug use disorders for people in contact with the criminal justice system;
• Carry out programmatic tasks as may be requested, including the preparation of budgets, assignment and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on programme performance and preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting;
• Organize and participate in meetings, workshops, study tours and seminars for officials in relation to the assigned and specific mandate areas;
• Contribute to the collection of data and information to facilitate global trends analysis relating to the assigned and specific mandates;
• Provide policy advice to intergovernmental bodies on the treatment of drug use disorders for people in contact with the criminal justice system, especially on their technical cooperation dimensions;
• Perform other work-related duties as required

Over 10 million people in England drink at a harmful level. Alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of death and disability with huge costs to society and the NHS1. One approach to reducing drinking is the promotion of ‘dry days,’ where people choose days of the week to not drink. This is expected to reduce overall alcohol consumption and may strengthen willpower to refuse alcohol. Research is needed on dry days to show what they mean to drinkers, how they can be achieved and whether they reduce a person’s drinking over time. The promotion of dry days might also work differently for different people based on their levels of deprivation or drinking. To expand the evidence for dry days, the PhD student will: 1) Review studies evaluating approaches for reducing drinking that include dry periods; 2) Interview drinkers about their understandings and experiences of dry days; 3) Ask drinkers to measure their drinking and related factors daily over a period of time and part-way through start using Public Health England’s Drink Free Days smartphone app to take dry days. This should tell us the app’s impact on dry days and alcohol consumption and what influences this. Participant interviews will also identify their experiences and views. 

Training Programme: Evidence synthesis, mixed and qualitative methods, statistical analysis including within-participant approaches, experimental evaluation, writing for publication, dissemination, and personal and professional development. 

Outputs: Thesis, publications, presentations, evidence to inform practice, potential future evaluation study. 

We are seeking a student with a good first degree (at least 2:1) and preferably a Masters in a related topic area (e.g., health psychology, public health, social science, research methods) or equivalent research experience. The student will have an interest in behaviour change, relevant research methods and data analysis, and will be committed and self-directed. 

The jobholder will work as a Project financial agent assigned to the EU4Monitoring Drugs (EU4MD) project, an EU-funded technical cooperation that is conducted in countries neighbouring the European Union. The jobholder will be responsible for the support to the financial management of the EU4MD project, including contribution to planning, implementation, reporting and accounting.
Contract agent (M/F) FGII .
The closing date for applications: 01.03.2021 at 23h59 (Lisbon Time).
Place of employment: Lisbon, Portugal

Project Title

Young men, alcohol and loneliness

Description

Reducing alcohol-related harm and tackling social isolation and loneliness are priorities for the Scottish Government. There is evidence that both loneliness and non-drinking are more stigmatized among men than women. Researchers have argued that it is important to explore how dominant constructions of masculinity (e.g. the belief that men should be ‘strong and silent’, or should be able to ‘hold’ their drink) impact on men’s health and on help-seeking behaviours.  Despite assumptions that loneliness affects older people, a recent international study found that young men living in individualistic societies were most vulnerable. Drinking patterns are in flux among young people. While a substantial minority (27%) of young men in Scotland still drink excessively, there has been a notable decline in drinking in young people (perhaps due to economic factors, increased health-consciousness or connecting with friends via online technology rather than through drinking).  

This PhD will focus on how young men ‘do friendship’ and cope with loneliness, with and without alcohol. It will explore young men’s experiences of social relationships and loneliness, and of drinking. It will also explore the role of alcohol in connecting with friends, and as a coping strategy for loneliness.

The University of Bedford are seeking to appoint a Research Assistant to join the Substance Misuse and Ageing Research Team (SMART) to work on an NIHR funded project that aims to improve the quality and experience of care for patients prescribed medicines with a risk of dependence or withdrawal. This study will use a participatory action research method called Experienced-Based Co-Design (EBCD), and will be important in improving the care that patients receive.

The post-holder will conduct one-to-one interviews with patients and health professionals in primary care, as well as contributing to data analysis, writing of reports and peer-reviewed publications, and will be involved in research dissemination.

Candidates must have a good BA or BSC degree in a relevant discipline (minimum 2.1), and should have experience of participatory action research. The ability to work well and communicate within a team are essential.

At the national level there is a crucial need for insights from people with lived experience of crime, addiction and homelessness to inform system reform as this voice is currently almost wholly absent.

At the same time User Voice has an unrivalled and significant footprint across the country engaging with the hardest to reach people, through elected and trained service users who can provide the information to fill this void.

There is no one better placed to identify what works or what doesn’t, and to be part of identifying the solution than people with current and recent experience of the system. More significantly, there has never been a time when it has been more important and timely that service users are given the platform to be heard, and to be part of transforming services and systems.

You will work closely with the Founder/CEO to lead User Voice’s peer research projects to both influence fundamental changes to the policy and public debate, to innovate new services, and to reform systems.

Furthermore, you will have experience communicating the results to affect policy and practice and a strong commitment to the values of User Voice.

In return, we offer company progression and support throughout your successful career with User Voice.

We particularly welcome applications from ex-offenders and from all sections of the community regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age or disability.

The Salvation Army Centre for Addiction Services and Research (SACASR) is directed by Dr Tessa Parkes and commenced operations in February 2017. The main aims of the Centre are to carry out:

• new, interdisciplinary research on addictions and on interventions that can prevent related problems for individuals, families and communities
• research on the impact of TSA services
• research synthesis through literature reviews, practice reviews and knowledge exchange activities
• dissemination of new and synthesised research through publication, including on-line publication
• policy analysis and policy briefing to inform the work of The Salvation Army

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Research Fellow with a strong background in health and/or social sciences to support the work of SACASR. This is a fixed term role to cover maternity leave.

Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga is seeking a special person to be a Clinical Lead at our Hawkes Bay Regional Prison Drug Treatment Programme.

This role reports to the Clinical Manager and will help support a talented team to deliver the programme, helping men to gain the skills and knowledge they need for positive changes in their lives.

As part of the Clinical Lead role, you will continue to deliver services as an Addictions Practitioner and have additional duties consisting of:

• Taking a lead role in and maintaining the integrity of the programme
• Carry a caseload when required
• Keeping staff accountable for their record-keeping and reporting obligations
• Providing clinical support and coaching of team members 
• Contribute as part of the HBRP services TToH management team 
• Delegating for the DTP Clinical Manager when required
• Other tasks as delegated by the Clinical Manager

The School of Social and Political Science is recruiting a Research Associate to make a leading research contribution to the ESRC study What Worked: Policy Mobility and the Public Health Approach to Youth Violence. The project, a collaboration between the University of Glasgow, Open University, University of Edinburgh and London School of Economics, responds to the urgent social problem of rising youth violence by seeking to establish a new evidence-base on public health approaches to violence reduction, and the ways such policies transfer between jurisdictions, to shape policy, guide best practice, and inform public debate. Specifically, the post-holder will conduct, manage, publish and disseminate research on violence reduction in Scotland as well as assist in managing and directing this complex and challenging project by liaising closely with that part of the study being managed by the Open University.

This post is part time at 28 hours per week with funding available for up to 30 months in the first instance. However for the right candidate, this post may offer a degree of flexibility around contract duration/ FTE. This can be discussed at interview.

The Open University is looking for someone to make a leading contribution to the ESRC study: Public Health, Youth and Violence Reduction. The project responds to the urgent social problem of serious violence between young people by seeking to establish a new evidence-base on public health approaches to violence reduction. Your role on the project will involve exploring the scope and nature of public health approaches, as well as the way these approaches transfer between jurisdictions to shape policy, guide best practice, and inform public debate.

National consultant for the collection and analysis of data and information on tobacco tax and prices in Nigeria

Article 6 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control highlights the importance of price and tax measures as an effective and important means of reducing tobacco consumption. These measures not only improve public health and reduce health care costs but also generate revenues in the process.

To monitor and evaluate the implementation of increases of excise tax rates on tobacco products, a baseline needs to be established. This baseline will also provide the necessary information to assess the impact of future increases on the prices, consumption and revenues.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

• Engage with tax and other fiscal experts in the Ministry of Finance and discuss the requirements for the collection of tax and price data and to establish a cordial working relationship.
• To disseminate the WHO Tax Data collection tools for the government tax experts and guide them in the process of filling and completing the data tools. 
• Collect and where needed confirm the tobacco tax and price data for 2017-2019 and any other information needed to complete the template in ‘Annex I. Tobacco tax and price data for cigarettes in Nigeria’. 
• Conduct and complete desk research (collecting and analyzing existing data, information and studies) on the price elasticity of demand and level of illicit trade in cigarettes in Nigeria.
• Prepare and submit the duly completed data sheets and report by email to the WHO Tobacco economics Team for further analysis