Current Vacancies

About the role

Are you passionate about supporting young people to thrive, even during challenging times? Join Extern’s Short Stay Break Service as a Key Worker, where you’ll play a vital role in helping young people (aged 8–17) reset, reconnect, and build brighter futures.

In this rewarding role, you’ll create a safe, supportive, and engaging environment where young people can take a positive break from difficult situations. Through fun, meaningful activities - social, educational, cultural, and recreational - you’ll help them explore healthy choices, build confidence, and develop greater independence.

Working as part of a dedicated team, you’ll support young people during short stays of up to four days, giving families space to navigate challenges while helping prevent crises from escalating. Your work will support young people to return home with renewed confidence, stronger coping skills, and a more positive outlook.

If you’re ready to support young people through challenging moments and help them build brighter futures, we’d love you on our team.

About the role

This is a frontline, highly impactful role supporting people who inject drugs across Belfast city centre.

As a Key Worker within Extern’s Needle Syringe Exchange Service, you will play a vital part in reducing harm, improving health outcomes, and building trusting, non-judgemental relationships with some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

Working within a trauma-informed, person-centred approach, you will support access to clean injecting equipment, provide harm reduction advice, and offer one-to-one listening and support. The role also includes BBV screening, Naloxone provision and training, and responding to opiate overdoses in the community.

At its heart, this role is about meeting people where they are, reducing risk associated with injecting and polysubstance use, and supporting pathways to safety, stability, and improved wellbeing.

This is a rota-based service operating 7 days a week, with shifts between 9am–9pm Monday to Friday and 9am–5pm at weekends.

About the role