Zoe Shuttleworth is a Director of It Happens Education and our drug and alcohol specialist. Zoe delivers the Substance strand of our work, talking about a range of different topics, from medicines and the law through to illegal drugs and harm reduction. Zoe also works directly with many of the leading UK festival organisers, sharing information about how to be safe at festivals with both students and parents.

Zoe spent 15 years working directly with people experiencing addiction issues, supporting them to address their substance use and helping them to rebuild their lives. She started working in homelessness in 2004, supporting people with drug, alcohol and mental health issues, both on the street and in a hostel setting. She then specialised in criminal justice drug and alcohol treatment, working in police stations, prisons, courts and the community. In 2013, Zoe became the manager of the community drug and alcohol service in Hackney and was responsible for 600 service users and a team of 20 staff.

Zoe joined It Happens Education in 2019 as a freelance speaker. In September 2021, Zoe became the second Director of It Happens Education and is excited to be expanding the substance strand of the It Happens Education offer. Zoe is passionate about sharing evidence based, non-judgemental information with young people that can help them make well informed and, hopefully, safer choices. Zoe’s message is predominantly one of assessing risk, thinking through the consequences and encouraging young people to ask for help as soon as it’s needed.

Zoe is a skilful communicator and is able to build rapport quickly with children and adults alike, no matter their immediate circumstances or walk of life. Zoe is a trustee of Flip’s Fund, a charity supporting children in India to access education. She is a Crossfit fan and has two wonderful children, aged 10 and 7.