At a Glance
- Tasks: Support vulnerable young people, advocate for autistic students, and apply restorative justice principles.
- Company: Join a supportive educational environment focused on youth justice and personal development.
- Benefits: Competitive pay, full training, and professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Gain hands-on experience in a dynamic school setting with excellent career growth potential.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in young lives while launching your career in youth justice.
- Qualifications: Degree in criminology, psychology, or sociology; passion for youth justice and advocacy.
The predicted salary is between 23000 - 27000 £ per year.
Trials start: July 2026 | Long-term placements start: September 2026
Pay: £108 per day
Location: Haringey
Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 3:45pm, term time only
Training: Full education, training, and CPD provided
Are you a criminology, psychology, or sociology graduate looking for the perfect role to launch your career in youth justice? This Learning Support Assistant position in Haringey is an ideal opportunity to gain substantial hands-on experience working with vulnerable young people, including autistic students, in a secondary school and alternative provision setting. You will be supporting students who face complex barriers to learning, including social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs, challenging behaviour, and involvement with the criminal justice system.
A key part of this role is advocating for autistic students - ensuring their communication styles, sensory needs, and distress behaviours are understood as needs, not offences.
Why this role is ideal for an Aspiring Youth Justice Officer:
- Advocate for autistic students - ensuring reasonable adjustments, sensory breaks, and communication supports are in place before behaviour is misinterpreted as non-compliant or confrontational.
- Understand how unmet autism-related needs can elevate into criminalised behaviour, especially when young people are unable to self-advocate or become overwhelmed.
- Gain in-depth experience supporting vulnerable young people on an individual and small-group basis, developing an understanding of the factors leading to youth offending, including ACEs, SEMH needs, and undiagnosed or unsupported autism.
- Apply restorative and behavioural principles - observing and participating in restorative justice approaches, de-escalation techniques, and positive behaviour support strategies.
- Work with a multi-agency team, including teachers, pastoral staff, SENCOs, social care, and youth offending teams (YOTs), while actively championing the needs of autistic students within those discussions.
- Build core professional skills for youth justice, including rapport-building with hard-to-reach young people, boundary setting, risk assessment, reflective practice, and professional report writing - with a specialist focus on neurodiversity-informed practice.
- Make a real difference by supporting young people's personal development, reducing barriers to education, and helping steer them away from the justice system through early advocacy and understanding.
Candidate profile:
- A strong academic background in criminology, psychology, sociology, or a related discipline, with a clear interest in youth justice, offending behaviour, or social care.
- An understanding of autism and neurodiversity - and a willingness to advocate for autistic students in educational and behavioural settings.
- Previous experience supporting children or young people, particularly those with challenging behaviour, SEMH needs, or autism (desirable but not essential).
