5285294 – Youth Justice Officer (Social and Healthcare Qualified)

As an experienced Youth Justice Officer, you will work within a multi‑disciplinary Youth Offending Team. This role involves working with vulnerable children and young people who come into contact with the youth justice system, and their families/carers, to make a positive change to their lives.

As a qualified Social Worker or Probation Officer with youth justice experience or someone with a relevant professional qualification and with significant youth justice experience, you will be expected to work in Court settings and with out of court disposals, write Pre‑sentence reports and supervise statutory Court Orders (including custodial sentences), complete out of court assessments and supervise intervention plans. An up‑to‑date knowledge of relevant criminal and youth justice and childcare legislation is essential along with sector research on trauma informed and systemic approaches.

This position is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and a Criminal Records Bureau Enhanced Disclosure will be undertaken on the successful candidate before an appointment is confirmed.

To manage a caseload as determined by line manager:

• To hold responsibility for young people subject to youth justice interventions and sentences aged 10-17 on statutory Court orders or out of court diversions and to supervise these in line with National Standards, local policies and procedures and other legislation and guidance related to Children and young people.
• To work with the families/guardians of children and young people using systemic and evidenced based approaches.
• To liaise with and work jointly with partner agencies in pursuit of the main purpose of the role and in relation to consultation and responses on youth justice related applications (e.g., knife crime prevention orders).
• To establish and maintain effective working relationships within multi‑agency setting and share information as required by RBKC’s information exchange protocol and general data protection regulations.
• To operate within the context of Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and other relevant criminal and youth justice and child care legislation and guidance.
• To ensure the timely assessment of young people using AssetPlus, Systemic Assessments and / or other appropriate assessments, prepare court and other reports within set timescales and to represent the Youth Offending Team in court settings.
• To facilitate Child First, offender second, advocacy and interventions that are in line with effective practice principles and what works in supporting children and young people’s strengths, diversity and in overcoming barriers to help prevent offending and re‑offending.
• To contribute to the delivery of local youth justice strategic priorities and action plans which aim to support the child’s voice and participation in their assessments and interventions and tackle ethnic disproportionality and other inequalities across health, education and socio‑economic structural barriers.
• To represent the Team at Departmental and inter‑agency meetings.
• To work flexibly across a variety of settings to meet the expectations of the role, such as but not exclusively, local authority venues, custody (police and secure estate), home, placement and community settings.
• To maintain a high standard of recording on all cases using the Youth Offending Team’s case management database.
• To use the RBKC secure e‑mail system and Microsoft applications for the production of reports and other written material.
• Maintain and develop skills through participation in training and supervision.
• To remain up to date with practice developments, research findings and knowledge of criminal and youth justice and relevant childcare legislation such as trauma informed and systemic approaches and other emerging practice.
• Respond to requests for information/statistics relevant to the accountability of the Youth Offending Team to its funding agencies.
• Contribute to the development of the Youth Offending Team through involvement in working groups designed to promote the professional advancement of the team.
• Participate in the office duty system and other duties as required by the role.
• Participate in and attend team meetings.
• To undertake other relevant duties as required by your line manager/senior management.
• To work in accordance with RBKC’s Equal Opportunities Statement and values.

Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Council policies in relation to Equal Opportunity, Customer Care and service delivery, and the ability to implement these policies in the workplace.

Qualified Social Worker or Probation Officer or relevant professional qualification.

• Experience of working in a multi‑disciplinary youth offending team and delivering youth justice aims and objectives.
• Experience of working within youth justice legislation, guidance and national standards.
• Experience of delivering statutory and non‑statutory youth justice work and interventions.
• Knowledge and application of relevant childcare legislation and guidance to safeguard children and young people in the youth justice system.
• Experience of providing youth court services.
• Experience of working across partnership networks to support youth justice and related aims which prevent offending and reduce re‑offending.
• Experience of co‑designing and delivering intervention plans with children, young people and working with their carers/families.
• Experience of writing assessments (AssetPlus and Systemic Assessments), pre‑sentence court reports and other youth justice related reports for children and young people which include their voices.
• Experience of working across a variety of settings to support children and young people, e.g. custody, home and community settings.
• Knowledge and application of child first, trauma informed, strength‑based and systemic approaches.
• Knowledge and understanding of structural barriers, discrimination, bias, social graces and disproportionality for children and young people on the edge of crime or in the youth justice system.
• Knowledge of and compliance with GDPR and information sharing protocols.