Restorative Justice Practitioner in Essex

This role is part of the Essex Youth Justice Service, which works with young people aged 10‑17 who have offended. The Restorative Justice (RJ) Worker will be responsible for statutory delivery of RJ interventions to victims and young people, including full victim/offender conferencing and supervision of Direct Restorative Justice to victims.

Accountabilities

• Facilitate and deliver Restorative Justice interventions with young people and victims, ensuring adherence to the Victim Code of Conduct and the principles of restorative justice, in line with the policies and protocols of the Essex Youth Justice Service.
• Provide statutory Victim Contact to seek the views of victims of crime. Engage and facilitate a variety of interventions to enable victims to participate if they wish, representing the voice of the victim throughout the work of the Youth Justice Service, including sensitive and complex cases.
• Provide support to victims of crime and their families, helping them to address challenges and facilitating appropriate referrals to external agencies and support services to meet their needs.
• Organise and deliver direct victim/offender conferences – both in the community and within custodial/secure institutions where appropriate.
• Deliver victim awareness programmes to young people working with the service, to enable empathy and an understanding of the impact crime has on the community.
• Co‑deliver Restorative Justice training, working collaboratively with partners and the wider community to achieve joint objectives, which reduce first‑time entrants and reoffending.
• Complete robust risk assessments on all restorative activities to ensure safe delivery, using skills, knowledge and professional experience.
• Ensure the safety of young people at all times, exercising an appropriate and commensurate duty of care that reflects the ages of young people being supervised.
• Update records accurately, ensuring they meet national standards and adhere to designed outcomes and agreed service levels.
• Highlight and report issues as appropriate, to safeguard a child, with a good understanding of child protection policies and procedures.
• Meet specific individual and shared targets and objectives defined annually within the performance management framework.
• Attend multi‑agency meetings to represent the victims voice.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to RQF Level 2 (GCSE) or equivalent by experience. Holds Registered Practitioner status or is willing to work towards it.
• Evidence of continuing professional development, aligned to any relevant Professional Competency/Capability frameworks or Knowledge and Skills Statements.
• Evidence of a sound knowledge of Restorative Justice and its application within a justice environment, with an understanding of anti‑discriminatory practice and a flexible approach.
• Experience in direct work with children and young people, promoting children's welfare and a deep understanding of Child Protection procedures.
• Experience acting as an advocate on behalf of the victim and their family alongside external partners, ready to challenge bureaucracy.
• Experience successfully arranging and managing a victim/offender conference.
• Deep knowledge of a range of social services and wider agency resources, to provide advice that positively promotes children's safety and well‑being within their family.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with evidence of accurate record‑keeping and a sound knowledge of data protection issues.