Restorative Justice Practitioner in Barry

Portsmouth Youth Justice Service is looking for an enthusiastic, creative and knowledgeable Restorative Justice Practitioner to join its supportive, multidisciplinary team. This is an opportunity to play an important role in improving outcomes for children who have offended, supporting victims of youth crime and helping to repair the harm caused by offending.

This role is Part time working 18.50 hours per week

The Service

Portsmouth Youth Justice Service works with children and young people aged 10 to 17 to prevent offending and reoffending. The service provides early intervention and crime prevention work, supervises children who have offended within the community, supports the courts and helps reduce the use of custody. It also supports children returning to their communities following a period in custody.

The Role

Reporting to a Youth Justice Service Team Leader, you will work alongside other Restorative Justice Practitioners to coordinate and deliver restorative justice processes. Your work will include contacting and supporting victims, arranging reparation activities, facilitating mediation and restorative conferences, and providing individual support and interventions.

You will ensure that contact is timely, sensitive and responsive to individual needs, helping to inform effective intervention planning for children and the people or organisations affected by their offences. You will also coordinate suitable community venues and placements for restorative justice, reparation and unpaid work, including opportunities that take place during evenings and weekends.

Working with the Community Engagement Co-ordinator, you will support the recruitment, selection, training and ongoing support of volunteers who contribute to the service’s restorative justice work. You will also help promote volunteering opportunities through appropriate media, community venues and local events, responding to enquiries and providing prospective volunteers with the information they need.

As a member of the wider team, you may also undertake office duty and provide support to colleagues across other areas of youth justice practice. Throughout your work, you will maintain high standards of child and adult safeguarding, public protection and data protection.

The ideal candidate

You will have an understanding of the youth justice system and, in particular, the contribution that restorative justice makes to effective youth justice practice. You will be confident assessing needs and risks and using this information to achieve positive outcomes for children, victims and volunteers.

You will be highly motivated, organised and able to work calmly within a busy service. You will have strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to build effective relationships with children, victims, volunteers and professionals from a variety of agencies. You will also be able to work to deadlines, use your initiative, solve problems and adapt to the changing needs of the team.

A professional and sensitive approach is essential, together with an understanding of risk, including the risk of reoffending and harm, and vulnerability relating to safety and wellbeing. You will be committed to encouraging service-user engagement and promoting equality of opportunity.

You will need competent IT skills and be comfortable using Microsoft Outlook, Word and specialist systems to create and maintain accurate client records. The ability to communicate confidently with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is also essential.

Additional Information

Hybrid working arrangements:

Attendance requirements to the designated workplace will be 2 days required in the office.

Contact Details for an Informal Discussion:

If you have any questions, or would like an informal discussion about the role, please email: Emma Donnelly -

emma.donnelly@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Interview date:

9th December 2026

About Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.

We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals.

Learn more about our values and behaviours.

Safeguarding

Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership safer recruitment procedures.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) at Standard/Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Please read the relevant DBS privacy notice before submitting any information.

You will need to explain any gaps in your career history within the last 5 years - this is essential for all safeguarding roles.

Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616 800.

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.

We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at

Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal. We are committed to offering an interview to all those candidates that qualify under one of our commitments and meet the minimum criteria, however for roles that receive a large number of applications, this is not always possible, and we will select the candidates that best meet the minimum criteria