The role of a Youth Restorative Justice (RJ) practitioner involves a significant amount of contact with people affected by crime. The work will involve:
· Working with victims of youth crime and young people who have committed crime
· Communication via telephone, video calling and face to face meetings to engage victims and young people
· Supporting individuals to enable them to communicate effectively with each other and;
· Facilitating a process which helps reduce harm and enables individuals to move forward from what has happened – This is a process known as Restorative Justice
· Restorative justice can be facilitated through a face to face meeting or indirectly via the Youth RJ practitioner.
Please see our YouTube Channel ‘Restorative TV’ for real life examples of the kinds of work we do.
Skills we look for in our Youth RJ practitioners include:
Communication- Listening and responding to what is being said so that people feel supported, valued and prepared to engage in a restorative intervention is an essential part of this role. There will also be an expectation that your first contact with people will be via a telephone call, so being able to engage with people over the phone is vital.
Flexibility- Working with people requires a flexible approach to ensure they are seen at times convenient to them; this can involve working on evenings and weekends. In return, we don’t expect you to work a rigid 9-5 Monday-Friday working week. You will be expected to manage your diary effectively and be prepared to travel across Manchester to meet the needs of the victims and children you work with (and occasionally other parts of the country). This is a hybrid role which involves an office base and some working from home.
Motivation- Well facilitated restorative interventions change lives for the better. We want you to do that. The nature of the role means generating work through phone calls, visiting victims at their home, seeing young offenders in the community or at Manchester Youth Justice Service and working in close partnership with other agencies. You are going to be out and about a lot. It is not the type of job where you are going to be sat at a desk all day. You will have to work using your own initiative and make judgements that consider the needs of the people you are working with, your own workload and the specific contract requirements.
There will be expectations on the amount of restorative work we want you to do. We want you to be the type of person that will see this as a challenge you want to meet because when it is achieved, lives are changed.
IT Capable- We want Youth RJ practitioners to spend the majority of their time working with people. Whilst this will include a significant amount of ‘face to face’ contact with our service users we also look to maximise the use of ‘remote’ methods of working. You will need to be comfortable using platforms such as ‘Teams’ and ‘Zoom’ in order to fulfil this aspect of the role.
It is vital that we record all of the work we do accurately and promptly. As a result, it is essential that you are proficient in using:
Safety- We want you to work safely in all aspects of your role. This will mean following our own internal policies and procedures and will require you to consider safety in relation to the following aspects:
WHAT TO EXPECT
The role is based in Manchester, so expect to travel around that area. You will need to be able to drive and have access to your own vehicle.
You will be working- in peoples’ homes, within the Youth Justice Service, in local community venues and potentially in Young Offender Institutes. Full training will be provided to build your awareness and confidence in each of these settings.
We strive to create balance between working from home and working collaboratively with colleagues.
You will have a line manager who you will meet individually at least once a month and they will also be available during the week to provide support and guidance.
We will provide:
· Full training
· A laptop and mobile phone
· Line management support and guidance
· The role requires an enhanced DBS check
· Salary £24,000 rising to £26,000 at the end of Year 2 in role
· 6% employer pension contribution
· 26 days leave per annum plus bank holidays
Pay: From £24,000.00 per year
Application question(s):
- The role requires an enhanced DBS check
- You will need to be able to drive and have access to your own vehicle
- Interviews will take place on Thursday 10 September 2026 (please note we are not able to offer an alternative date)
Work Location: On the road
