Job title: Youth Justice Officer
Salary: C3 - PO3 £32,061 - £45,091 scale range pts 19-34, (pro rata part time)
Hours: 37
Contract: Temporary until 31st March 2029
Location: Youth Justice Service
About the role
We are seeking passionate and skilled Youth Justice Officer to join our team and help improve outcomes for children. This is a challenging yet rewarding role within a service committed to Leeds’ ambition to be a Child Friendly and Restorative City. You will work directly with children and their families to reduce offending, underpinned by trauma-informed, child-first, and restorative approaches. You will support children to achieve positive change, keeping children, victims and communities safe.
Key Responsibilities:
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Manage cases involving statutory court orders and pre-court disposals.
- Undertake assessments and develop intervention plans tailored to individual needs.
- Work collaboratively with multi-agency partners to deliver holistic support.
- Prepare high-quality reports for courts and panels.
- Promote restorative practice and child-first principles in all interactions.
What We’re Looking For
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Ability to engage and establish constructive relationships with children and their families to work to bring about positive change in their behaviour.
- Ability to work restoratively with children and their families with high challenge and high support in order to improve their outcomes
- Ability to prepare high quality and well informed, analytical pre-sentence reports and other reports within National Standards.
- Self-motivation, initiative, enthusiasm, creativity, responsiveness and an ability to work to deadlines.
- Professional social work qualification, Diploma in Probation Studies, Youth and Community Work qualification or Foundation Degree in Youth Justice
Working Pattern
This role will be primarily based at the Youth Justice Centre, Hunslet, in the Pre-Court Team, with a focus on prevention and diversion. However, you may be required to work citywide in response to service need. Flexibility is essential, including occasional evenings and weekends.
What we offer you
We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:
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a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
- membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
- flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
- a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
- a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further
How to apply
Please complete the online application form.
Read our guidancefor further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.
If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Sarah Ross, Operational Manager. Call 01133788228 or email
[email protected]
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.
We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.
This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.
If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visaroute before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.
Job Description
Job purpose
To work with children and their families to reduce their risk of offending or re-offending, in accordance with relevant legislation, National Standards for Youth Justice, YJS values and the Youth Justice Plan for Leeds.
Responsibilities
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To positively engage children and their families in order to improve their outcomes, working in an inclusive, restorative and trauma informed manner, with high challenge and high support
- To undertake thorough, effective and analytical assessments of children, with particular regard to the risk of offending, level of harm posed to the public and risk to the child’s own safety and wellbeing, in accordance with YJS risk management and safeguarding procedures. This will include completion of the appropriate specialist risk assessment tools and working closely with other agencies.
- To work in an anti-oppressive manner, promoting equality and ensuring that diversity issues are addressed
- To sequence, plan, develop, co-ordinate, deliver and review programmes of focused work to children on a group and individual basis, including those subject to intensive supervision, demonstrating an understanding and application of the theories and methods of effective youth justice practice and evidence based practice research
- To take account of the views and interests of victims and issues of public safety and public confidence
- To work with the families of children who offend to improve outcomes for the family
- To prepare timely and analytical pre-sentence and other reports to a high quality
- To encourage and enable children’s participation in all aspects of service delivery, helping them make informed decisions and enabling them to clarify and express their needs and contribute to service planning
- To take an active role in Court as required, including the participation of Court duty office rota, and other liaison services
- To maintain effective, accurate and timely administrative systems and provide all information necessary for accountability, case management, statistical and monitoring purposes, taking full account of information sharing protocols
- To actively contribute to a culture of innovation, restorative practice, new ideas and learning within the team and wider Service. This includes making proactive and positive use of management oversight and support, team meetings, Service briefings, training and written communication to reflect critically on practice and exploring different approaches to effective working and implementing change as appropriate
- To work flexibly, including evening and weekend work as required, to meet the needs of children
- To undertake other duties appropriate to the post as required by the Service
- To comply with the requirements of all Leeds Youth Justice Service, Leeds City Council and Departmental policies, procedures and staff instructions, including responsibilities under the Health and Safety policies and procedures.
Qualifications
Professional Social Work qualification, or Probation Studies Diploma, or Diploma in Youth & Community Work or Foundation Degree in Youth Justice. If the post holder is eligible for registration with Social Work England they will be required to maintain this registration whilst in post.
Essential requirements Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the following essential requirements.
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Ability to engage to and establish constructive relationships with children and their families to work to bring about positive change in their behaviour.
- Ability to work restoratively with children and their families with high challenge and high support in order to improve their outcomes
- Ability to analyse information from a wider variety of sources, use judgement and make defensible decisions, particularly regarding risk
- Ability to engage and work constructively with the wider family unit
- Excellent case management skills, engaging and involving all relevant parties
- Ability to challenge discrimination, prejudice and oppressive behaviour and work in ways which promote equality of opportunity, participation and responsibility
- Self-motivation, initiative, enthusiasm, creativity, responsiveness and an ability to work to deadlines.
- Ability to develop and deliver effective, trauma informed individual and group work programmes.
- Ability to prepare high quality and well informed, analytical pre-sentence reports and other reports within National Standards.
- High standard of both oral and written presentation skills.
- Ability to work in partnership and manage and share information appropriately, effectively, accurately and concisely between service users, carers, victims, colleagues and other agencies.
- High levels of competence in the use of technology and excellent organisational skills
- Professional social work qualification, Diploma in Probation Studies, Youth and Community Work qualification or Foundation Degree in Youth Justice
- Detailed understanding of Youth Justice legislation and practice guidance and court processes
- An understanding of the evidence base regarding effective practice with children who offend and of recent research in the field
- Understanding of the principles of a child friendly and restorative city
- Understanding of the victim’s perspective, restorative approaches and issues of public confidence
- Understanding of trauma informed safeguarding practice
- Case management in a justice or social work setting
- Working with children in crisis
- In safeguarding children
Essential behavioural and other characteristics
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Understand and embrace Leeds City Council values and behaviours and codes of conduct
- Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Leeds Ambitions of health and wellbeing, inclusive growth, thriving strong communities, and a resilient sustainable city
- Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures
- Carry out duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing
- Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills
- Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality and diversity of Leeds City Council
- Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
- Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
- The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters
