Youth Justice Keyworker (Turnaround Programme)

About Us

West Sussex Youth Justice Service (YJS) is a high‑performing statutory multi‑agency partnership delivering pre‑ and post‑court services, with a core aim of preventing offending and reducing reoffending by children.

Turnaround is a recognised early intervention programme supporting children and young people aged 10-17 who are at risk of entering the youth justice system. Participation is voluntary and focused on diverting children away from formal criminal justice processes who are on the cusp of the youth justice system, often following low level police contact or repeated anti social behaviour. Using a timely, child first, strengths‑based approach, Turnaround addresses underlying needs such as wellbeing, mental health, education and community connections. Practitioners build trusted relationships with children and families, coordinate multi‑agency support, and deliver creative, evidence‑informed interventions to improve outcomes and reduce future offending.

About the Role

Salary: £32,597 to £35,412 per annum
Contract Length: Fixed Term or Secondment currently until 31.03.2027
Working Pattern: Full Time, 37 hours per week
Office Base: Arun Civic Centre, Littlehampton and with the ability to travel independently. The use of Arun Civic Centre is initially expected to be in place for three years to April 2029. The substantive hub for your service is Worthing and therefore, there is the potential for services to relocate to Worthing in the future.

Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position.

Youth Justice Keyworkers play a vital role in supporting children at risk of entering the youth justice system, coordinating timely and purposeful interventions to help guide them towards positive outcomes. You will undertake robust assessments, arrange and complete home visits, analyse risk and need, and deliver structured, strengths‑based interventions tailored to each child. The role requires strong case management skills, accurate and timely recording, and effective multi‑agency liaison, alongside meaningful direct work with children and their families.

We are seeking dedicated professionals with strong assessment and professional judgment skills, who are confident in managing caseloads with a high level of autonomy and under limited supervision. The ability to engage children effectively and apply creative and responsive intervention approaches is essential. You will demonstrate strong communication skills, using active listening, professional curiosity and emotional resilience to build trusting relationships. A sound understanding of partnership working is also key, enabling you to collaborate effectively with a range of agencies to secure the best possible outcomes for young people.

You will occasionally be required to engage with children, young people and families outside of standard school or working hours to ensure the service remains accessible, responsive and effective.

Experience and Skills

The following are some of the key skills required for the role:

• Relevant qualification, degree level preferably, in a relevant subject, or demonstrable experience in a paid or unpaid capacity of providing support to people in stressful and difficult situations.
• Demonstrable experience of working with families in crisis in order to provide support, especially those with complex and chronic difficulties.
• Experience of working in a team environment and multi-agency working.
• Ability to listen to adults and children who have experienced trauma and have complex needs, and to use excellent interpersonal skills to build an effective relationship with the families.
• Analytical and judgmental skills to interpret complex situations and information from families to make assessments.
• Excellent crisis management skills with the ability to recognize the individual needs of families.
• Ability to create an environment where families are empowered to make positive change.
• Ability to build rapport quickly with people participating in services and remain up to date with changes in best practice and available support mechanisms.
• Ability to accurately record information in Excel spreadsheets and web databases. Ability to use a variety of screening tools.
• Experience of interpreting families' needs and assisting families to access appropriate support services.
• Valid and full driving licence

For a full list please reference our job description attached.

Rewards and Benefits

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

In addition to working within a great team and a brilliant opportunity you will receive:

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE06282.

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and application form. In your application form outline your motivations for applying and explain how you meet the key skills listed in full and the experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.

West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome and encourage applications from people with lived experience and from minority groups, and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.

For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran's Guaranteed Interview Scheme, this can be found on our application help page.