Youth Justice Service - Senior Practitioner
Please apply online by clicking the link below
Wirral Council is a place where you can genuinely make a difference, guided by strong organisational values that shape everything we do. Our values, ambitious, professional, resident‑focused and accountable, act as our organisational DNA, influencing how we work, lead and support one another every day. We take pride in delivering great services, acting with integrity, building positive relationships, and always putting residents first, creating a supportive and inclusive culture where everyone can “be the best we can be”. With our beautiful surroundings, ambitious future plans, and a commitment to empowering staff to #BeTheDifference, Wirral Council offers an inspiring environment to grow your career and make a lasting impact.
Youth Justice Service – Senior Practitioner – Fixed term until 31/03/27
We hope to extend this project as it is identified in the government white paper released this week “Cutting Crime – Changing Young Lives”
About the Role:
Make a Difference Where It Matters Most - Leading Practice, Empowering Young People, Strengthening Families, Changing Futures.
This is a practice-focused, non-desk-based leadership role where you will combine direct work with young people and families with day-to-day support for staff. As a Senior Practitioner, you will lead by example, modelling high-quality, strengths-based and trauma-informed practice, while supporting practitioners with case guidance, reflective discussions, and problem-solving.
You will help maintain strong safeguarding standards and play a key role in developing the Prevention Hub and Custody Navigators provision, working collaboratively with partners to reduce harm, improve outcomes, and support young people at critical points in their lives.
About the Candidate:
Are you an experienced practitioner passionate about working with young people and families, and equally committed to leading others to do their best work? Do you believe effective leadership comes from leading by example, building strong relationships, and staying connected to frontline practice?
We are looking for a confident and skilled Senior Practitioner to lead and shape our work with young people, playing a key role in the development and delivery of both our Prevention Hub and Custody Navigators teams.
You will be a visible, hands-on leader with a strong background in working with young people and families, including complex cases, and the ability to confidently support and guide others in practice. Balancing direct work with leadership responsibilities, you will be committed to high standards of safeguarding, strong partnership working, and achieving positive outcomes.
Join Us and Be Part of the Change:
If you are motivated by the opportunity to lead practice, support staff and change outcomes for young people, we would love to hear from you.
For an informal discussion about the role please call Steve Collier on 07799150862 or email SteveCollier@wirral.gov.uk
Eligibility to work in the UK will be verified in the final stages of the selection process. All candidates must either already have a right to work in the UK before commencing employment or meet the Home Office criteria for Visa sponsorship. Candidates who require sponsorship should evaluate the Home Office eligibility criteria for a Skilled Worker visa before applying.
Please be advised it is our understanding that this role does not meet the requirements of a skilled worker visa as set out by UK Visa and Immigration https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-eligible-occupations/skilled-worker-visa-eligible-occupations-and-codes . For details regarding the salary of a skilled worker visa please visit Home Office: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-immigration-salary-list/skilled-worker-visa-immigration-salary-list
This is not legal advice, and we advise you to seek your own independent legal advice tailored to your own personal circumstances.
If you’re already a Wirral Council employee, and as part of our Talent Strategy, we’re committed to strengthening opportunities for our people to learn, grow, progress and thrive. For many of you, this may be preparing and applying for your next role with us, and we're passionate about ensuring you feel supported throughout your internal recruitment experience. Please get in touch if you want to know more about some of the ways in which we could support you by emailing recruitment@wirral.gov.uk
If you are a Wirral resident, are unemployed or out of work, and require help with your application, please contact Involve Northwest’s employment and skills team on info@involvenorthwest.org.uk or contact 0151 644 4500 or 0151 652 4349.
Working at Wirral
You’ll also want to know what it’s like to work here so, as a start:
Our values are more than just pieces of paper on our walls! We’ve all played a role in developing these, so they reflect the immense pride we have in what we do, what matters to us, what inspires us and inform how we think, approach things and behave.
We believe in ensuring staff are well looked after, staff wellbeing is a priority for us. We’re serious about recognising and rewarding people for the great things they do. You’ll benefit from our track record of developing, growing and investing in our people.
We have a range of staff benefits including staff discounts, enrolment into the local government pension scheme (an excellent defined benefit scheme), immediate life cover and ill-health protection. We have a strong flexible working approach, hybrid working, family-friendly employment initiatives and an annual leave package starting with 28 days leave plus public holidays.
We have an inclusive, engaged culture, everyone has a voice, everyone is valued for their contribution and understands the role they play in delivering our strategic priorities.
Each voice is heard, each contribution valued. We embrace diversity in our workforce and recognise it is critical to our success. We support an inclusive culture that champions differences and nurtures a sense of belonging. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds, who share our values and our commitment to inclusion to apply for roles with us.
We want you to be your best at work, we create the conditions to help you thrive and we mirror this in our recruitment process. If you’d like us to do anything differently during the recruitment process to make it barrier-free and as accessible as possible please contact recruitment@wirral.gov.uk
Please note that in accordance with the Council’s policy, employees who are in a formal redeployment situation will be considered in the first instance for all vacancies.
It is Council policy not to re-appoint any employee who has left under the terms of the Council's Early Voluntary Retirement (EVR) scheme or who have left with a voluntary severance (VS) package, unless in exceptional circumstances.
Applications will be accepted until midnight on the closing date.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applications.
Applications can only be accepted through the Jobs page following registration. Forms received via the post will not be processed.
All applicants invited to interview must evidence their right to work in the UK. Details of required documents can be found by clicking the link at the bottom of the Jobs page.
The job description and other supporting documents will not be accessible once the vacancy closing date has passed so if a copy is required you should download it now.
We do not accept applications or CV’s from recruitment agencies, unless otherwise stated. Therefore, any candidates submitted via a recruitment agency will not be considered
Salary range
- £39,152 - £41,771 per year