Youth Justice Key Worker

About Us

West Sussex Youth Justice Service (YJS) is a high performing multi-agency statutory partnership which provides services before and after Court to meet the statutory requirements of the youth justice system. Its primary aim is to prevent offending and reduce reoffending by children. The service works in partnership with a variety of agencies to ensure children are offered appropriate intervention to address their risks, meet their needs and build on their strengths. The service also seeks to repair the harm caused to victims and communities by addressing the root causes of offending and reoffending by children.

About The Job

Salary: £31,586 to £34,314 per annum
Contract Length: Fixed Term or Secondment
Working Pattern: Full Time, 37 hours per week
Location: Countywide with an office base in either Bridge House, Worthing (for Worthing Custody Project) or County Hall North, Horsham (for Connect Project).

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 and delivering interventions to guide them toward positive outcomes.

We are seeking dedicated professionals with strong assessment and judgment skills, capable of managing caseloads confidently under limited supervision. Effective engagement and innovative intervention strategies will be essential. In this role strong communication skills are also key utilising active listening and leading with curiosity while having emotional resilience. You will have a comprehensive understanding of the functions of various partnership agencies, identifying the most effective ways to collaborate to secure the best outcomes for children.

These positions require the ability to travel independently across the county. You will need to engage with children, young people, and families outside of standard school or work hours to ensure the service meets their needs effectively.

Please note there are currently two projects that we are looking to allocate successfully appointed Youth Justice Key Workers to. The Connect Project is a new deterrence intervention initially targeted at children aged 10-18, recognising that most serious violence is associated with those who are very likely to be victims of violence, trauma, and extremely challenging circumstances themselves. The second project involves engaging and supporting children in police custody aged 10-18 years old at a key time in a key location who are either involved in, or at risk of, serious violence.

Please feel free to indicate the project or location preference on your application form, which the panel will try to take into consideration. There will be an opportunity to discuss this in more detail at the interview stage.

Experience and Skills

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

• 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.
• 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 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 CAFHE05781.

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.