Youth Justice 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. Further, the service seeks to repair the harm caused to victims and communities by addressing the root causes of offending and reoffending by children.

About The Job

As a Youth Justice Officer you will be passionate about making a difference to high risk, complex and vulnerable children at risk of prosecution, on bail / remand, or subject to Court Orders; ensuring children involved in the youth justice system receive the right intervention at the right time to achieve and sustain best outcomes. You will be a professional who practices effectively, with good assessment and judgement skills and will be accountable for your own professional development. You will be able to manage caseloads confidently under limited supervision, demonstrating engagement skills and creative interventions. Furthermore, you will support and advocate for equality and diversity, respecting anyone working for or in contact with WSCC.

Salary: NJC Grade 8 £28,371 to £31,099 to NJC Grade 9 £32,020 to £34,723
Working Pattern: Full Time
Contract Length: Secondment
Location: Multiple Locations
Interview Date: 15/06/2023

Key Skills:

1. Good interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to explain information to others and use negotiation and persuasion skills to influence the actions of others.
2. Good literacy, numeracy and sound IT skills, to write reports to a high standard and present information clearly, concisely and accurately in ways that promote understanding.
3. Able to research, assess, analyse and interpret information and data from varying sources, prioritise needs and identify strengths, to effectively formulate collaborative plans for intervention and service provision; including the voice of children, families and victims.
4. Good organisational skills and the ability to prioritise your workload to effectively respond to unanticipated problems, whilst recognising the limit of your own accountability and responsibility and when to seek appropriate support, advice and supervision.
5. Able to gain trust and respect, and work in partnership with parents, carers, colleagues and external agencies to deliver an effective service.
6. Able to act in an appropriate manner, with discretion, whilst hearing confidential, sensitive or disturbing information.

Qualifications and/or experience:

• Relevant professional qualification recognised by one of the YJS statutory partner agencies (Social Work, Probation, Education, Health, Police), e.g. Social Work Degree, Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP), BA (Hons)
• Youth Work, Diploma in Counselling/Careers Guidance, PGCE, Registered Nurse qualification, Police Sergeant Level. (NB - Social Work qualified staff are required to be HCPC registered).

OR

• Youth Justice Effective Practice Certificate (YJEPC) and relevant training, and to have practised as a Youth Justice Support Officer or equivalent.
• Theoretical knowledge, practice and skills in terms of youth justice and child/ adolescent behaviour, e.g. attachment and developmental trauma, child development, restorative practice, good lives model, desistance theory, RNR.
• Assessment skills and experience of case management.
• Experience of writing reports to a high standard.
• Experience of multi-agency working to address the needs and risks of adolescents and their families.

Rewards and Benefits

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

Thereference number for this role is CAFHE04043 .

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact David Bolger (Intensive Interventions Team Manager) at For issues or queries regarding your application please contact .

To apply, upload your CV and complete the application explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role 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 (delete as appropriate) Social Work England registration, HCPC registration, 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 applications from people of all backgrounds 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.

Note for Recruitment Agencies: We prefer to hire people directly, but we do have a supplier list for when we need a helping hand. We'll be in touch directly if we need you!