Reports to: Change Lead for Diversion
Salary: £52,700 per annum
Location: Central London or Hybrid*(see below)
Contract: (2-year fixed term – potential to extend)
Closing date for applications: 12pm Monday 12th January 2026
Interview dates: Week commencing 26th January 2026
About the Youth Endowment Fund
We’re here to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice.
In recent years violent crime has risen significantly. Homicides, assaults, robberies and offences involving weapons have all seen sustained growth. We have also seen large increases in violent crime involving children and young people. This is a tragedy. Every child captured in these numbers is an important member of our community and society has a duty to protect them.
The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) is a charity with a £200m endowment and a mission that matters. We exist to prevent children becoming involved in violence. Our mission is to find what works and build a movement to put it into practice. A big part of the movement that we need to build is in the world of youth justice. We need to inspire and connect with youth justice leaders across England and Wales to spread what works and make our country safer for some of our most vulnerable children. We are looking for someone to lead on making this happen.
Key Responsibilities
We are making good progress building the evidence of what works within and around youth justice to reduce violence. This year, in conjunction with the Centre for Justice Innovation, we published Diversion Practice Guidance and have recently launched our new self-evaluation tool for diversion practice (ORPIC). But the big risk is that we publish these resources and nothing changes. That’s where you come in.
Your role is to work out the best way to make this change happen by getting youth justice services (YJSs) and police forces to adopt evidence-based practice through our new change programme: the Whole Area Model (WAM). WAM helps police forces and youth justice services strengthen diversion practices by aligning their work with the 7 C’s:
* Culture – A child-centred, pro-diversion ethos
* Contact – Interactions are trauma-informed and maximise prevention and safeguarding opportunities
* Custody – Considered use of police custody, prioritising alternatives and swift triage.
* Criteria – Clear, consistent eligibility for diversion.
* Collaboration – Multi-agency decision-making panels; shared protocols and referral pathways.
* Care – Evidence-based support, monitoring engagement, closing cases responsibly.
* Checks – Ongoing monitoring, evaluation, and scrutiny to ensure quality and equity.
Your role will involve:
* Supporting the delivery of the Whole Area Model through activities like:
* Facilitating completions of diversion self-evaluations with youth justice services and police forces.
* Delivering training to youth justice, police and other relevant agencies about the evidence-base or specific areas of diversionary practice and governance (e.g. scrutiny panels).
* Supporting the ongoing development of a National Diversion Network, which will contribute to a wider repository of diversion resources and evidence
* Identifying and creating practical resources which help youth justice professionals and police officers to put evidence into practice.
* Developing great relationships with senior leaders, youth justice workers and police officers, generating a strong understanding of key issues and needs in relation to youth justice matters, and building credibility and trust with the sector.
* Working out other effective ways to connect people with the evidence, then making those things happen, from virtual learning events to presentations.
As a senior member of staff in the organisation you also:
* Build a culture where it is natural to perform well and support colleagues brilliantly.
* Contribute to setting the strategy, delivering results and building and modelling the culture that we need to succeed.
Hybrid Working
Our office is located in Central London. Team members who reside within the 32 London Boroughs or are within a 90-minute commute are expected to attend the office at least two days per week.
For those living outside of London but within England, Scotland, or Wales, the expectation is to work from the London office two days per month.
Travel
Due to the nature of the programme there is some national travel required within England and Wales. This is likely to be up to five times per month; all travel costs can be reimbursed with flexibility for overnight stays if preferred.
To Apply
Please click on the "Apply for this" button and submit your CV, your completed monitoring form and ensure your covering letter answers the following three questions below. Please submit your application by 12pm, Monday 12th January. When applying for this role, please ensure that you answer the application questions within the job advert, please visit our website to see the full questions and to apply
Please Note: We do not sponsor work permits and you will be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK.
Benefits Include
* £1,000 professional development budget annually
* 28 days holiday plus Bank Holidays
* Four half days for volunteering activities
* Employee Assistance Programme – 24hr phone line for free confidential support
* Volunteering days - 4 half days per year
* Death in service - 4 times annual salary
* Flexible hours. Core office hours 10am – 4pm
* Financial support including travel and hardship loans
* Employer contributed pension of 5%.
Your Data
Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful, and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.