Leicestershire Youth and Justice is a vibrant, experienced, multi‑cultural team from a range of professional backgrounds on a journey towards excellence, that helps to promote a range of innovative approaches to working with children. We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, forward thinking qualified to work within our Youth and Justice Service as a Youth Justice Senior Practitioner. We are a Service of around 100 workers, committed to achieving the best outcomes for our children and young people through advocacy and empowerment. We deliver services with the young person at the centre and ensure that their voices are integral to all that we do. We develop our services with our young people, and we are part of the Children and Families Department at Leicestershire County Council, rated "Outstanding" by Ofsted.
As a Senior Practitioner, you will lead and coordinate support for children who have had contact with the police and may be appearing in Youth, Magistrates' or Crown Courts. You will ensure timely intervention, effective multi‑agency coordination, and robust oversight of bail and remand needs. This role does not require direct Court experience, as you will be provided with full on‑the‑job training for this. Operating as the front door of the Youth Justice service, you will screen incoming information, undertake rapid risk assessments, and identify early, targeted interventions to reduce the likelihood of remand and further involvement in the justice system. Working in a high‑paced, urgent‑response environment, you will focus on securing positive outcomes for children and families through proactive safeguarding, swift decision making, and consistent partnership working. You will also hold a small but complex caseload to maintain direct practice expertise and model best practice in safeguarding and risk management. Alongside, you will be completing project work on cross‑cutting themes pertinent to the needs of the children involved with youth justice services.
The purpose of this role is to ensure that children's needs are met and that victims and the public are protected and support the workforce in ensuring that high‑quality services are delivered to all, in line with good practice and standards expected by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP). We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part‑time working, job sharing, term‑time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.
Recruitment Drop‑in Sessions
These sessions provide applicants opportunity to find out more about the role and meet the manager. Applicants who attend are often more successful in being invited to interview.
* Relevant Qualification and Documentation – You must have a degree in Social Work, Probation or Youth Work. Degrees in Police, Health or Education must be directly linked to the work of Youth Justice and have a substantial core‑component of on‑the‑work training/placements. If you are a Social Worker, you must be registered with Social Work England. All applicants must have a valid driving licence for the UK and have access to a vehicle.
* Substantial direct experience of working with, and advocating for, children and young people. You can demonstrate hands‑on experience working with children, young people and/or adults assessed as posing a risk of harm or reoffending, especially in youth justice or probation settings.
* Expertise in safeguarding and risk management: You are skilled in conducting rigorous risk assessments and developing robust risk management plans for complex cases, including serious violence, exploitation, and harmful sexual behaviour.
* Ability to swiftly assess and process information in order to make effective, evidence‑based decisions that lead to the best outcomes for children. You must work at pace while maintaining high‑quality judgement, directing interventions that reduce risk and reoffending, engaging children, young people and/or adults, and evaluating the impact of these interventions to ensure they are both effective and meaningful.
* Multi‑agency planning, collaboration and accountability: You can demonstrate experience working collaboratively with partners to coordinate interventions, manage risk and safeguard children and/or adults and victims. You can evidence where you have challenged decisions made by other partners.
* Victim‑Centred Practice: You can evidence that victims are at the forefront of risk management and intervention plans, prioritising their protection and needs throughout all aspects of casework using the principles of Restorative Justice.
* Leading a Project or Team: You can demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively and lead initiatives, projects or manage a team that supports practice innovation and improves outcomes for children, adults, and victims.
In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.
Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high‑volume, seasonal and high‑peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non‑disabled people.
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