Social Worker – Youth Justice Service

Location: London Borough of Barking & Dagenham

Salary: £44,331.00 to £47,532.00 per annum

Position Type: Full Time

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 08/05/2025

The Role: This is a really exciting time to come and join the Youth Justice team, working with young people involved in the criminal justice system. This will also involve working with social workers in the Adolescent part of our service to create a joined up targeted response which supports us in having a holistic focus on the young person within a contextual safeguarding environment. This adolescent service is our multidisciplinary response to the range of exploitative situations faced by some of the most vulnerable children in our borough. The team includes social workers, a CAMHS practitioner, missing children coordinators, and an NRM coordinator and is supported by colleagues from our Youth at Risk Matrix. Barking and Dagenham has a rapidly growing 0-19 population and we recognise that not all risks faced by children originate from within the family home and use a contextual safeguarding approach to tackle these issues, alongside our partners across Barking and Dagenham. Within the borough we use a relational approach to engage our children and young people, and caseloads and processes within the team have been set in a way that recognises that such an approach takes time. As part of this team you will work with children and young people that have been involved with the criminal justice system and may also be victims of at risk from a range of exploitative situations. You will be responsible for undertaking assessments and working with partners in offering targeted interventions. You will report into the Youth Justice Team Manager and will have a passion for working with complex and often resistant adolescents but be rewarded by being part of a very supportive and dynamic team. You will be the key link person between the youth justice service and wider social care departments. Special requirements for this post: We welcome applications from qualified and experienced candidates. You will need to have a Social Work degree or DipSW, be registered with Social Work England and have completed your ASYE. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and a comprehensive screening process will be undertaken on successful applicants including an Enhanced Children’s Department of Barring Services check. You will need to have RIGHT TO WORK in the UK. About you: We are recruiting a dedicated, passionate, social worker who can engage and work well with children and young people. If you want to help improve the life experience of children and families involved in the criminal justice system, then this job is for you. You will have a sound understanding of children’s social work practice and need to have a good understanding of criminal justice processes, contextual safeguarding, exploitation and a successful track record of developing good working relationships with partner agencies. About us: Barking and Dagenham is a forward thinking and innovative borough and won “Council of the Year” for two years running. Within Children’s Care and Support we are committed to putting the heart back into social work, supported by our relational practice model, to ensure the child’s lived experience takes centre stage. We have worked hard to support our staff through our extensive training and development programme, offer promotional opportunities and have seen our rates of agency social workers reduce greatly as a result of this. We need committed individuals to support us in the delivery of these aims and to become part of our team to make a difference to our children and families. In return we offer a competitive pay package, £2.5k recruitment and retention allowance, generous pension and relocation package, annual leave up to 31 days, investment in your learning and development as well as a commitment to your wellbeing. To find out more about our social work please visit https://www.lbbd.gov.uk/social-worker-jobs. If you like the sound of moving to an authority where social workers are truly valued, get in touch with us today for a confidential discussion about this post by emailing socialcarerecruitment@lbbd.gov.uk and we will get back to you within 48 hours. Lead Recruiter: Talentlink HR, talentlinkhrsupport@lbbd.gov.uk, Hiring Manager: Paulette Burrell. For further information and to apply for the role(s) please see here.