Youth Justice Practitioner

Location: London Borough of Barking & Dagenham

Salary: £41,442.00 to £44,331.00 per annum

Position Type: Full Time

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 25/05/2025

Barking and Dagenham Youth Justice Service (YJS) are looking to recruit a Youth Justice Practitioner. The Adolescent and Youth Justice Service is an established team that focuses on the contextual issues that exist for young people. We have brought together a range of provision including the preventative arm of the service that delivers high quality and engaging sessions with young people identified as being at risk of being exploited or potentially entering the criminal justice system. The Youth Justice Service takes a holistic approach in working with young people and their families, to eliminate areas of their lives that may be putting them at risk of committing crime, and we strongly take into account the journey of the child and the trauma’s they may have experienced through their younger years by creating effective tailored interventions. – This is an exciting opportunity to work in a new way, focusing on engaging young people and thinking creatively. – You will develop strong links with education providers, parent and victim officers, police, social care, mental health, and drug prevention services, to help meet the needs of the young person. – This is a challenging yet rewarding role where you will need to work under pressure and develop great relationships. You will be part of a dynamic, enthusiastic multi agency team that includes YJS workers, exploitation social workers as well as a range of partner agencies that are leading the way in safeguarding our vulnerable and exploited adolescents. – Some evening and weekend working will be expected as part of this role. Special requirements for this post: We welcome applications from qualified and experienced candidates. 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. About you: – You must have a passion for working with adolescents and be able to think creatively and respond to their needs, engaging them in a way that is helpful for them whilst also maintaining professional boundaries. – You will be skilled in delivering one to one and groupwork sessions. You will also have the ability to complete assessments, create plans, identify risks, evidence your work on our systems (a thorough induction and training will be available to the suitable candidates). In addition, motivate, encourage, engage young people and their families. – You should be able to work collaboratively in a multi-agency team and to share information appropriately, both within the Adolescent and Youth Justice Service and with partner agencies. – To be considered for these positions you should have previous experience in Social Work, Probation or any relevant higher or further education qualification in social care or criminal justice. If you like the sound of moving to an authority where staff 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. For further information and to apply for the role(s) please see here.