Restorative Justice Practitioner

Working for Essex; Epping Forest; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Essex County Council is recruiting a Restorative Justice Practitioner to deliver RJ interventions for young people and victims within the Essex Youth Justice Service. You will facilitate victim/offender conferences, conduct risk assessments and ensure safeguarding in accordance with national standards.

The role requires GCSE/RQF Level 2 or equivalent and registration as a Practitioner, with commitment to professional development.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of Restorative Justice and its application in a youth justice setting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with a focus on safeguarding.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate and deliver Restorative Justice interventions for young people and victims.
• Conduct statutory Victim Contact and facilitate victim/offender conferences.
• Carry out robust risk assessments to ensure safe delivery and safeguarding of participants.

Skills

RJ knowledge

Communication

Advocacy

Education

GCSE / RQF Level 2

Job description

Restorative Justice Practitioner

Permanent,Full Time

£26,284 to £34,256 Per Annum

Location:Epping

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: Wednesday 4th November 2026 at 11.59pm

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

Here in Essex, we continue to raise the bar about practice and our investment in our workforce is second to none. It’s an exciting time to join us having received our 2nd Outstanding Ofsted rating in a row.

Interview Date: Thursday 26th November 2026.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Children & Families

Please take a look at our ‘No Magic’ Children & Families video

The Opportunity

Children and Families isrecognisedas a service in which social work can develop and prosper, with a culture of collaboration,integrityand compassion;promoting the development and wellbeing of children, youngpeopleand their families; protecting them from neglect and abuse.Working together with partners delivering a range of early help, family support and effective social work interventions which build resilience, removebarriersand enable children and young people to look forward to a brighter future.

Essex Youth Justice Service works with young people aged 10-17 who have offended and aresubject to both pre and post court disposals. TheRestorative Justice(RJ)Workerwillbe responsible forstatutorydelivery of RJ interventions to victims and young people, this will includesensitive and complex cases,full victim/offenderconferencingand the supervision of Direct Restorative Justice to victims.

Accountabilities

• Responsibleforfacilitatingand deliveringRestorative Justice interventionswith young people and victims,ensuring adherence to the Victim Code of Conduct andwithin the principles of restorative justice,in line with the policies and protocols of the Essex Youth Justice Service.
• Responsible for statutory Victim Contact to seek the views of victims of crime. Engage andfacilitatea variety of interventions to enable victims to take part if they wish,torepresentthe voice of the victim throughout the work of the Youth Justice Service, includingsensitive and complex cases.
• Provide support to victims of crime and their families, helping them to address challenges they face and facilitating appropriate referrals to external agencies and support services to meet their needs
• Organise and deliverdirectvictim/offenderconferences - both in the community and within custodial/secure institutions whereappropriate.
• Deliver victim awareness programmes to young people working with the service,to enable empathy and anunderstanding of the impact crime has on the community.
• Co-deliver Restorative Justice training,workingcollaboratively with partners and the wider community to achieve jointobjectives,whichreduce first time entrants and reoffending.
• Responsible for completing robust risk assessments on allrestorativeactivitiesto ensure safe delivery, using skills,knowledgeand professional experience.
• Responsible for the safety of young peopleat all times, exercisingan appropriateandcommensurateduty of care that reflects the ages of young people being supervised.
• Responsibilityfor updating records accurately, ensuring they meet National standards and adhere to designed outcomes andagreed service levels.
• Responsible for highlighting and reportingissuesasappropriate,to safeguard a child, with a good understanding of child protection policies and procedures.
• Specific individual and shared targets andobjectivesare defined annually within the performance management framework.
• Attendance at multi agency meetings to represent victims’ voice.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to RQF Level 2 (GCSE) or equivalent by experience. Holds Registered Practitioner status or is willing to work towards it.
• Evidence of continuing professional development, aligned to any relevant Professional Competency/Capability frameworks or KnowledgeandSkills Statements
• Evidence a sound knowledge of Restorative Justice and its application within a justice environment. Demonstratesan understanding of anti-discriminatorypracticeand isimaginative and flexible
• Experiencein direct work with childrenand young people, with the ability toevidencepositively promoting children’swelfareand deepunderstanding of Child Protection procedures.
• Experience of acting as an advocate on behalf of the victim and their family alongside external partners with a readiness to challenge bureaucracy.
• Experience ofsuccessfullyarrangingandmanaging avictim/offenderconference.
• Deepknowledge ofa range of social services andwider agency resources, toprovideadvice, topositivelypromote children’s safety and well-being within theirfamily.
• Excellentcommunication skills,both written and oral, withevidence ofaccuraterecord keepingand a sound knowledge of data protection issues.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we are dedicated to making a positive difference for residents, communities and businesses across the county. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, Greater Essex was accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview allveteransandcare leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

• Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email [e-mail]

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