Restorative Justice Practitioner

Essex County Council; Ivy Chimneys; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Essex County Council's Youth Justice Service seeks a Restorative Justice Worker to deliver interventions for victims and young people aged 10-17, including direct victim/offender conferences in suitable settings.

The role requires adherence to the Victim Code of Conduct, risk assessments, and collaboration with partners to promote safety and reduce reoffending. A strong commitment to safeguarding and professional development is essential.

Qualifications

• 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 (CPD).
• Evidence sound knowledge of Restorative Justice and its application within a justice environment.
• Experience in direct work with children and young people, with understanding of Child Protection procedures.

Responsibilities

• Deliver Restorative Justice interventions with young people and victims, adhering to the Victim Code of Conduct and service policies.
• Provide statutory Victim Contact to seek victims' views and facilitate victim participation in interventions.
• Support victims and families and facilitate referrals to external agencies as needed.
• Organise and deliver victim/offender conferences in community or appropriate custodial settings.
• Deliver victim awareness programmes to young people to foster empathy and understanding of crime impact.
• Co-deliver Restorative Justice training with partners to reduce first-time entrants and reoffending.
• Complete robust risk assessments for restorative activities to ensure safe delivery.
• Ensure safeguarding and child protection duties are met at all times.

Skills

Restorative Justice knowledge

Child protection awareness

Strong communication skills

Record keeping

Mobility/Driving licence

Education

RQF Level 2 (GCSE) or equivalent

Registered Practitioner status (or willingness to work towards it)

Job description

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.

The Opportunity

Children and Families is recognised as a service in which social work can develop and prosper, with a culture of collaboration, integrity and compassion;promoting the development and wellbeing of children, young people and 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, remove barriers and 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 are subject to both pre and post court disposals. The Restorative Justice (RJ) Worker will be responsible for statutory delivery of RJ interventions to victims and young people, this will include sensitive and complex cases, full victim/offender conferencing and the supervision of Direct Restorative Justice to victims.

Accountabilities

Responsible for facilitating and delivering Restorative Justice interventions with young people and victims, ensuring adherence to the Victim Code of Conduct and within 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 and facilitate a variety of interventions to enable victims to take part if they wish, to represent the voice of the victim throughout the work of the Youth Justice Service, including sensitive 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 deliver direct victim/offender conferences - both in the community and within custodial/secure institutions where appropriate.

Deliver victim awareness programmes to young people working with the service, to enable empathy and an understanding of the impact crime has on the community.

Co-deliver Restorative Justice training, working collaboratively with partners and the wider community to achieve joint objectives, which reduce first time entrants and reoffending.

Responsible for completing robust risk assessments on all restorative activities to ensure safe delivery, using skills, knowledge and professional experience.

Responsible for the safety of young people at all times, exercising an appropriate and commensurate duty of care that reflects the ages of young people being supervised.

Responsibility for updating records accurately, ensuring they meet National standards and adhere to designed outcomes and agreed service levels.

Responsible for highlighting and reporting issues as appropriate, to safeguard a child, with a good understanding of child protection policies and procedures.

Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are 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 Knowledge and Skills Statements

Evidence a sound knowledge of Restorative Justice and its application within a justice environment. Demonstrates an understanding of anti-discriminatory practice and is imaginative and flexible

Experience in direct work with children and young people, with the ability to evidence positively promoting children's welfare and deep understanding 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 of successfully arranging and managing a victim/offender conference.

Deep knowledge of a range of social services and wider agency resources, to provide advice, to positively promote children's safety and well-being within their family.

Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, with evidence of accurate record keeping and a sound knowledge of data protection issues.

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.