Service Manager (Youth Justice Service)

Medirest Signature; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

The Plymouth Youth Justice Management Board is seeking a Service Manager to lead a team dedicated to high-quality, child-centered services for vulnerable youth. The role emphasizes a Child First approach, focusing on improving outcomes, fostering collaboration, and ensuring robust safeguarding measures. Ideal candidates will have significant experience in leadership within high-risk environments, promoting children's rights and well-being.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Guaranteed interviews for eligible applicants

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in high-risk client-facing services.
• Knowledge of legal and policy context for youth justice.
• Experience in developing child-centered service strategies.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team delivering child-centered services in youth justice.
• Ensure compliance with statutory regulations and safeguarding procedures.
• Develop and implement service strategies aligned with organizational goals.

Skills

Leadership

Child-Centered Approach

Empathy

Innovation

Collaboration

Education

Professional Degree in Probation Studies or Social Work

Job description

Service Manager (Youth Justice Service) - Role Profile.pdf

Plymouth Youth Justice Management Board are seeking a new Youth Justice Service Manager

The Role

The Plymouth Youth Justice Service requires a Service Manager to manage a team delivering high-quality, child-centered services that uphold the rights,

dignity, and well-being of every child. This role ensures that all service planning and delivery is grounded in Child First Principles, placing children’s voices, safety, and outcomes at the heart of decision-making.

Key Responsibilities Leadership & Strategy –

As an experienced leader the role will champion a values-based culture that prioritises children’s rights, participation, and protection, for our most vulnerable children in the city who are at risk of entering or accessing support within the Youth Justice System.

Children and young people who break the law need a service and leader who will develop and implement service strategies that reflect Child First Principles and align with organisational goals. They will lead by example, fostering a culture of empathy, accountability, and continuous improvement.

With a Child First approach to a high-quality youth justice service across the city, the Service Manager will have a clear focus on improving outcomes for; children in the youth justice system, their families, victims, reducing reoffending and diverting children from crime and exploitation.

Service Delivery

The Plymouth Youth Justice Service and Management Board will work collaboratively to ensure services are trauma-informed, inclusive, and responsive to the diverse needs of children and families, whilst monitoring and evaluating service impact.They will use feedback from children and families to drive improvements and promote co-production with children and young people in service design and evaluation.

Team Management

The role will support good quality supervision for staff, to develop them in delivering compassionate, child-focused practice, and will embed reflective practice, with regular training to maintain high standards of care and safeguarding.

There will be a strong focus for the Service Manager to encourage innovation and collaboration across teams and with external partners, to help children in the Youth Justice System access services meeting their diverse needs, whilst reducing risks, vulnerabilities and keeping them and their local community safe.Practice across youth justice teams and partners will be restorative and respectful as modelled by the leadership of the Service Manager.

Safeguarding & Compliance

The Service Manager role will ensure robust safeguarding procedures are in place and adhered to at all times, and maintain compliance with statutory regulations, inspection frameworks, and organisational policies.

A culture of responding effectively to incidents, complaints, and concerns whilst always prioritising the child’s best interests will be fostered and upheld by the role and the wider government and leadership across the Youth Justice Board.

Values and Principles

This role is grounded in the following Child First Principles:

As children:

Prioritise the best interests of children and recognising their particular needs, capacities, rights and potential. All work is child-focused, developmentally informed, acknowledges structural barriers and meets responsibilities towards children.

Building pro-social identity:

Promote children’s individual strengths and capacities to develop their pro-social identity for sustainable desistance, leading to safer communities and fewer victims. All work is constructive and future-focused, built on supportive relationships that empower children to fulfil their potential and make positive contributions to society

Collaborating with children:

Encourage children’s active participation, engagement and wider social inclusion. All work is a meaningful collaboration with children and their carers.

Diverting from stigma:

Promote a childhood removed from the justice system, using pre-emptive prevention, diversion and minimal intervention. All work minimises criminogenic stigma from contact with the system

Reporting

Reporting to the Head of Targeted Support, on behalf of the Youth Justice Management Board, you will have a professional degree level qualification in either Probation Studies or Social Work (or evidence of sustained learning and development) in leadership and management, a knowledge of the legal and policy context for youth justice and substantial experience of management and leadership in a high-risk client facing service for vulnerable groups.

If you are interested in finding out more details, please contact our Business Manager, Mark Anderson ([e-mail]) who can arrange an informal discussion with Cate Hearnshaw who is our Chair of the Plymouth Youth Justice Management Board or Head of Service Martine Aquilina or assist you with any queries you may have.

Plymouth City Council is anequal opportunitiesemployer. All applicants will be considered foremploymentregardless of age, care experience, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion/belief, sex or sexual orientation.

As part of our commitment to promoting equality we offer guaranteed interviews to those who meet the essential criteria and are considered disabled, care experienced or are an Armed Forces Service Leaver within the last two years.

We are a flexible employer and provide a variety of working arrangements tailored to the needs of each role.

Closing Date - Sunday 13 July 2025