Team Manager - Youth Justice Service

Islington Council; Greater London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Greater London is seeking an experienced Team Manager for their Youth Justice Service. The successful candidate will lead a dedicated team, ensuring high-quality interventions for young people involved in the criminal justice system. With a focus on strategic leadership and safeguarding, this role requires a qualified Social Worker with a minimum of three years' statutory management experience. The position offers competitive pay and benefits, aiming to create positive outcomes for vulnerable children.

Benefits

Up to 31 days leave per year

Flexible working arrangements

Learning and development opportunities

Competitive pay with London Living Wage

Excellent local government pension scheme

Cycle to Work scheme

Local discounts from restaurants and shops

Qualifications

• Minimum of three years of statutory management experience within Youth Justice.
• Extensive experience of working with high-risk children.
• Understanding of practice standards and national standards.

Responsibilities

• Deliver strategic and operational leadership within the service.
• Manage deputy team managers and oversee youth justice officers.
• Evaluate impact and outcomes through quality assurance mechanisms.

Skills

Statutory management experience

Quality assurance

Youth court proceedings

Multi-agency collaboration

Safeguarding

Risk management

Education

Qualified Social Worker

Job description

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About The Role

The Youth Justice Service has an opportunity for an experienced Team Manager with a minimum of three years of statutory management experience within Youth Justice. This role requires the candidate to be a qualified Social Worker.

Our Youth Justice Service has been rated as one of the top in the country by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) who rated us as 'Outstanding'.

This role is central to shaping and continuing the delivery of high-quality, trauma-informed, and evidence-based interventions for children and young people involved in the criminal justice system.

They should have extensive experience of quality assurance, working with high-risk children and be proficient in youth court proceedings and management oversight of complex caseloads. The postholder will oversee complex casework, support staff development and ensure effective multi-agency collaboration. They should have an excellent understanding of practice standards and national standards, including the HMIP Youth Inspection Programme.

The role also involves leading on safeguarding and risk management, while promoting positive outcomes for children, particularly those facing significant vulnerabilities such as exploitation, mental health challenges, and disengagement from education.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver strategic and operational leadership, aligning with the service-wide vision and objectives. Drive change and constant progress so that children and families get the very best help and support.
• Hold responsibility for the day-to-day management of deputy team managers and overall accountability for the practice of youth justice officers and specialists.
• Ensure services are delivered to the highest achievable professional standards by evaluating impact (quality of practice delivered) and outcomes (difference it makes to the young person and their family) through evaluation mechanisms such as use of observations, reflective feedback and audit of cases – including views of young people and their families.

• Be able to provide consultation, direction and decision making on duties to safeguard children and manage the risks they may present to others. Ensure the quality of service provided to young people and their families is of the highest professional standard.

• Continuously self-evaluate case practice through self-reflection and consultation. Be self-directed in maintaining and developing up to date knowledge and skills through a variety of learning methods. Ensure that findings from analysis of practice, audits and research are disseminated to the team and the learning shapes improvement in practice.

Create the conditions for excellent practice

• Recognise the value of excellent youth justice officers and specialists remaining in frontline practice. Identify and develop staff with emerging leadership talent and support retention through the provision of challenging, interesting and motivating opportunities.
• Develop autonomy and professional expertise throughout the team and encourage team members to be accountable for the quality of practice and ongoing development.

• Engage the team, young people, their families and the wider partnership in constructive thinking about setting the right conditions for providing help that makes a difference in the young person's life. Motivate and drive the service's commitment to support children to develop their interests and resilience, be safe and desist from offending.

• Create a culture in which excellent practice is expected and celebrated and critical incidents are handled with fairness and discipline. Be responsible for dealing with complaints and members enquiries. Recognise and utilise the resource that children, their families and communities can bring to the development of staff and services.

Develop excellent practitioners

• Identify the skills needed to effectively practice within the complexity of young people's lives in Islington. Secure the resources and support needed to implement the necessary changes to equip staff to meaningfully engage children and enable staff to develop and learn.
• To shape in partnership with others, the current and future quality of practice through identifying need, delivery of effective training and sustaining professional development.

Support and effective decision making

• Establish structure for ensuring cases are managed to a high standard and the needs of the young person remain at the core of their work. Ensure that the right people are being consulted where relevant and partners are involved in service delivery. Help and empower practitioners to make decisions based on observations and analyses, taking into account the views of the children and the risks that have been identified.
• Ensure that all proposals for court and decisions to enforce orders are properly explored and defensible. Ensure that your management oversight and teams recording of important decisions provide a full analysis underpinning decisions, making sure for why and how decisions have been made is comprehensive and well expressed.

Shape and influence practice

• Practice an outward-facing approach to partnership working; understanding that the quality of relationships and reputation of management with peers, managers and leaders throughout multi-agency partnerships is an essential component of successful support to young people and their families. Forge professional relationships with partner agencies so collaboration could be used to best effect.
• Be able to create a culture where managed risk is accepted and understood as being inherent in every decision that is made. Encourage, empower and support practitioners to take decisions in this context.
• Implement communication channels with children, families, colleagues and other professionals for inviting critical feedback and ideas for improvement.

Quality assurance and improvement

• Set ambitious practice standards, instilling a strong sense of accountability in staff for impact of their work on the lives of children and their families. Establish rigorous, fair and transparent processes for managing the performance of staff, including accurate measures of practice through direct observation, audits and reflective feedback.
• Secure an in depth, comprehensive and current understanding of the realities of practice across the organisation and know how to address early signs of difficulties. Recognise and commend hard work and excellent practice to build your staff teams' confidence in their practice. Meet complacency with a commitment to continued improvement.

Working for the team, service and our organisation

Islington is a place rich with diversity and culture. As a council our sense of purpose couldn't be clearer: we serve. It's in the logo. We are committed to challenging inequality in the borough and as one of the largest employers we know that to look after the place and the planet, we have to look after our people. Together we can change the future.

We are determined to create a more equal Islington, where everyone who lives here has an equal chance to thrive.

To do this, everyone who works at Islington Council lives by a set of values which guide us in everything that we do: collaborative, ambitious, resourceful, and empowering. They spell out 'CARE', which is what we think public service is all about.

Our offer to you

We are committed to challenging inequality in the borough and as one the largest employers we know that to look after the place and the planet, we have to look after our people. Our staff benefits include:

• Up to 31 days leave per year, increasing to 36 days after five years of local government service
• A range of flexible working arrangements to maintain a healthy work-life balance, as well as a 35-hour working week
• Learning and development opportunities to maximise your potential
• Competitive pay and a commitment to paying all staff the London Living Wage at minimum
• Excellent local government pension scheme
• Cycle to Work scheme and discounted gym memberships
• Local discounts from restaurants, shops, health and beauty therapists, and more!

Please note: Priority will be given to those at risk of redundancy within Islington Council. Current employees who are part of the redeployment pool must meet the essential criteria for shortlisting to be prioritised.

Workforce Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to creating an inclusive and equitable workforce, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Our workforce strategy places equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of everything we do, reaffirming our commitment to fostering a culture of inclusion. We strive to create an environment where all colleagues feel they belong and can safely express their thoughts, ideas, and challenges, without fear of judgement or discrimination.

We maintain a zero-tolerance approach to any unlawful discrimination, harassment, or victimisation on the grounds of any protected characteristics under the 2010 Equality Act, including but not limited to race, disability, sexual orientation, sex, religion and belief, age, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy, and maternity. Any incidents of discrimination will be promptly investigated and addressed in line with our HR policies to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all colleagues.

We use data to identify and address disparities, ensuring that our policies and practices are transparent and impactful in promoting a diverse representation of backgrounds and perspectives at all levels of the organisation. We look at inequality through an intersectional lens, recognising that different aspects of someone's identity can combine to create unique experiences of discrimination and disadvantage.

We know that advancing diversity and inclusion is a continuous journey, and we must listen to our colleagues and learn where we can further improve. We work closely with our Colleague Forums and Trade Unions, supported by active allies from our Corporate Management Team, to monitor and evaluate our practices, identify barriers, and empower colleagues to promote equality and inclusion in the workplace.

Every one of us has a role to play in making Islington Council a truly inclusive workplace. By living out our CARE (collaborative, ambitious, resourceful, and empowering) values every day and embedding the principles of equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our work, we can all actively contribute to empowering people and creating a more equal Islington.

Pre-Employment Checks

Any offer of employment will be subject to the successful completion of required pre-employment checks. These may include:

• Proof of address
• Evidence of any name changes (if applicable)
• Right to work in the UK
• Overseas criminal record check (if applicable)
• Satisfactory references
• Occupational Health clearance
• Evidence of professional qualifications or registrations
• DBS check at the appropriate level (if applicable)

Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expects all staff, and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts are subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The post is subject to a basic/standard/enhanced DBS check with children barred list, qualifications check and 3/5 years referencing.

Disability Confident Scheme

Islington Council operates a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria and we are committed to providing support to applicants who request reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process and throughout their career with us.