Youth Justice Practitioner

Kent County Council; Gravesend; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Kent County Council invites applications for a Youth Justice Practitioner to support young people aged 10 to 18 and reduce reoffending. The role covers North Kent (Dartford, Gravesham, Swale) with regular travel across districts and priority on safeguarding and collaborative working.

The post requires a Full UK Driving Licence and involves court reports, assessments, and delivery of targeted interventions, in line with statutory programmes.

Qualifications

• Full UK Driving Licence required.
• Experience in youth justice or social care is desirable.
• Ability to work across multi-agency settings.
• Commitment to reducing offending and safeguarding children.

Responsibilities

• Complete assessments, including AssetPlus and PDAT assessments.
• Prepare and present reports for Court and YJ Panels.
• Deliver interventions and support to young people and families, addressing diverse needs.
• Contribute to intervention plans that support rehabilitation and reduce reoffending.
• Attend Youth Justice team meetings and wider multi-agency meetings/panels.
• Participate in duty rota and attend Youth Court, Magistrates' Court and Crown Courts.
• Undertake visits to YOI/prisons to support young people in custody and facilitate resettlement.
• This post is subject to Enhanced Disclosure via DBS.

Skills

Communication skills

Risk assessment

Interagency collaboration

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Kent Youth Justice Service as a Youth Justice Practitioner.

This is a full-time, fixed-term position for 2 years.

The position is an area-based role covering the districts of North Kent, namely Dartford, Gravesham, and Swale. Regular travel across these districts is essential.

This role is subject to holding a Full UK Driving Licence - The Council is committed to making reasonable adjustments so whilst this job requires the jobholder to drive your application will still be considered if you are unable to drive due to a disability.

As a Youth Justice Practitioner, you will work directly with young people aged 10 to 18 years who have come in contact with the criminal justice system. The primary aim of the role is to reduce offending by delivering effective interventions in line with agreed plans, while managing risks of harm, addressing vulnerability factors, and promoting positive outcomes for children and young people.

As a member of a multi-agency service, you will work collaboratively with colleagues and partner organisations to:

• Complete assessments, including AssetPlus and Prevention and Diversion Assessment Tool (PDAT) assessments.
• Prepare and present reports for Court and YJ Panels.
• Deliver interventions and support to young people and their families, responding to a diverse range of needs as part of statutory programmes.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of intervention plans that support rehabilitation and reduce the likelihood of further offending.

This role also involves regular attendance at Youth Justice team meetings, and wider multi-agency meetings / panels to support prevention, safeguarding, and risk management. You will be expected to participate in the service duty rota and be required to attend Youth Court, Magistrates' Court, and Crown Courts on a regular basis. As well as undertaking visits to YOI's / prisons as required to support young people in custody, contribute to sentence planning, and facilitate effective resettlement into the community.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Work that works for you and us - let's talk flexibility!

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.