Youth Justice Practitioner

SURREY COUNTY COUNCIL; Staines-upon-Thames; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Staines-upon-Thames is looking for a Youth Justice Practitioner. The role involves managing a caseload of young people, supporting adolescents aged 10-18 and their families, and collaborating with social workers and other agencies. This full-time position offers a starting salary of £32,512 per annum and includes numerous benefits, such as 26 days of holiday and a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme.

Benefits

26 days' holiday

Employee Assistance Programme

Lifestyle discounts

Learning and development resources

Qualifications

• Experience of working with adolescents and the ability to demonstrate positive outcomes.
• Experience of working with partners to manage risk and effect positive change.
• Proven written and oral communication skills, with good negotiation and influencing skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of young people linked to their offending behaviour.
• Support young people to achieve their potential using motivational interviewing.
• Work with social workers and partner agencies to support children and families.

Skills

Working with adolescents

Negotiation skills

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Education

Relevant professional qualification or considerable experience

Job description

This role has a starting salary of £32,512 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week.

We are excited to be hiring a Youth Justice Practitioner in the North Youth Justice Team, to work within a specialist team situated within the Adolescent Service. Our Youth Justice Service are inviting creative individuals who enjoy working with adolescents (10-18 year olds) and their families to join the team and help make a difference to our young people's lives. This is a full-time opportunity based in Staines and working across Elmbridge, Runnymede and Spelthorne.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Team

Surrey Youth Justice Service (YJS) is a high performing multi-agency partnership which provides services before and after court to meet the statutory requirements of the youth justice system. The YJS sits within the newly formed Adolescent Service portfolio which is part of the Children's, Families and Lifelong Learning Directorate and is committed to integrated working to achieve it's primary aim of preventing offending and reduce reoffending by children. The service works in partnership with a variety of agencies both externally and within the Adolescent Service to ensure children are offered appropriate intervention to address identified risks, meet their needs and build on their strengths. The service seeks to repair the harm caused to victims and communities by addressing the root causes of offending and reoffending by children.

About the Role

Surrey's Youth Justice service works with young people who have either been given an out of court disposal for offending behaviour or who have gone through the Court process and received an outcome. As a Youth Justice Practitioner you'll be managing a caseload of young people who have received a variety of outcomes linked to their offending behaviour. They may have significant additional needs, whether this be neurodiversity, experiences of exploitation, substance misuse, or other significant ACE's (Adverse Childhood Experiences). You will work with the team to support young people to achieve their potential and reduce the likelihood of them coming to harm using motivational interviewing and other evidence-based approaches.

As a member of our team you will be working alongside social workers, other partner agencies and the voluntary sector to support children and their families in the community. You will be well supported and training will be provided to ensure competence and professional development so that you are confident in your role. We will also ensure you receive a full induction and monthly supervision.

Although the contractual base will be Leacroft Family Centre, whilst the role is based in the North of Surrey and substantial travelling across the North of Surrey will be expected, it should also be noted that travel across the whole of Surrey and further afield may also be required to support children in care placed out of county or those who go into custody. Therefore, candidates are required to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK, access to a vehicle and be willing to travel across a wide geographical area. Reasonable adjustments where needed will be made for successful applicants who have a disability or long term health condition to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the job.

Shortlisting Criteria

• Relevant professional qualification or considerable experience of working within the service area
• Experience of working with adolescents and the ability to demonstrate how your work has resulted in positive outcomes
• Experience of working with partners to manage risk and effect positive change
• Proven written and oral communication and interpersonal skills with good negotiation and influencing skills, and the ability to maintain effective working relationships at all levels
• High level problem solving skills with the capacity to devise and implement innovative solutions
• Ability to communicate with compassion and authority in challenging situations and with resistant individuals, be able to effectively engage with people in complex situations both short-term and building relationships over time

Application Questions

To apply, alongside your CV, you will be asked to answer the following questions:

Please describe your professional qualifications or your experience within the relevant service area. How do you believe this background has prepared you for this role?

Give an example of a time when you had to use your negotiation and influencing skills to maintain effective working relationships. How did you handle the situation?

Can you discuss a complex problem you faced and the innovative solution you implemented? What was the impact of your solution?

Describe a challenging situation where you had to communicate with compassion and authority. How did you engage with the individuals involved, and what was the outcome?

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

For an informal discussion please contact Alexis Hynds by e-mail and/or telephone at or 07968 834 808.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 24/12/2025 with interviews to follow.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities. Please see more information here: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council

Commitment Wording

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum criteria, we guarantee you an interview.