Youth Justice Worker

South Gloucestershire Council; Patchway; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Wellbeing support

Staff discounts

Training and development

Job summary

South Gloucestershire Council seeks a Youth Justice Worker to deliver targeted interventions for children and young people, supporting families and victims while preventing re-offending. You will work with partner agencies to coordinate services and promote safer outcomes within the youth justice framework.

Applicants should hold a relevant professional qualification, have recent experience with youth justice, and understand legislation and procedures guiding youth justice practices.

Qualifications

• Essential qualification in youth justice services or related field.
• Experience with children and young people, including youth justice settings.
• Knowledge of legislation and procedures relevant to youth justice.

Responsibilities

• Assess, plan and deliver interventions using specialist youth justice tools.
• Coordinate services with partner agencies to reduce youth crime.
• Provide practical programmes for children and families to reduce harm.
• Support desistance from offending by liaising with social workers and professionals.
• Attend reviews and case conferences, providing reports as required.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Desistance understanding

Education

Professional qualification relevant to Youth Justice Service

Job description

How you'll make a difference

As a Youth Justice Worker, you will provide an effective service to children, young people, parents, carers and victims, helping to prevent offending and reduce the risk of further involvement in the youth justice system. Working collaboratively with families, partner agencies and communities, you will deliver targeted interventions that promote safer outcomes, support rehabilitation and enable children and young people to achieve their potential.

The Youth Justice Team delivers targeted interventions that reduce offending, support positive outcomes and prevent harm to the wider community. Through a child-centred and restorative approach, the team supports children and young people to address the factors contributing to their behaviour, build resilience and make positive changes for the future.

What you will be doing

• Using specialist youth justice assessment tools, you will assess, plan and deliver interventions for both out of court and court outcomes.
• Working in partnership with colleagues from other agencies, you will coordinate services aimed at reducing and preventing youth crime.
• You will provide practical focused programmes for children and their families, building a more positive future and reducing harm to communities.
• Liaising with social workers and other professionals, you will support children in their desistance from offending.
• You may chair and participate in reviews, case conferences and other meetings, providing reports as required.

What we need from you

• It is essential that you hold a professional qualification relevant to the Youth Justice Service, such as services to children and young people, education, police, probation or health.
• You will have recent experience of working with children and young people, including experience of working in a Youth Justice Service.
• We are looking for someone with sound knowledge of relevant legislation, regulations, codes of practice, processes and procedures relating to youth justice.
• You must have strong interpersonal and communication skills, enabling you to sensitively build relationships and engage successfully with colleagues, children, their families and partner organisations.
• Carrying out assessments, you will have the ability to determine safety and well-being concerns, harm to others and identify desistance factors.
• We require you to be self motivated, with the ability to work effectively under pressure and to deadlines.

What you need to know

• This is a limited term contract, ending 1st June 2027.
• Please note that due to the nature of this role, it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained.
• You will be expected to travel throughout the authority and surrounding area so you must have a full, valid driving licence with regular access to a vehicle or have an alternative means of travel.
• We are offering this as an internal secondment opportunity, you should first seek your line managers permission before applying.

Interviews will be held on 27th October 2026.

How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different

• As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities.
• We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.
• We know our team work best when they have balance in their lives and we offer genuineflexibilityto help them achieve thatwork/life balance.
• We value our staff as individuals, investing in their careers and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of ourtraining and developmentoffer, which helps make the greatest long-term difference in work.
• We arecommitted to safeguardingand promoting the safety and welfare of children,young people and vulnerable adults. Ensuring all our staff are given right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect.

Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here.

• We're building and shaping communities which people are proud of.
• We're working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life.
• We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential.

We've achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference.

We’re making a difference, be part of it!

To view the full job description, please click this link: Youth Justice Worker - Job Description