This is an exciting opportunity to join Cambridgeshire Youth Justice Service as a Youth Justice Officer (YJO). This is a key role in our multi-disciplinary service and primarily you will be expected to engage, assess and work directly and creatively with children aged 10-17 who are at risk of offending or who have offended.

The role is best suited to individuals who are Child First in their approach. You will be keen to work collaboratively with children and their parents/carers motivating them and helping to support changes and find solutions in difficult and often complex situations. The Youth Justice Service is multi agency and you will assess and plan interventions alongside colleagues from Children’s Social Care, Probation, Police, Health and Education to achieve the best possible outcomes for children.

The role can be fast paced; you will need to be highly organised and able to meet competing deadlines. You will also have statutory duties and be required to attend court and multi-agency meetings. You will be required to carry out assessments of children and produce written reports and keep high quality records.

We have one full time temporary post available at our office base in Cambridge covering maternity leave. The post holder will cover the geographical area of Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire and cover courts across the county and sometimes beyond.

Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

In-person interviews are planned for the afternoon of Friday 17 April.

For more information or to chat about this opportunity please contact Matthew Pink (Team Manager) on 07879 661176

What will you be doing?

Youth Justice is a very challenging but rewarding area of work. You will be working directly with children aged 10-17 who have committed offences ranging from those who haven’t yet reached the court system through to those in Youth Detention Accommodation. The successful candidates will manage a caseload of children aged 10-17 who have been referred by the Police and are on early interventions or they will subject of court or custodial sentences. You will engage positively with children, families and other agencies to assess, plan and put interventions in place that will promote the safety of the child and protect others who could be harmed by their behaviour.

Once trained you will be expected to represent the service at court on a Duty system and will support young people and their families through the criminal justice system.

Your working day will likely include visiting children at home, in schools or other community venues. You will have access to desk space within an office and there is also the opportunity to work from home regularly. Some evening and some occasional weekend working is required.

About you

You will be:

• Qualified to at least Level 5 in a relevant subject (eg. Youth Justice, Psychology, Criminology or similar)
• Experienced at engaging with children and adolescents in a work setting
• Experienced in managing a caseload, casework and multi-agency working
• Able to communicate effectively at all levels and through all mediums (including written reports)
• Committed to achieving the best outcomes for children in challenging situations
• Able to maintain compliance with policy and procedures

Our benefits

We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits in addition to the basics like annual leave, sick pay, pension and mileage…

• A comprehensive wellbeing package to cover all aspects of wellbeing, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family
• Buy up to 4 weeks additional annual leave (pro-rata) through our salary sacrifice scheme
• Take your bank holidays flexibly to better suit your personal circumstances
• Make Additional Voluntary Contributions (Shared AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings
• Access to development opportunities, apprenticeships and qualified coaches to support your personal and professional growth
• Paid volunteering hours each year so you can make a positive impact on our community during your normal working day
• Access to Peer Support Groups through our IDEAL staff equality, diversity and inclusion network
• Opportunities to nominate and receive Employee Recognition Awards
• An Our Cambs Rewards account, giving you access to in-store and online discounts as well as our Car Lease and Cycle to Work schemes

Take a look at our Employment Benefits Brochure attached to this advert to find out more.