Youth Justice Officer

About the job
Salary:£35,235 - £40,476 a year
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Permanent

Are you looking for an exciting role within the Youth Offending services? This role could be for you!

This role offers a meaningful opportunity to make a significant impact on the lives of adolescents, particularly those who have come into contact with the youth justice system. You will be working in an environment where your experience and skills will be highly valued and utilised.

Your responsibilities will include supporting and motivating young people, assessing their needs, and working closely with a variety of professionals and agencies to provide the best outcomes. You will also be expected to manage your workload effectively, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines. The role requires you to use agency IT equipment for case recording and make informed professional judgments in a multi-disciplinary criminal justice setting. Your work will be guided by current legislation and issues related to children, young people, and families, with a focus on those who offend.

Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.

Interviews are scheduled to take place on the 20th December 2024.
About you
You bring demonstrable experience in working with adolescents, whether paid or voluntary, and have some experience with young offenders in settings such as YOIs, STCs, probation, youth justice, or social services. Your excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, enable you to build positive relationships with children, young people, parents, and a wide range of professionals and agencies. You are proactive, able to use your initiative, and adept at prioritising your workload to meet strict deadlines. Your ability to assess, support, and motivate young people, especially those with medium to high levels of vulnerability and risk, sets you apart. You understand the effects of discrimination and are committed to promoting equality in service delivery and the workplace.

Your specialist knowledge includes an understanding of current legislation related to children, young people, and families, particularly those who offend. You hold a relevant professional or degree-level qualification, such as an NVQ 4, and if you are a social worker, you are registered with the General Council of Social Work or its UK equivalent. Additionally, you are a car driver, which allows you to conduct regular visits within and outside the Borough and provide transportation for children, young people, and parents. You are also flexible and willing to work outside normal office hours, including evenings, occasional Saturdays, and Bank Holidays.

We are excited about the possibility of you joining our team and contributing your unique skills and experiences to help us make a positive impact on the lives of young people. Together, we can achieve great things and create a brighter future for those we serve. Let's embark on this journey together and make a difference!

This is a public facing role so you'll need to show off your fluency in speaking and writing English.
About us
Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision - that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty - is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.

The people of Luton depend heavily on this council - and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?
Application Process
Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person's criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.
Benefits
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:

- From 25 to 32 days' annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel