Youth Justice Officer

Job title: Youth Justice Officer

Salary: C3 - PO3 £ 32,061 - £45,091 scale range pts 19-34, (pro rata part time)

Hours: 37

Contract: Temporary until 31st March 2029

Location: Youth Justice Service

We are seeking a passionate and skilled Youth Justice Officer to join our team and help improve outcomes for children. This challenging yet rewarding role is within a service committed to Leeds’ ambition to be a Child Friendly and Restorative City. You will work directly with children and their families to reduce offending, underpinned by trauma‑informed, child‑first, and restorative approaches, supporting children to achieve positive change while keeping children, victims and communities safe.

• Manage cases involving statutory court orders and pre‑court disposals.
• Undertake assessments and develop intervention plans tailored to individual needs.
• Work collaboratively with multi‑agency partners to deliver holistic support.
• Prepare high‑quality reports for courts and panels.
• Promote restorative practice and child‑first principles in all interactions.

• To positively engage children and their families in order to improve their outcomes, working in an inclusive, restorative and trauma‑informed manner.
• To undertake thorough, effective and analytical assessments of children, with particular regard to risk of offending, level of harm posed to the public and risk to the child’s own safety and wellbeing.
• To work in an anti‑oppressive manner, promoting equality and ensuring that diversity issues are addressed.
• To sequence, plan, develop, co‑ordinate, deliver and review programmes of focused work to children on a group and individual basis, including those subject to intensive supervision.
• To take account of the views and interests of victims and issues of public safety and public confidence.
• To work with the families of children who offend to improve outcomes for the family.
• To prepare timely and analytical pre‑sentence and other reports of a high quality.
• To encourage and enable children’s participation in all aspects of service delivery.
• To take an active role in Court as required, including participation of Court duty office rota.
• To maintain effective, accurate and timely administrative systems and provide all information necessary for accountability, case management, statistical and monitoring purposes.
• To actively contribute to a culture of innovation, restorative practice, new ideas and learning within the team and wider Service.
• To work flexibly, including evening and weekend work as required.
• To undertake other duties appropriate to the post as required by the Service.
• To comply with the requirements of all Leeds Youth Justice Service, Leeds City Council and Departmental policies, procedures and staff instructions, including responsibilities under the Health and Safety policies and procedures.

• Ability to engage and establish constructive relationships with children and their families to bring about positive change in their behaviour.
• Ability to work restoratively with children and their families with high challenge and high support to improve outcomes.
• Ability to prepare high quality, analytical pre‑sentence reports and other reports within National Standards.
• Self‑motivation, initiative, enthusiasm, creativity, responsiveness and ability to work to deadlines.
• Professional social work qualification, Diploma in Probation Studies, Youth and Community Work qualification or Foundation Degree in Youth Justice.

• Ability to engage to and establish constructive relationships with children and families.
• Ability to work restoratively with high challenge and support.
• Ability to analyse information from a variety of sources, use judgement and make defensible decisions, particularly regarding risk.
• Excellent case management skills, engaging all relevant parties.
• Ability to challenge discrimination, prejudice and oppressive behaviour, promote equality.
• Self‑motivation, initiative, enthusiasm, creativity, responsiveness, and ability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to develop and deliver effective, trauma‑informed individual and group work programmes.
• High…