Practice Manager - Youth Justice

Hours: 37

Contract: Permanent

Location: Youth Justice Centre, Hunslet

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Practice Manager to join our Youth Justice Service,
Pre-Court Team
. This is an exciting opportunity to lead and support a dedicated group of professionals committed to improving and achieving positive outcomes for children involved in the justice system.

As a Practice Manager, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring high‑quality service delivery, compliance with statutory requirements, and the implementation of best practice standards, with a particular focus on prevention and diversion from the justice system. You will provide leadership, guidance, and supervision to staff, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, underpinned by a child‑first and trauma‑informed ethos.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

You are an experienced practice leader (e.g., social work, probation, youth justice or closely related profession) with:

• Able to engage to and establish constructive relationships with the most complex children in the justice system and their families to work to bring about positive change
• Able to motivate, inspire and challenge staff and to work in a solution focussed manner
• Able to support the learning and development of staff, through supervision, training and coaching
• Professional Social Work qualification, or Probation Studies Diploma, or Diploma in Youth & Community Work, or Foundation Degree in Youth Justice

As a Practice Manager, you will provide visible leadership and high‑quality professional supervision, championing Child First and trauma‑informed, restorative practice. You will ensure excellent case management, robust decision‑making and consistent quality assurance—so that practice keeps children, victims and communities safe, reduces re‑offending, and enables children to achieve positive, sustainable change. In this role you will:

• Line manage youth justice workers and youth justice officers, working restoratively with high challenge and high support
• Mentor, observe, support and advise all practitioners within the youth justice service, co‑working and coaching so all workers benefit from the expertise of a practice manager
• Support operational managers in case allocation, and team decision making, deputising where necessary, and ensuring case work is appropriately assessed, planned, delivered, reviewed and recorded
• Case manage and co‑work complex cases. Case allocation will be determined based on complexity, level of risk, profile and potential publicity surrounding a case.
• Support practitioners to achieve timescales, national standards and standards, following guidance and policies appropriately and promoting evidence‑based practice

As a Youth Justice Service we deliver child‑first, inclusive and safe interventions that safeguard children, protect victims and the public, and support positive change through effective risk management and safety planning. We are a learning, restorative organisation that places the needs, strengths and potential of children at the heart of everything we do, working in partnership with families, education, health, police, probation, the voluntary sector and communities.

We embed Trauma‑Informed Practice—understanding how adversity affects behaviour and outcomes, prioritising early identification and support, and adopting compassionate, relational approaches across services.

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

Please complete the online application form.

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