Youth Practitioner; zero

About the role

The priorities for our Dorset children are simple but powerful: we want them to stay in Dorset, the best place for them to grow up, and to experience high‑quality care. We ensure that all young people have access to education and opportunities that enable them to thrive and achieve their full potential.

As a Youth Practitioner you will play a vital role in creating a safe, stable and nurturing home environment for children and young people who have experienced trauma, disruption and neglect. You will support them both within our residential home and out in the community, helping them build resilience, independence and positive relationships that last.

This is a dynamic role that blends residential care and outreach support. You will work directly in The Harbour / College House in Weymouth, while also supporting young people beyond the home, engaging them in their communities, education and family networks.

The role includes evening and weekend work, sleep‑ins (paid allowance) and bank holidays.

• Provide consistent, therapeutic care within a residential home for young people aged 12 and over, many of whom have experienced trauma and risk of exploitation.
• Support structured daily routines including mealtimes, education attendance, personal care and bedtime, helping to create stability, boundaries and a sense of security.
• Create a safe, warm and predictable home environment where young people feel valued, protected and able to build trusting relationships with adults.
• Maintain a strong focus on safeguarding, recognising and responding to risks such as child exploitation, missing episodes and harmful influences, and working proactively to reduce and manage these risks.
• Respond to and manage complex behaviours linked to trauma and adverse experiences using a therapeutic, trauma‑informed and relationship‑based approach.
• Support young people to develop independence and resilience, including emotional regulation, decision‑making, self‑care and understanding personal safety.
• Work as part of a close‑knit and vigilant team, ensuring effective information sharing, consistent boundaries and a shared understanding of each young person’s vulnerabilities, risks and needs.
• Promote protective behaviours and safe relationships, empowering young people to better understand risk, build confidence and make safer choices within and beyond the home.
• Live alongside young people, modelling positive relationships, building trust and helping them rewrite their experiences of care.

• Deliver targeted, trauma‑informed support to young people at risk of entering care, experiencing exploitation or facing vulnerabilities such as poor attendance, behavioural challenges and social or emotional difficulties.
• Build consistent, trusting relationships with young people through outreach in community, school and home environments.
• Assess individual needs and risks and deliver tailored interventions to promote safety, emotional regulation, resilience and positive decision‑making.
• Support young people on the edge of care to maintain stable home placements.
• Identify, assess and respond to risks of exploitation, including contextual safeguarding concerns.
• Improve engagement with education and reduce barriers to school attendance.
• Manage and de‑escalate behaviours using a trauma‑informed approach, recognising the impact of adverse childhood experiences.
• Work collaboratively with families, schools, social care and multi‑agency partners to provide coordinated, holistic support.
• Maintain accurate and timely records, ensuring all safeguarding responsibilities are met.
• Apply a child‑centred, strengths‑based approach in all aspects of practice.

At The Harbour, we never give up on a child. Our approach is to wrap care around each young person’s individual needs, rather than expecting them to fit into a system. We use an evidence‑informed, trauma‑aware model of care, underpinned by strong relationships and a belief in every child’s potential.

• Build strong, trusting relationships with children and young people through consistency and care.
• Support daily life within…