Youth Justice Service Early Help Practitioner

Youth Justice Service Early Help Practitioner

Fixed Term, Full Time

£36,101 to £48,622 per annum

Location: Essex

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: 13th October 2024

Interview Date: 21st October 2024

We currently have two fixed term opportunities until March 2026, in Colchester and Basildon.

The role

The role of the Youth Offending Service (YOS) Early Help Practitioner is to improve outcomes for children and young people on the cusp of entering the formal criminal justice system. This is achieved through assessment, and collaborative planning to agree a targeted package of voluntary support which takes a whole family approach, to build upon strengths, address unmet needs and improve positive outcomes and sustainable desistance through enabling the child or young person to build pro-social skills and improve their future life prospects. Supporting also the resilience of parents to respond appropriately and provide care and support into adulthood.

YOS Early Help Practitioners will manage a caseload of children and young people, some with complex and/or undiagnosed needs in a way that is responsive and flexible to individual need and at a pace that will support the family to make changes for themselves. This will be achieved through in-depth assessment and subsequent interventions, with the aim of avoiding the child or young people becoming known to statutory services.

Accountabilities

• Responsible for managing a caseload and undertaking individual and/or family work with children or young people on the cusp of entering the criminal justice system.
• Accountable for undertaking high quality assessments of young people, and co-producing comprehensive intervention plans, evidencing input form young people, and liaising with partner agencies to effectively address the underlying needs that bought the child into contact with the criminal justice system.
• Conduct evidence-based interventions (systemic practice, as well as Signs of Safety, Motivational Interviewing, and child development theory) to develop relationships that enable the family to build upon their strengths and support desistance, without the need to refer to other agencies unnecessarily.
• Responsible for establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with partner agencies to ensure effective knowledge about YOS Early Help as the source of expertise in the locality on YOS Early Help.
• Accountable for ensuring that the voices and views of children and young people are sought, heard, and represented appropriately, evidenced throughout the intervention, and used to inform and develop effective service delivery.
• Accountable for maintaining accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date information/case records and share information appropriately according to local and national practice guidance/policies.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

What experience you will bring

• Possesses an accredited degree or diploma level, professional qualification in social work, or have a minimum of 2.5 years working within the field of youth justice.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area.
• Experience of working in a multi-agency environment with excellent engagement skills with a demonstrable ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with colleagues, partner agencies and service users.
• Knowledge and understanding of health and safety and safeguarding of children, and young people.
• A clear understanding of early help services and early interventions, values, and principles.
• Excellent understanding of both 'strengths based' and 'outcomes focused' work, with a demonstrable knowledge of appropriate and effective evidence-based problem-solving interventions with children, young people and families.
• Proven ability in the effective use of assessment frameworks and tools to produce appropriate, sound, evidence-based assessments of need, strengths and of risk, and use these to co-produce with families, individualised support plans that are reviewed and updated appropriately.
• Proven ability to work within an evidence-informed framework, with knowledge and understanding of criminogenic factors, causing young people to offend.

If you're ready to embark on this rewarding journey, apply now and be the change our young people need. Together, we can shape a better future.

To read more about us please visit: Children & Families

Please take a look at our 'No Magic' Children & Families video

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England's oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest - Basildon and Harlow - are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

What you should do next

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to

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