Qualified Youth Justice Social Worker

Job Title: Qualified Youth Justice Social Worker
Starting Salary: £37,035 progressing to £40,476 per annum + Market Enhanced Payment & Welcome Payment*
Hours: 37 per week
Base Location: Apsley, Hemel Hempstead - covering Watford, Three Rivers and Hertsmere.
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Childrens Services

About the team

We are seeking a qualified Social Worker to join Hertfordshire’s Youth Justice Service to work with children aged 11-18 who have received a Court Order.

Hertfordshire Youth Justice Service is undergoing an exciting transition, evolving from its integration within children's social care to becoming a centralised service. We are thrilled to offer an exceptional opportunity for a talented Youth Justice Social Worker to join us. If you are passionate about shaping the future of youth justice and driving positive change, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team.

This role provides the opportunity to work with a skilled, motivated and dedicated workforce, who are passionate about supporting children to desist from offending through robust assessment, risk management and delivery of tailored interventions.

About the role

To work in partnership with Children’s Services staff and other statutory and voluntary agencies, to provide robust programmes for children subject to court orders requiring skilled case management, to meet National Standards to reduce and manage risk to the public and prevent further offending.

• To manage a caseload of complex children open to Youth Justice on a community court Order, custody and resettlement.
• Through appropriate assessment of risk and risk management to develop, provide, co-ordinate and monitor programmes of intervention for children subject to court Orders in order to prevent further offending in accordance with evidence-based practice.
• To contribute to the delivery of the full range of services for children, their families and victims within Youth Justice Services.
• Participate in wider team activities such as operational duty and court cover, including evenings and weekends of programme operation.
• Work in partnership with staff and managers and with the parents/carers and families of children to ensure consistency with programme arrangements and to maximise the benefits of individual programmes for children. To
• To maintain accurate and timely comprehensive case management information on ChildView and comply with deadlines and statutory standards and requirements.
• Provide high quality reports: Pre-Sentence, Referral Order based on an AssetPlus assessment and provide clear, child focused proposals to the Youth or Crown Court.
• Liaise with relevant statutory and voluntary agencies to exchange, provide, gather, collate and evaluate information and data as may be required for monitoring the compliance of children, maintaining the positive benefits of individual intervention programmes.

About you

Essential:

• A qualified social worker with a current registration with Social Work England.
• Experience of Youth Justice work including providing interventions and working as part of a child focused multi-disciplinary team.
• In-depth understanding of the child first approach and proven experience of building positive relationships with children and parent/carers.
• Ability to meaningfully engage and communicate effectively with children as well as a range of individuals including parent/carers, victims, wider professionals and external agencies.
• Experience of court, providing robust sentencing options.
• Strong IT, organisation and communication skills are essential as you will need to record data on a case management information system, produce reports, and correspond with children, parents and partners.
• Self-motivated and able to organise and effectively manage own workload whilst maintaining high quality standards.
• Experience and a sound knowledge of relevant legislation and policies relating to victims, children and their families within the youth justice service and have the ability to manage caseloads and undertake risk assessments and pre-sentence reports with credible proposals.
• Full UK driving licence and regular access to a car.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is within the Health and Social Care Services, level HSC10 job profile. Please locate this via: Job profiles - Health and social care

This is an incredible opportunity to make a real difference in children’s lives at a critical time. As a Youth Justice Social Worker, you will be on the front line, helping children navigate challenges, make better choices, and find a path towards a brighter future. Your work will directly impact not only the children you support, but also their families and the wider community. If you are passionate about shaping young lives and have the drive to inspire change, this is a role where you can truly make a positive impact and leave a lasting legacy.

To hear more about this opportunity please contact either Robert Samuel (robert.samuel@hertfordshire.gov.uk) or Lydia Phillips (lydia.phillips@hertfordshire.gov.uk) for an informal discussion about the role.

Interview Date: To be confirmed

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Additional information

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Driving required
You’ll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.