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West Sussex Youth Justice Service (YJS) is a multi-agency statutory partnership which provides services before and after Court to meet the requirements of the Youth Justice Board and statutory youth justice legislation. Its primary aim is to prevent offending and reduce re-offending by children. The service works in partnership with a variety of agencies to ensure children at risk of offending are identified and offered appropriate interventions which meet their needs, address their risks, and build on strengths which already exist. This multi-agency approach promotes the development of a sustainable network of support and expertise to prevent re-offending, and enables positive and sustainable outcomes for children, families and victims as well as building safer communities.

Salary: NJC Grade 8 £28,371 to £31,099
Working Pattern: Full Time
Contract Length: Fixed Term (ending 32/03/2025)
Location: Horsham

In this role, you will be an expert lead on parenting and family work within the youth justice system and will provide specialist support to YJS staff. You will provide advice, guidance and consultancy support to YJS case managers to enable them to work with families, whilst also undertaking direct work with parents and families of high risk and complex children. You will lead on undertaking assessments and written court reports in terms of Parenting Orders and will hold case management responsibility for any parents or carers subject to a Parenting Order. You will have a particular interest in supporting fathers or other important male figures in a child s life.

You will need to have a comprehensive understanding of current provision for families within West Sussex, to ensure parents and families of children involved in the youth justice system access the most appropriate provision to meet their individual needs. You will be able to demonstrate specialist knowledge of national developments in terms of best and effective practice, utilising this to inform and shape the development of parenting and family support within the YJS and with partner agencies. You will play a lead role in the development of whole family working in the Youth Justice Service.

You’ll need to be able to work flexibly in order to meet the needs of children, families and the service, e.g., seeing children and young people out of hours or at weekends ed to be able to travel independently in both urban and rural areas of the County for all aspects of your work. There is a regular and intrinsic requirement to communicate in English with members of the public.

Key Skills

• Developed advisory, negotiation, advocacy and persuasion skills to provide advice and encourage others to adopt a particular course of action they may not otherwise wish to take.
• Ability to record information, present reports and give evidence in Court as required.
• Ability to organise and prioritise work, coordinate a variety of tasks in a clear and logical way and meet agreed deadlines.
• Perceptive, investigative, and analytical skills with which to make assessments within guidelines.
• Excellent written and verbal presentation skills for a variety of tasks e.g., participating in meetings, working with other agencies, attending case conferences and court proceedings.
• Ability to demonstrate motivation to protect the interests of children.

Qualifications and/or experience

• Degree level qualification, or equivalent qualification or experience.
• Knowledge and understanding of child protection issues.
• Understanding of parenting and family issues for children and young people in the youth justice system.
• Knowledge of parenting and family law.
• Understanding of parenting and family work in the context of the youth justice system and the relevant National Guidance.
• Organisational knowledge of the systems, policies and procedures in relation to the specific areas of work.
• Knowledge of the youth justice system and the importance of whole family working in preventing offending.
• Commitment to relevant and required service training as agreed with manager.
• Demonstrable history of working with children / families experiencing difficulties in order to achieve positive results.
• Experience of building effective working relationships with a range of clients and partnership agencies.
• Experience of working in a parenting and family role with youth justice or a related social care field.
• Experience of facilitating groups.
• Good working knowledge of IT systems / procedures.

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

In addition to working within a great team and a brilliant opportunity you will receive:

• A competitive salary
• A generous pension scheme
• Training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring
• Flexible working
• A range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers with the opportunity to save over £1,000 (Including: Argos, Samsung, Asos, B&Q and many more)
• Free access to employee assistance programmes
• Discounted membership at selected local sports and fitness centres
• A range of commuting and business travel discounts and initiatives

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.

The reference number for this role is CAFHE04324 .

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Lorna Vincent at [email protected] for issues or queries regarding your application please contact [email protected].

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and cover letter. In your cover letter outline your motivations for applying and explain how you meet the key skills listed in full and the experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced SWE Registration, DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.

West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.

For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme, this can be found on our application help page.