Job Description
Job IntroductionWe have a great opportunity to join our Youth Offending Team in a key role to help safeguard and support children at risk of, or involved in offending, and their parents, carers and others directly affected by their behaviour.
Our Youth Offending Service has recently restructured to bring together the Multi-Agency Missing and Exploitation Hub, Stay Safe Team and the Young People’s Drug and Alcohol Team, to aid focus on key areas that directly impact upon young people’s lives and the wider community.
You’ll primarily manage young people who are supported by the Early Support Project, our Youth Diversion and Prevention Service. They may have received an informal outcome from the police or have been referred to the service due to concerns around the early onset of offending, knife crime, gang membership or concerning associations, county lines and child exploitation.
This means managing competing priorities and demands for complex young people who are likely to present with a variety of risk and need factors.
The role includes close partnership working with the wider council services and professional colleagues in Police, Children Social Care, Probation, Health, and Education.
This role is on a two-year fixed-term basis and is only open to applicants who have the right to work in the UK.
Role Responsibilities
- To ensure that the likelihood of offending and risk of harm to others is reduced by effective assessment, risk management and intervention in line with criminal justice, children’s and other relevant legislation and in accordance with National Standards, Government guidance and local policy
- To ensure that all children who are offending or at risk of offending are safeguarded and their wellbeing is promoted effectively, in line with national legislation and policy, enabling them to live safely within their family wherever possible
- To work in partnership with key agencies, ensuring collaboration and information sharing for the benefit of the child or young person, victims of crime and the community at large and provide a quality youth justice service to the criminal courts as required by legislation and national standards
Ideal Candidate
- Recognised qualification and substantial experience gained working with young people in Social Work, Policing, Education, Youth Work, Youth Justice/Criminal Justice or Health relevant setting
- Skills and knowledge in listening to children and adults, in observation and in carrying out assessments and plans addressing risks and needs. Expert knowledge of criminal justice legislation and guidance and person centred anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills and good IT skills with the ability to complete and present holistic assessments to assess likelihood of offending, risk of harm to others and risks to children and young people’s safety and wellbeing. This includes the requirement to analyse, summarise and write/record relevant information clearly and concisely so that it is easily understood by service users and colleagues
- Able to manage own work, prioritise, plan and use time efficiently and to take responsibility for co-ordinating designated areas of the service including planned work of others, with the flexibility and ability to support other staff when need arises
- Ability to work as part of a multi-agency/multi-disciplinary team working co-operatively in partnership with other professionals and agencies to meet the needs of the child/young person parents and/or victims
- Able to collect, analyse and make judgements in high risk, complex cases and to use these to develop, implement, monitor and enforce effective interventions that are child and family centred and treat all with respect and with empathy whilst balancing the needs of victims and the community
- Ability to question, challenge, solve problems and complete complex tasks with limited day to day guidance
- Able to make considered decisions, analyse and evaluate information in high-risk cases with limited senior staff and manager’s oversight
- Must be self-motivating with the ability to display initiative but also to work under direction according to guidance policy and Standards for Children in the Youth Justice System
- Take responsibility for quality and completion of own work within standards, with the flexibility to adapt to change and contribute significantly to, and lead service development in designated areas
- Able to manage own time and find imaginative and cost-effective solutions to meet service user’s needs
- Flexible and willing approach to working hours including evening and weekend working
- Full UK driving license and access to a vehicle
About The CompanyMilton Keynes is a diverse, welcoming, and expanding place, built on smart ideas with even bigger plans for the future. We have world class attractions, beautiful open spaces, and a great standard of living.
Milton Keynes City Council is one of the largest employers in the region, making a difference every day for local people. We’re responsible for all local government services in MK including education, housing, highways, and social services - around 240 services in all.
Our values are to be dedicated, respectful, and collaborative. If this sounds like you, join us for a stimulating and fulfilling career measured on results, and a rewarding work-life balance.
Package DescriptionWe are really proud of the benefits we are able to offer our staff here at Milton Keynes City Council, including:-
- Local Government Pension Scheme, considered to be one of the best employer contribution rates of 18.8%.
- 27 days annual leave per year in addition to statutory and public holidays, rising to 31 days after 5 years. (From April 2023 this will increase to 28, and 32 days after 5 years)
- Holiday Purchase Scheme.
- Our Professional Development Centre provides access to courses such as in-house management development programmes endorsed by the Institute of Leadership, coaching and mentoring and access to our Smarter Learning portal
- Cycle to Work Scheme.
- Health Cashplan.
- MK Advantage benefits package – a range of savings on a wide range of retail, leisure and entertainment products and services such as Pizza Express, M&S, B&Q, John Lewis and Arriva Travel.
- Blue Light Card - Employees working within Social Care can qualify for a range of discounts from national retailers to local businesses in a wide range of categories including holidays, cars, days out, fashion, gifts, insurance, phones and much more!
- SmartGo – Aimed at encouraging low-carbon transport and healthy lifestyle with discounted travel e.g. Halfords, Arriva, Europcar, National Railcards and Stagecoach.
- Homebuy Scheme (for eligible roles).
- Smarter working which provides the opportunity to work from various locations including from home for a proportion of your role (subject to business needs).
- A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Paternity entitlements.
- Childcare Subsidy.
Job Type: Contract
Salary: £32,909.00-£37,261.00 per year