Head of Youth Justice Service

Head of Youth Justice Service

Reference number: SC07023

Location: London

Schedule: Full-time

Salary Range: (Full time equivalent) – £67,380 – £84,075

Contract Type: Permanent

Do you see yourself as a caring and ambitious leader?

Can you use your experience in youth justice to lead a high performing service to achieve outstanding in the new inspection regime?

Does the idea of joining a richly diverse workforce with a commitment to innovation and creative work with teenagers excite you?

If yes, we have the perfect role for you!

Our Youth Justice Service is looking for a passionate and dedicated Head of Service. This is an exciting opportunity to take on the leadership of an amazing service and drive our Southwark 2030 ambition for children to have a good start in life – join us to make a difference for children and our community!

About the Service:

Southwark Youth Justice Service has a strong track record of high performance at inspection and managing risk in a diverse inner-city borough with the ongoing challenges of serious youth violence and impact of austerity. Our last inspection report in 2023 acknowledged the strength of our skilled and knowledgeable staff and the integration of volunteers with lived experience alongside high standards of partnership working. The service also benefits from an in-house clinical team who promote our systemic approach that is well embedded in practice. This senior leadership role has the benefit of opportunities offered within Children’s Services for further growth and development.

About the Role:

As head of service, you will provide leadership and drive best practice in the strategic development of a “child first” approach within youth justice and translate this into operational delivery of services to children and their families. This will include securing political and high-level management and stakeholder agreement in developing and delivering on strategic objectives in youth justice.

You will be responsible for the work and co-ordination of several systemic practice groups of multi-disciplinary staff, differently qualified, ensuring standards and performance targets are understood and met or exceeded.

You will be expected to be borough-based and a visible and active leader within our co-located children’s services.

To be considered for interview, your CV and supporting statement will clearly evidence:

• Registration with Social Work England or holding an equivalent professional qualification in work with children and families though we will consider relevant continuous professional development in work with children and families which can reflect the ability to lead a ‘child first’ approach to youth justice.
• Knowledge and understanding of recent research and best practice in the field of youth justice and social care to prevent offending and reduce extra familial harm.
• An in-depth knowledge of the legal and statutory framework in which youth justice services operate is required, with evidence of successful management within a statutory youth justice setting including oversight of performance standards.
• Experience of managing significant and wide-reaching changes to professional services, policy development and implementation.
• An ability to implement anti-discriminatory practice including promoting anti-racist practice and addressing issues of racism, inequality and injustice.

For detailed qualifications and requirements, please review the job description and person specification located at the bottom of the advert.

Contact Information:

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Andrew Hillas at

Additional Information:

This role is for 36 hours per week and an enhanced DBS check will be required for this role.

Benefits and more information:

Recruitment Timeline:

• Advert close date: 11:59pm on Wednesday 4 December 2024.
• Shortlisting date/s: Friday 6 December 2024.
• Interview date/s: Monday 16 December 2024.

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme:

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you’ll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the criteria below:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans.
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care.
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition.

Attachments

• Job Description & Person Specification – Head of Youth Justice Servic