Local Government Youth Offending Team Officer

caring for your community in local government youth services Introduction 

Local government youth offending teams work with young people, aged mainly between 10 and 18 years old, who are at various stages within the criminal justice system.  A youth offending team within a local council identifies the needs of young offenders and investigates the specific problems that make them offend, in order to try and prevent them from committing crimes.

Local government youth offending team officers might also be known as youth justice officers, or youth offending team social workers.
 

Work Environment

Local government youth offending team officers work in a variety of settings such as offices, courts, detention and training centres, police stations, youth clubs and young offenders’ homes.

Hours are usually a standard 37 per week during normal office hours, but there may be some requirement to work during the evening and or at weekends.

 

Daily Activities

 

In England and Wales, youth offending teams are made up of range of staff representing different council departments and other external agencies, for example, children and young people’s services, the police, the health service, the probation service, and education welfare.  In Scotland a range of provision is provided by local council youth justice departments.

The main role of a local government youth offending team officer is to work with young offenders, their families and victims to prevent offending and resolve offences with all concerned.  They may be involved in some or all of the following duties:
 

  • carrying out assessments of young offenders and identifying their needs;
  • devising action plans to support young offenders and address the identified needs;
  • challenging young offenders’ attitudes and helping them understand the effect their behaviour has on others, particularly the victim;
  • undertaking pre-court interventions to establish, where possible, a mutually acceptable offence resolution between the offender and the victim;
  • preparing pre-sentence reports, which includes researching a young person’s background and talking with them and their family;
  • supervising young people on court orders and community sentences and helping them avoid re-offending;
  • encouraging young offenders to take part in constructive activities such as the Prince’s Trust, or helping them get a job or on to a training course;
  • liaising with colleagues in the youth offending team and with partner organisations;
  • writing up reports, collating statistical information and maintaining confidential records appropriately.

 

Skills & Interests

Local government youth offending team officers need:
 

  • excellent communication skills and the ability to build good relationships with young people and their families,
  • some knowledge of the legal system,
  • confidence and assertiveness in order to deal with challenging behaviour,
  • the ability to remain calm under pressure,
  • good report writing skills,
  • to be non-judgmental and fair in their treatment of and attitude towards young offenders.

Entry Requirements

Local council employers may accept a range of qualifications and experience for youth offending team officer positions, such as a degree or diploma in social work, a degree or diploma in youth and community studies or youth work, or another relevant professional qualification.  A teaching qualification might also be acceptable.

The national youth justice qualifications framework developed by the Youth Justice Board provides a range of professional qualifications designed to support those working at a range of levels within youth justice.  These include:
 

  • the Professional Certificate in Effective Practice (Youth Justice),
  • foundation degrees,
  • the Youth Justice Gateway Programme, which includes the following access routes: Juvenile Awareness Staff Programme, Advanced Apprenticeships, Effective Practice Mini Award, Study Skills course,
  • Effective Practice In-Service Training.

The Open University run a foundation degree in youth justice for those currently employed in the youth justice sector, volunteers or those planning to work in this field.  More information is available on the Open University website.

Previous experience of working with children and young people and some knowledge of the youth justice system would be an advantage.

There may opportunities to gain experience working with young people within the youth justice system through volunteering.  Opportunities might include working as an appropriate adult, a mentor, a magistrate, or a range of other roles.  Find out more on the Youth Justice Board website.

Estimated salary range

The salary depends on the responsibility of the role, but most qualified local government youth offending team officers can expect to earn £20,500 - £29,000.
Please note that salary information is a guide only and there may be local agreements in place. For further information about salaries for particular positions, please contact your local council directly.

Future prospects & opportunities

There is a clear progression route for those working within a local council’s youth offending team by gaining relevant qualifications within the national youth justice qualifications framework.  More experienced youth offending team workers can become senior practitioners or move into supervisory posts such as youth offending team leader/manager.

There are often opportunities to specialise in particular areas of work, such as bail and remand, working with prolific offenders, youth crime prevention, education and training, or substance misuse.

With appropriate training, there might also be opportunities to move into other areas of children and young people’s services, such as social work and education welfare.
 

Related Occupations

Follow this link to view a list of all related occuptions in Caring For Your Community.
Further Information & Services

 

Youth Justice Board www.yjb.gov.uk

National Youth Agency www.nya.gov.uk

Youth Justice Scotland www.youthjusticescotland.gov.uk

General Social Care Council www.gscc.org.uk

Care Council for Wales www.ccwales.org.uk

Northern Ireland Social Care Council www.niscc.info

Scottish Social Services Council
www.sssc.uk.com

Community Service Volunteers www.csv.org.uk/socialhealthcare

Follow this link for social services recruitment contacts within local councils in your area.

You may find further information about this area of work in your local Connexions service/careers office/school careers library - under V.

What should I do next?

Look for current local government youth offending team officer vacancies in the following places:

 

  • LGjobs.com - the official recruitment website for local government.
  • Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly jobs bulletins produced by local councils themselves, available from libraries, community centres, town halls/main civic buildings and central council personnel departments.
  • Local council websites.
  • Local newspapers
  • National newspapers - The Guardian is particularly well known for its public sector job advertisements on a Wednesday.

Find out about the council and get some work experience if possible by:

  • Making the most of work experience placements arranged through your school, college or university.
  • Contacting councils close to your home to find out about the work experience opportunities they offer.
  • Talking to someone who does the job you are interested in - ring your local council to see if someone can spare some time.
  • Making an appointment to see a careers adviser for more specific information about jobs and training.