Job Introduction
Portsmouth Youth Justice Service is looking for a motivated, knowledgeable and enthusiastic Youth Justice Practitioner to help establish and deliver our Young Futures prevention interventions. This is an exciting opportunity to join a multidisciplinary and supportive service dedicated to preventing offending and reoffending among children and young people aged 10 to 17.
This role is a fixed term contract until 31st March 2027
The Service
Funded by the Home Office and Hampshire Violence Reduction Unit, co-ordinated within the Portsmouth Youth Justice Service (PYJS), the Portsmouth Young Futures Prevention Partnership will bring partners together to offer earlier intervention to children who may be at risk of committing anti-social behaviour and youth crime.
PYJS is situated in the Children, Families and Education Directorate of Portsmouth City Council. It is a multi-disciplinary, partnership organisation that works both within the Children and Families Services and the wider Youth Justice System.
The Role
Reporting to a Youth Justice Service Team Leader, you will work restoratively with children, families, professionals and community partners to identify strengths, address risks and develop sustainable plans for change.
You will gather and assess relevant information to support the Young Futures Panel process, seek the views and consent of children and families, and complete high-quality assessments, recommendations and intervention plans. You will manage a caseload of children, coordinating and reviewing direct interventions designed to build on their strengths and reduce identified risks and needs.
Your direct work may address areas including offending behaviour, emotional wellbeing, substance misuse, healthy relationships, education, employment, housing and income. This work will take place in a variety of settings and may occasionally include delivering small-group activities.
You will provide information, advice and signposting, helping children and families access appropriate statutory, voluntary, community and social enterprise services. You will also maintain accurate and high-quality records, contribute to service targets and performance indicators, represent the service at meetings and keep your professional knowledge current with developments in research, legislation, guidance and practice.
The role includes weekday office duty as part of a rota. You may also occasionally be required to work during weekday evenings or at weekends.
The ideal candidate
You will have a nationally recognised qualification at NVQ Level 4 or above in a relevant field, or equivalent relevant experience. You will also have experience of working with children, young people and families, particularly those who may be isolated or facing multiple and complex challenges.
You will be a highly motivated, flexible and creative practitioner who is committed to improving outcomes for children who have offended or may be at risk of offending. You will bring a restorative and strengths-based approach, working positively with children, parents, carers, victims, colleagues and partner agencies.
You will need current knowledge of safeguarding children and young people, alongside a sound understanding of child development and youth offending. Strong assessment and analytical skills will enable you to assess, plan, review and evaluate interventions while managing a complex caseload.
Excellent communication and relationship-building skills are essential. You will be confident communicating with children, families, managers, colleagues and key stakeholders, and able to provide both support and constructive challenge when managing complex, difficult or potentially volatile situations. The ability to communicate clearly and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential.
You will also need strong organisational, IT and record-keeping skills, including the ability to use Microsoft Office applications and specialist databases. You must be able to respond to changing priorities, meet deadlines, reflect on your practice and contribute to continuous service improvement. An understanding of multi-agency and partnership working is also required.
As the role involves working in locations across Portsmouth, you will need access to a suitable form of transport to travel around the city
Please ensure that you read the full job profile attached for the details and expectations of this role, paying particular attention the section 'Who is the person' as you will need to refer to this when completing your Personal statement.
Additional Information
Hybrid working arrangements :Attendance requirements to the designated workplace will be 2 days required in the office for full time post.
Contact Details for an Informal Discussion: If you have any questions, or would like an informal discussion about the role, please email: Emma Donnelly - emma.donnelly@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Interview date: 22nd October 2026
About Portsmouth City Council
Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.
We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals. Learn more about our values and behaviours.
Application process
We anonymise applications during application & shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered.
We strongly encourage candidates to add all Career and Education History to their application, as CVs are not reviewed as part of the shortlisting process.
As part of your application, we ask that you complete a personal statement, this statement is crucial and is where you must demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the job against each of the points described in the 'Who is the Person' points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience.
We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal. We are committed to offering an interview to all those candidates that qualify under one of our commitments and meet the minimum criteria, however for roles that receive a large number of applications, this is not always possible, and we will select the candidates that best meet the minimum criteria
If applying as a secondment you will need permission from your current line manager releasing you for this secondment. Please state you have this on your Personal statement .
You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.
We are not able to offer Sponsorship on this Role
Safeguarding
Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership safer recruitment procedures.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) at Standard/Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Please read the relevant DBS privacy notice before submitting any information.
You will need to explain any gaps in your career history within the last 5 years - this is essential for all safeguarding roles.
Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616 800.
