Apprenticeship training course

Youth justice practitioner (level 5)

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Information about Youth justice practitioner (level 5)

Work with children who have offended or are at risk of offending.

• Knowledge, skills and behaviours:
  View knowledge, skills and behaviours

  Knowledge

  • Legislation and corresponding guidance relevant to all aspects of work in youth justice, including sentencing, risk of harm, safeguarding, children’s rights and equality and diversity.
  • Child and adolescent development and the full range of complex needs that can be detrimental to children’s physical, emotional and mental health and wellbeing.
  • The range of factors (e.g. substance misuse and adverse childhood experiences) that may lead to offending and anti-social behaviour and the methods for promoting desistance from these.
  • The principles of professional judgement, including defensible decision making, how to guard against conscious or unconscious bias and how to maintain professional boundaries.
  • The key components of relationship-based practice and the evidence-base for them.
  • The range and purpose of assessment and planning tools relevant to working with children in the youth justice system.
  • The range and type of services available for children in the youth justice age group, including adult service providers and how these work in relation to young people who are in transition to them.
  • Protocol and process arrangements in working with multi-agencies, including the sharing and safeguarding of information in line with data protection law.
  • The emotional and practical needs of specialist groups of young people, e.g. Looked After Children, girls, LGBTQ+, BAME
  • The practical, emotional and psychological impact of key types of life changes and transitions between services affecting children up to the age of 18.
  • Barriers to children’s effective engagement with youth justice interventions.
  • The contextual aspects of risk (risk of what, to whom and circumstances in which risk is likely to be higher or lower).
  • Their own safeguarding responsibilities and those of others within and outside of their organisation.
  • The principles of effective programme design and implementation for reducing offending and reoffending

  Skills

  • Communicate effectively face to face and in writing (including digitally) with children who encounter the youth justice system
  • Identify the factors that may lead to offending and anti-social behaviour and the methods for promoting desistance, and use these to plan individually tailored interventions.
  • Promote the physical, emotional and mental health and wellbeing of children in the youth justice system by recognising and building on strengths, identifying need and taking action to protect children where necessary.
  • Use a range of engagement skills to promote trust, including clarification of role, purpose of intervention and boundaries of authority.
  • Develop relationships that are collaborative, motivating and child-centred using a range of strategies to engage young people and families (e.g. motivational interviewing, solution focussed methods, participatory practice, pro-social modelling and problem solving).
  • Make effective use of assessment and planning tools designed for use in youth justice settings to inform decision making.
  • Develop, implement and monitor plans which reflect risks and needs, and build on positive human and social capital to promote desistance.
  • Select interventions and approaches to working with young people based on the best available evidence about their effectiveness in promoting desistance from offending.
  • Broker access to sources of human and social capital appropriate to the needs of children in the youth justice system.
  • Be an effective social advocate for children and their families
  • Share and safeguard information about children and their families in line with data protection law
  • identify, assess and meet the needs of children and young people where there are safeguarding concerns
  • Reflect on practice within evidence-based frameworks in order to continuously improve outcomes for children in the youth justice system.
  • Identify any barriers to children’s effective engagement with youth justice interventions and take steps to remove or mitigate these.
  • Actively protect the rights of children, challenge disproportionality and promote equality of opportunity
  • Keep accurate and timely records of all interactions relevant to the assessment, planning, implementation and review cycle.

  Behaviours

  • Show consistency and fairness and be evidence-informed in making decisions.
  • Model and reward pro-social behaviours, including respect for diversity and being inclusive, and discourage inappropriate language and behaviours
  • Be optimistic and hopeful; non-blaming; open and honest; empathetic; and patient and calm in all interactions, including situations that are stressful
  • Operate in accordance with the legal, ethical and contractual requirements of youth justice work and maintain professional boundaries.
  • Commit to team working and engage proactively with partner organisations and agencies to maximise the engagement of children in mainstream services and other positive activities.
• Apprenticeship category (sector): Protective services
• Qualification level: 5; Equal to higher national diploma (HND)
• Course duration: 25 months
• Maximum funding: £17,000 ; Maximum government funding for ; apprenticeship training and assessment costs.
• Job titles include:
  • Youth Offending Team Officer
  • Youth Offending Service Officer
  • Intervention Worker
  • Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Practitioner
  • Youth Offending Service Case Manager
  • Reparation Officer

View more information about Youth justice practitioner (level 5) from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.