The Youth Engagement Service

The Youth Engagement Service is an inclusive and flexible service that brings together, and works collaboratively with, partner agencies to ensure a whole system approach for young people who have been, or who are at risk of being, exploited and/or entering the youth justice system.

A Joint Targeted Area Inspection was conducted within Kirklees in June 2022 considering the multi-agency response to the criminal exploitation of children in Kirklees. The inspection found that, ‘Children in Kirklees who are at risk of, or experiencing, criminal exploitation have their needs identified quickly and receive multi-agency support to manage and reduce risk to them effectively’.

The inspection highlighted the Youth Engagement Service as an example of highly effective practice stating that:

‘The Youth Engagement Service (YES) in Kirklees is a successful resource that works well with other agencies to identify and meet the needs of children who are at risk of, or are experiencing, exploitation’.

‘In all the strategic and operational work seen by inspectors, the involvement and positive impact of the YES was clearly evident in improving children’s lived experiences’.

The Youth Engagement Service is made up of the Youth Justice Service and the Youth Engagement Service Team. The Youth Justice Service is an integral part of the Youth Engagement Service and is a multi-disciplinary team incorporating the skills and experience of several services within Kirklees Council. The Youth Justice Service works alongside partners to provide the broadest possible inventory of support for the young people of Kirklees.

Team management roles within the Youth Justice Service manage case work that exists across both court and out of court work. The Youth Engagement Service management team takes a flexible approach to meeting the needs of young people and as such the role will be supported to cover multiple aspects of Youth Justice work and wider exploitation work.

https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/joint-targeted-area-inspection-of-the-multi-agency-response-to-the-criminal-exploitation-of-children-in-kirklees

The Role

As a Team Manager, you will manage the planning of frontline intervention and engagement work delivered by your team.  The role will include monitoring of information, identification of trends and real time interpretations that will contribute to plans aimed at mitigating risk. 

As a manager you will hold an influential position and hold responsibility for decision making, development of plans and the innovation of effective solutions.  The role will require an oversight of progress for young people identified as requiring support and intervention working in collaboration with other services and partners.

As a manager you will provide supervision and opportunities for reflection and analysis, as well as being responsible for the allocation of casework and actively managing caseloads so that our practitioners are able to do the quality child centred work that they need to. 

At Kirklees we want to be innovative and creative in the way we work to deliver our services to our communities. We know we have challenging times ahead, so we are always looking for better and smarter ways to work. This role will provide opportunities to develop different ways of working that can better meet the needs of young people in Kirklees, particularly those that are vulnerable to entering the youth justice system.

Within Family Support and Child Protection we want to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people. You will be part of a developing Youth Engagement Service which aims to ensure young people feel safe and are safe, young people are consulted about their concerns, are listened to, and responded to with appropriate actions. You will be one of 8 Team Managers that work within the Youth Engagement Service and the collaborative approach of this management team enables opportunities for service development to be progressed.

As such The Youth Engagement Services wants to recruit an experienced individual who can demonstrate a capacity to manage multiagency teams and work collaboratively with partners. We want to recruit an individual with knowledge of the Youth Justice System and experience in managing risk alongside partner agencies. We need to recruit a social work qualified individual who can work alongside colleagues to understand working practices and both maintain effective working practices and develop improvements where necessary.

You must be passionate about inspiring and improving children’s lives and you must be able to develop and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and partners.

For a full list of the role requirements please see the attached Job Profile.

What can we offer?

• An extensive induction that can offer you an understanding of how Youth Justice Services are delivered in Kirklees.
• A structured induction to management should this be your first management position.
• Supportive colleagues across the Youth Justice Service and wider Youth Engagement Service.
• Generous annual leave entitlement.
• Ongoing training and career development.
• Excellent pension scheme
• A range of family friendly polices
• We offer a wide range of well-being initiatives including a cycle to work scheme and discounted KAL membership

What the team say about the role

‘The YJS Team Manager role affords me the opportunity to be creative and try new ways of working. It also allows me to spend time with children and young people – something which doesn’t often happen with other Team Manager roles’.

‘As a relatively new Team Manager I have felt supported and welcomed by the team and able to develop as a leader. This has been due to the team, the role and other training opportunities available. I thoroughly enjoy the Team Manager role as it has specific focuses and also a variety of responsibilities’.

‘The YJS management role is a wide and varied role, often no two days are the same. The opportunity is there to manage a high functioning and skilled workforce and to make to a real impact in the lives of children and young people from some of the most disadvantaged communities in Kirklees. You would be welcomed into a supportive and experienced management team with a shared ‘Child First’ ethos’.

If you have any questions about the Youth Engagement Service, the Youth Justice Service Team Manager role and/or the interview process then please contact Ben Newsome (Service Manager) on 01484 221000 or at Benjamin.Newsome@Kirklees.gov.uk