Youth Justice Service

About the role

Are you a passionate and skilled professional looking to make a difference in the lives of young people?

Northamptonshire Youth Justice Service (YJS) is offering an exciting opportunity to join our dedicated Court Team as a Youth Offending Team worker - Court Officer.

As a Court Officer, you will play a key role in supporting children and young people through the youth justice process. You will undertake complex assessments, design and deliver effective interventions, and represent the service in formal court environments. Your work will contribute directly to reducing offending, protecting potential victims, and safeguarding the welfare of young people across Northamptonshire.

This is a 12-month fixed term maternity cover opportunity to November 2026

We welcome the opportunity to speak to any interested candidates so please feel free to email: and they can agree a mutually agreeable time to call you

What will you be doing?

You will be an organised, confident, and credible practitioner with a genuine passion for supporting children and young people. You will bring:

• A professional qualification such as Social Worker or Probation office or hold a relevant degree and be able to evidence relevant experience in field similar to Youth Justice.
• Experience in youth justice or related work with children and families (experience within a Youth Offending Service is an advantage).
• The ability to build trust and engagement quickly, even in challenging circumstances.
• Strong communication skills and confidence in presenting information in formal settings, including courts.
• Persistence, empathy, and determination to work with young people who may live chaotic or complex lives.
• A solution-focused, professional approach to working with children, families, and partner agencies.

If you are enthusiastic, resilient, and ready to make a real impact in youth justice, we'd love to hear from you.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible.

About you

You will be an organised, confident, and credible practitioner with a genuine passion for supporting children and young people. You will bring:

• A professional qualification such as Social Worker or Probation office or hold a relevant degree and be able to evidence relevant experience in field similar to Youth Justice.
• Experience in youth justice or related work with children and families (experience within a Youth Offending Service is an advantage).
• The ability to build trust and engagement quickly, even in challenging circumstances.
• Strong communication skills and confidence in presenting information in formal settings, including courts.
• Persistence, empathy, and determination to work with young people who may live chaotic or complex lives.
• A solution-focused, professional approach to working with children, families, and partner agencies.

When applying please ensure your supporting statement covers how you fulfil the essential criteria set out in the person specification as this will be used for shortlisting. You will need to provide a full employment history including any gaps since leaving full time education

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Barred List check

About us

At Northamptonshire Children's Trust, children, young people and families are at the heart of all we do – in every decision we make and every action we take. Our mission is driven by the unwavering commitment to achieving the best outcomes for them. The Trust is wholly owned and funded but operationally independent from the Councils.

Our workforce are our most valuable asset and are pivotal to making the services and support we offer to children, young people and families who need us to be the absolute best we can be.

We value our colleagues and empower them to be able to do the best job of their lives every single day, working in a culture of support and kindness where achievements are celebrated and creativity is very much welcomed.

At NCT equality, diversity and inclusion are part of us and in everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and thrive in our organisation. We are a disability confident employer and have a commitment to care leavers who we guarantee an interview if they meet the essential criteria.

Join our dedicated team and be a part of an organisation where your work makes a real difference.

Our benefits

We are committed to continuous improvement, building a skilled, knowledgeable, and flexible workforce alongside promoting innovation and creativity whilst keeping children, young people and families at the heart of all we do.

We really value our workforce and offer you a great benefits package including:

• 28 days annual leave, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time) and an additional 5 days, after 5 years
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health pension protection.
• Opportunity to purchase up to 25 days annual leave
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Flexible and family working arrangements including enhanced maternity benefits
• A permanent, supportive and inclusive management team where you will be empowered to make good professional decisions
• Extensive Learning & Development and career development opportunities
• Subsidised town centre car parking scheme