Young People's Practitioner

What will you be doing?

In this role, you’ll work directly with young people and families experiencing complex needs—often those who are hardest to reach or who may be at risk of exploitation, going missing, or experiencing trauma.

You will:

• Take the lead on a caseload, acting as the key worker and coordinating support for children and families at risk of poor outcomes 
• Build strong, trusting relationships that enable young people and families to engage and create meaningful change
• Carry out whole-family assessments, identify risks, and develop tailored intervention plans to improve outcomes 
• Deliver direct one-to-one and group interventions, supporting areas such as emotional wellbeing, behaviour, parenting, and life skills
• Work intensively with families in their homes and communities, using persistence and creativity to engage those who may be reluctant to access support 
• Complete Return Home Interviews for young people who have gone missing, helping to reduce future risk
• Collaborate with partner agencies and professionals to coordinate effective, joined-up support
• Provide both support and appropriate challenge to help families make sustainable, positive changes

You’ll deliver a county-wide service, giving you variety in your role. You’ll be based in a local children’s centre but will need to travel effectively across the area as needed.

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’re passionate about improving life chances and confident in working with young people and families facing significant challenges.

You can build strong, trusting relationships and engage those who may be resistant to support.

You have experience working directly with families with multiple and complex needs.

You have strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to challenge, support, and inspire change

You are able to assess risk, carry out family assessments, and develop effective intervention plans.

You are skilled in mediation, negotiation, and problem-solving, even in challenging or crisis situations.

You demonstrate a flexible, resilient, and self-motivated approach, with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

You have a Level 3 qualification in working with children, young people, or families (or substantial relevant experience).

Most importantly, you’re committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children and young people, and you’re motivated by the opportunity to make a lasting, positive impact on their lives.

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

When applying please ensure your supporting statement details 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

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

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.