Summary

The Centre for Justice Innovation is looking to recruit a creative, pragmatic and committed individual to help the Centre in its work to support the statutory criminal justice agencies (youth justice services, police and youth courts) in improving their practice.  

What will You be doing?

We are looking to recruit a committed individual to support the delivery and development of our youth justice practice work, specifically to provide support to youth justice services, the judiciary, court staff and the police in the delivery/implementation of youth diversion and youth courts.

Since 2014, we have provided direct support to over 70 YJSs and their local police forces to develop their diversion schemes, as well as supporting the development of new schemes. In this role you will deliver this support, which will include; delivery of multi-agency workshops, assessing practice against the evidence base, reviewing guidance and protocols and providing recommendations for improvement.

Since 2019, we have developed a strong evidence base on youth court practice, drawing on research into young people’s experiences and the effectiveness of problem-solving approaches. This work has included engaging directly with children and practitioners to understand how youth courts operate and how well they meet the needs of those who appear before them. In this role you will support the development and improvement of youth court practice.

 The role will also including:

• Leading on identifying and supporting areas for practice development;

• Working closely with the Youth Justice Board, the National Police Chiefs’ Council, HM Courts & Tribunals Service and the Ministry of Justice;

• Developing practical tools to support practitioners;

• Presenting at external events;

• Designing and facilitating practice sharing events, training and workshops;

• Engaging with practitioners, stakeholders and service users to shape delivery and represent the Centre;

• Working with the Centre’s teams to ensure practice work feeds into our research, policy and communication activities.

• Support fundraising activity and build effective relationships with existing and prospective funders

 Skills, Experience and knowledge

The role requires the following skills, knowledge and experience:

Experience

 The Practice Specialist will have experience of:

• Operational/frontline experience of working in a youth justice service (essential);

• The role requires experience and understanding of youth diversion and youth court practice (essential);

• Working with clients / service users, and the practitioners who work with them, in a safe, legal and supportive manner (essential);

• Delivering training / facilitating workshops (desirable);

• Influencing and supporting internal and external partners to deliver on shared plans (desirable);

• Involving clients / service users in the design of projects (desirable).

 Skills and abilities

The Practice Specialist needs to be able to:

•  Deliver training and presentations and facilitate workshops for a range of audiences;

• Manage projects;

• Deploy strong written and verbal communication skills;

• Balance multiple priorities and manage their own workload;

• Have good organisational and team work skills;

• Work at pace and to deadline;

• Show energy and enthusiasm;

• Communicate and engage a variety of audiences and stakeholders confidently and constructively;

• Have the ability to work with vulnerable people and sensitive information in a safe, legal and supportive manner;

• Have a creative approach to solving problems and identifying practical solutions.

Knowledge

 The Practice Specialist needs knowledge and understanding of:

• The challenges and opportunities available to practitioners working within a criminal justice environment;

• The complex issues impacting children in the justice system such as trauma, exploitation, disproportionately and socioeconomic disadvantages.

 Requirements

 The post holder needs to have:

• Whilst we do not require the post holder to be office based, you must be willing and able to travel regularly within the UK and occasionally overseas;

• Eligibility to work in the UK legally.

• Interviews will be held on 3rd - 4th June 2026 at our offices in Kennington, SE11 5DP. The role will begin as soon as possible.

Equal opportunities

It is the policy of The Centre for Justice Innovation to treat all employees and job applicants fairly and equally regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion, age, disability, offending history or trade union membership status.

 We actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences, fostering a workplace where everyone feels valued and can thrive

 The Centre is committed to fair recruitment and the inclusion of applicants with criminal records. It is essential that people do not face unfair discrimination in any role within the charity, whether paid or voluntary. For that reason, we do not use criminal records to exclude people. We only ask about criminal records if they are relevant to the role.