Focused Diversion Youth Worker

Overview

Are you passionate about supporting young people and preventing serious youth violence?

We are looking for a Focused Diversion Youth Worker to join our Youth Justice & Support Team. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in delivering Buckinghamshire’s Focused Diversion Programme (2026–2027), working directly with children and families at risk of involvement in the criminal justice system.

You will use a mentoring and youth work approach to build positive relationships, deliver meaningful interventions, and help young people achieve better outcomes.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally. 

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

In this role, you will:

• Manage a caseload of children at risk of serious youth violence
• Triage and assess referrals, ensuring young people access the right support
• Deliver evidence-based interventions and mentoring sessions
• Work collaboratively with partners including Police, Social Care, and Community Safety teams
• Complete holistic assessments using recognised tools
• Take a whole-family approach to support planning
• Maintain accurate records and contribute to programme evaluation
• Build trusted relationships to motivate and engage children

You’ll be at the heart of early intervention, supporting children before risks escalate.

About you

We’re looking for someone who:

• Has experience working with children or young people, ideally in a youth justice or prevention setting
• Can effectively engage and motivate children and families
• Has strong assessment, planning, and case management skills
• Is confident working in multi-agency environments
• Has excellent communication and relationship-building skills
• Can manage competing priorities and work independently
• Understands safeguarding and contextual risks affecting children.

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Other information

If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Jenni Hathaway at [email protected]

Closing date: Monday 15th June 2026. 

Interview date:TBC

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/