Youth Justice Practitioner

Overview

In the youth justice practitioner apprenticeship, you’ll be working with kids aged 10 to 17 to help them steer clear of future trouble with the law. This means using proven methods to support them in staying away from criminal behaviour. Your daily tasks will involve engaging with young people who have been involved in crime or disruptive actions, as well as their families or caregivers. You’ll collaborate with a range of professionals like social workers, probation officers, police officers, youth workers, and educators. Your work will take you into communities and secure facilities, where you’ll need to understand how the Youth Court operates and the laws related to young people.

Since you’ll be working with some of the most vulnerable kids in our society, many of whom face multiple challenges, patience and empathy are key. Your main responsibility is to ensure the safety and welfare of these children, making decisions that are both ethical and based on solid evidence. As a practitioner, you’ll have specific duties in areas like education, closely monitoring behaviour, or addressing substance abuse. You’ll also provide guidance to other staff in these specialised areas.

What You’ll Do

• Work with young people aged 10 to 17/18 who have committed offences or are at risk of doing so. This involves understanding laws related to young people and following corresponding guidelines.
• Help young people develop resilience and support their positive growth. This requires deep knowledge of child and adolescent development, emotional and mental health, and experiences that may have affected them negatively in childhood.
• Understanding child and adolescent development, mental health, and adverse childhood experiences.
• Supporting positive development, understanding emotional and mental health issues, and dealing with adverse childhood experiences.

What You’ll Learn

• Laws and guidelines covering various aspects of working with young people in the justice system, like how sentences are decided, protecting them from harm, their rights, and treating them fairly.
• Understanding how children and teens develop, and knowing about the different issues that can affect their physical and mental health.
• Learning about why young people might break the law or behave badly, such as using drugs or having a tough childhood, and how to help them stop.
• Knowing how to make fair decisions, avoiding unfair judgments, and keeping a professional distance.
• Understanding how important building good relationships with young people is and the evidence behind it.
• Using tools to assess and plan how to help young people in the justice system.
• Knowing about the different services available to young people in the justice system and how they transition between them.
• Understanding how to work with different organisations and share information while keeping it private.
• Recognising and addressing the unique needs of specific groups of young people, like those in foster care, girls, LGBTQ+ youth, or from ethnic minority backgrounds.
• Understanding how big life changes can affect young people and how they move between services.
• Identifying what stops young people from getting involved in programs meant to help them in the justice system.
• Understanding the risks young people face, who might be affected, and when those risks are higher or lower.
• Knowing how to keep young people safe and the responsibilities of everyone involved.
• Learning how to design and run programs that help young people stay out of trouble with the law.