London Borough of Hillingdon
Restorative Justice Officer
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Restorative Justice Officer – Children’s Services (Youth Justice Service)
About the Role
Do you believe in helping children to understand the impact of their actions, take accountability, and repair the harm they cause?
Are you passionate about supporting children and young people in developing pro-social identities and positive contributions to their community?
Hillingdon Youth Justice Service’s vision is: "To be a fair, inclusive, child-first youth justice service that empowers every young person to thrive, supports victims of crime, and repairs harm within safer, stronger communities."
Our Restorative Justice Officer works with children who have caused harm and those who have been harmed, fostering respectful, empowering discussions to repair relationships and rebuild trust. This role involves:
- Designing and facilitating bespoke reparation projects tailored to young people and communities.
- Engaging children in reflective, restorative conversations about their actions, focusing on empathy, accountability, and strength-based change.
- Supporting victims of crime in having their needs met, ensuring they feel empowered and aligned with the Victims Code.
- Collaborating with both harmed young people and those who have caused harm to explore alternative, restorative outcomes to traditional justice approaches.
Key Responsibilities
✅ Work with young people to understand and reflect on their actions, develop accountability, and contribute repairable harm to the community. ✅ Facilitate restorative interventions, including one-to-one sessions, group discussions, and community-based projects. ✅ Advocate for victims of crime, ensuring their rights are upheld under the Victims Code and their needs are supported. ✅ Build positive relationships with young offenders, offenders’ families, and victim’s representatives to create solutions that feel fair to all involved. ✅ Develop creative and inclusive reparation projects that benefit the wider Hillingdon community. ✅ Implement and embed restorative practices within youth justice processes and partnerships across Hillingdon. ✅ Supervise and coordinate restorative justice interventions in line with children-first principles. ✅ Establish strong partnerships with education, voluntary, and statutory partners to enhance community-based interventions.
The Improving Together Approach
This role sits within a Youth Justice Service that prides itself on innovation, excellence, and child-centric practices. Recent achievements include:
- Winterflour Award for Children & Families (2024–25)
- Autism Inclusion Award (2026)
- Ofsted Outstanding Children’s Social Care designation
Every young person who engages with the service has the opportunity to thrive, take responsibility, and contribute meaningfully to rebuilding trust within their community.
About You
We are looking for someone with a genuine passion for positive change and a belief in the importance of equitable, accountable justice. Ideally, you will:
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🔹 Have empathy, listening skills, and patience when engaging with young people and victims of crime. 🔹possess excellent verbal and written communication to articulate restorative justice frameworks clearly. 🔹 Build trust and navigate difficult conversations in a supportive, child-focused way. 🔹balance competing demands while being highly organised, proactive, and flexible. 🔹committed to thorough case work and innovative approaches to reparation and rehabilitation. 🔹be comfortable with non-standard working hours, including after-school activities, Saturday sessions, and the occasional on-call need.
⚠️ Essential requirements:
- Experience in counselling, mentoring, or social work environments (trainee or fully qualified is acceptable if supported by transferable skills).
- Experience working with challenging, disruptive, or high-need young people (particularly in restorative or conflict resolution contexts).
- Strong ability to reflect on practice and adapt interventions in response to client feedback.
🎯 Considerations for an exciting fit:
- Background in restorative justice, victim advocacy, or community mediation.
- Practice in projects engaging young people in community reparation work.
- Skills in creative, child-led intervention planning.
- Experience in partnership roles with schools, voluntary organisations, and statutory agencies.
What We Offer
As part of Hillingdon Council, we provide more than just a job. We provide a fulfilling career, empowerment for personal and professional growth, and a supportive workplace that celebrates individuals’ strengths and contributions.
🔹 Professional development options—unbeatable opportunities to refine your expertise in restorative justice. 🔹 Access to training focused on trauma-informed practice, safeguarding, and youth impact. 🔹 Recognition of experience—flexible entry points for qualified professionals or those who can demonstrate transferable skills.
Flexible Working
We understand the importance of achieving balance between work and life:
🔸 36-hour week standard for full-time roles. 🔸 Flexible hours to support individual and team needs. 🔸 Generous holiday entitlement, increasing with length of service.
Additional Employee Benefits
🏆 Hillingdon Sports & Leisure – discounts on council-owned gyms, pools, and leisure centres. 🚴 Cycle to Work Scheme – eco-friendly commuting options, plus bike parking, lockers, and showers. 💰 Salary Sacrifice Schemes – options for electric vehicle subscriptions and additional voluntary pension contributions. 🍱 Vivup Benefits – discounted health & beauty, food, travel, and entertainment. 💡 Mental Health Support – access to free, confidential counselling and counselling services for work-related stress. ☀️ Travel Support – season ticket loans and priority car parking at the Civic Centre. 🔵 Trade Union Representation – choice to join UNISON, Unite, AEP, or GMB.
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We are committed to empowering our staff members so that each can thrive, grow, and bring their best to the community every day.
Our Commitment to Equity and Inclusion
At Hillingdon Council, we are proud to foster a culture of inclusivity, respect, and equality. Our recruitment policies and workplace practices ensure:
✔ No barriers to employee wellbeing – we remove discrimination and bias in hiring. ✔ Fair treatment and support for people from diverse backgrounds, including disabled individuals, and those with family responsibilities. ✔ Reasonable adjustments for applicants and employees to access roles and thrive professionally. ✔ An open-and-inclusive workforce representation that reflects the rich diversity of Hillingdon residents.
We encourage applicants who hold a disability to partake in the guaranteed interview scheme, providing priority consideration for those required under The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Amendment) Order 2019. Candidates declaring a disability can choose whether to use the scheme per their preference.
“Safeguarding is Everyone’s Responsibility” – we proudly uphold this ethos across the organisation and beyond.
Pre-employment Requirements
Before appointing, we adhere to the required pre-employment Screening checks:
✅ Full DBS Check (Enhanced) ✅ Validation of your university/college qualifications and professional certifications. ✅ Registration checks (if applicable, e.g., HCPC, BACP). ✅ 2 professional references (or 5-year employment history otherwise).
🚨 Aireporting entry to candidates cleared to progress:
- Right to Work checks in the UK.
- A Health Questionnaire to ensure suitability and safety in the role.
- Rooftop employment policy compliance.
Recruitment Priority
🔥 Early automatic shortlisting consideration is afforded to employees at risk of redundancy within Hillingdon Council who meet the minimum criteria. Employees who successfully transition should be prioritised for the role where feasible.
Application Tip:
The volume of applications may result in an early closure of the position. Apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Flexibility & Timing
This is a non-permanent position based on the Council’s contractual framework for Restorative Justice roles. While in place, you will enjoy the support of a rehabilitative, results-driven service environment while shaping future practices within the Youth Justice sector.
Ready to Make a Difference? Apply Today
If you are passionate about transformative, collaborative justice, and want to see positive change in young people’s lives, we’d love to hear from you.
Contact us by emailing: [email protected] or applying directly via our careers portal.
Together, we can enable young people to restore balance—and rebuild their future.
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