CONTRACT TYPE: PERMANENT

Are you passionate about making a real difference in the lives of young people and victims of crime? Luton Youth Justice Service is seeking a committed and experienced individual to take on a pivotal role in coordinating and delivering restorative justice through our Referral Order programme.
As a Referral Order Coordinator, you will lead on the development, implementation, and daily operation of Referral Orders and Panels within Luton. You’ll play a key role in ensuring a consistent, high-quality approach aligned with National Standards and agency policies. Your work will directly support positive outcomes for young people, victims, and the wider community through restorative conferencing and mediation services.

ABOUT YOU

We’re looking for a dedicated and resilient professional with a strong background in the criminal justice system and a passion for restorative practice. You’ll need to bring both professional knowledge and practical experience to support young people and victims effectively.

You will have:

• Substantial experience in a discipline directly related to the criminal justice system
• Some experience of working with adolescents, ideally in a youth justice or support role
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to build trust and engage effectively with children, young people, parents, victims, and multi-agency professionals
• Strong supervisory skills, with the ability to support staff, volunteers, and victims throughout the restorative process
• Proven problem-solving ability, able to analyse complex situations and implement effective, restorative solutions

In addition, we’re looking for someone with:

• A solid understanding of the youth justice system, particularly Referral Orders and Restorative Justice approaches
• A relevant professional or degree-level qualification – or equivalent experience – in a field such as Social Services, Probation, Police, Youth Work, Health, or Education
• A full driving licence and access to a vehicle, as the role involves regular travel within and beyond the borough
• The flexibility to work outside of standard office hours, including evenings and weekends (approximately 40% of the time)

Your ability to combine structure with empathy, and to lead restorative processes with confidence and care, will be key to your success in this role.
This is a public facing role so you’ll need to show off your fluency in speaking and writing English

ABOUT US

Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.
The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?
We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and oversee Referral Order processes and ensure adherence to national and local standards
• Coordinate and chair restorative justice panels, conferencing sessions, and indirect mediation
• Build and maintain strong multi-agency relationships to support service delivery
• Supervise and support volunteer Panel Members, staff, victims, and young people
• Contribute to wider restorative justice initiatives within the Youth Justice Service

BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THIS JOB, IT WILL BE NECESSARY FOR THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF CRIMINAL RECORD DISCLOSURE TO BE UNDERTAKEN. THIS POST IS EXEMPT FROM THE REHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS ACT 1974 AND THEREFORE APPLICANTS ARE REQUIRED TO DECLARE ALL UNSPENT CAUTIONS AND CONVICTIONS; AND ALSO ANY ADULT CAUTIONS (SIMPLE OR CONDITIONAL), AND SPENT CONVICTIONS THAT ARE NOT PROTECTED AS DEFINED BY THE REHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS ACT 1974 (EXCEPTIONS) ORDER 1975 (AS AMENDED IN 2020). A PERSON’S CRIMINAL RECORD WILL NOT IN ITSELF PREVENT A PERSON FROM BEING APPOINTED TO THIS POST. APPLICANTS WILL NOT BE REFUSED POSTS BECAUSE OF OFFENCES WHICH ARE NOT RELEVANT TO, AND DO NOT PLACE THEM AT OR MAKE THEM A RISK IN, THE ROLE FOR WHICH THEY ARE APPLYING. HOWEVER IN THE EVENT OF THE EMPLOYMENT BEING TAKEN UP, ANY FAILURE TO DISCLOSE SUCH OFFENCE, AS DETAILED ABOVE, WILL RESULT IN DISMISSAL OR DISCIPLINARY ACTION BY THE AUTHORITY.

On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a very high number of applications being received.