Job Introduction
Team Manager – Youth Justice Service
Salary: Grade PO5 – PO6, SCPs 38 - 43 - £49,282 - £54,495, Permanent, 37 hours per week, Based in Bradford
Working for the Bradford Children and Families Trust offers the opportunity to work with some great people who are passionate about delivering change in a city whose culture offers as much diversity as it’s geography. You can make a real difference to families and children and be an active part in delivering the service Bradford families should receive.
We are fully committed to equal opportunities and we welcome applications from all backgrounds.
Bradford Children and Families Trust was established in April 2023 to enhance the quality and delivery of Children’s Services across our district. Our purpose is clear, to ensure that our promise to improve the lives of children and young people in Bradford becomes a reality. The Trust is accountable for determining how outcomes of these services are achieved and for the day-to-day running of commissioned children’s services. It requires dedication, determination, and resilience – but under a new Chief Executive, Senior Leadership team and an unswerving drive to deliver the best outcomes, we are confident that we’ll achieve our ambition.
This is an important opportunity to refocus our approach to delivering the support that Bradford’s children, young people, families and victims need, by renewing services and creating sustainable progress. As a new organisation, Bradford Children and Families Trust has established our own purpose, vision, and outcomes for what we aim to achieve.
Our vision: For all children and young people in Bradford to be safe and can realise their full potential.
Our purpose: To provide high-quality services with partners that help safeguard, support and promote the welfare of children, young adults, their families and victims across the Bradford District.
We will achieve this through continuous improvements in our services and positive collaboration with our staff, our partner organisations.
About the Role
You will be responsible for the effective management within the Youth Justice Service teams in the Bradford District locality and of statutory Youth Justice provision within Bradford Children & Families Trust, ensuring that service provision achieves good outcomes for all our children, young adults and victims.
You will be responsible for ensuring that high quality safeguarding practices and policies are fully implemented and embedded within the Service, across the district. You will look to build positive relationships with partners from both statutory and third sector organisations, to work together to achieve better outcomes for children, young adults and victims across Bradford.
You will be responsible for ensuring that statutory requirements, and that national and local policies and procedures in relation to the provision of Youth Justice are adhered to, as well as managing resources efficiently and effectively, prioritising need and working cooperatively within the Service and Management Team.
You will provide visible, restorative and dynamic leadership within the service, to support the continued improvement of social work practice, and live the Trust’s values to INSPIRE, (Integrity, Nurture, Safety, Pride, Inclusive, Respectful, Excellence).
Our strategic vision and values are upheld across the Trust, fostering a reliable and supportive environment for both staff and the children in our care.
Our approach is rooted in restorative and relational practice, fostering trust, mutual respect, and meaningful relationships with children, families, and professionals.
You’ll also:
- To provide overall operational responsibility and management of the provision of the multiagency Youth Justice within the Bradford Children and Families Trust (BCFT). To ensure the service helps to prevent crime by children and young adults and protection of victims.
- Ensure high quality safeguarding practices and policies are in place and fully implemented.
- To provide strong and visible leadership to a service that seeks to continuously improve outcomes for all children, young adults and victims access the service.
- To ensure that all statutory requirements, key performance indicators, national and local policy and procedures in relation to the provision of Youth Justice are always adhered to. To manage resources efficiently and effectively, prioritising need and working cooperatively within the Services Management and Leadership Team
To be successful in this role you will need:
- Hold a Professional qualification in social work such as DIPSW, CQSW or a Degree level equivalenting a related, relevant field. If Social work qualified, you must be registered with Social Work England (SWE) and ensure responsibility for maintain registration.
- Be able to demonstrate interpersonal skills combined with excellent leadership and current / recent experience of Youth Justice / Criminal Justice, with a passion to improve the lives of our most vulnerable children and young people.
- Substantial experience in a care profession including working with children and teenagers with challenging attitudes and behaviours and supporting families.
- Ability to apply safeguarding practices and promote the welfare of the child and young person, recognising and responding to harm or abuse proportionately, assessing risks and making informed judgements, acting within local policies, procedures, arrangements and resources.
- Experience and ability to chair complex meetings
- Ability to manage successful service delivery and an ability to build and manage relationships effectively and to bring people together to utilise partnership working.
You’ll also be joining an organisation that truly values its people, offering a range of benefits designed to support your wellbeing, growth, and work-life balance, including:
- Retention payment, paid in 12 monthly instalments. This is non contractual (reviewed annually)
- Generous annual leave - 31 days rising to 34 with service, plus bank holidays
- Excellent Local Government pension
- Family-friendly policies and enhanced parental leave
- Health & wellbeing support, including Occupational Health and counselling
- Professional development and career progression opportunities
- we are a National Living Wage employer
For full details of our benefits, please see the attached ‘Our Benefits’ brochure.
Bradford Children and Families Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.
If shortlisted, you will be required to disclose relevant information regarding criminal history prior to interview.
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check including a check against the Children’s barred list, will be carried out on preferred candidates.
Next Steps
- If you would like to discuss the role further, then please contact Michelle Buchan (YJS Service Manager) on 07816 117863 or michelle.buchan@bradfordcft.org.uk
For any queries, please contact as above.
Closing date: Sunday 12th April 2026 at 11:59pm
Interview date: Week commencing Monday 20th April 2026
Interview Location: Sir Henry Mitchell House, 4 Manchester Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD5 0QL
Recruiter Contact Details: Michelle Buchan michelle.buchan@bradfordcft.org.uk
