Post Title:Court Services Support Officer

JOB DESCRIPTION

Post No: Grade: 6

Group: ECSL

Section / Unit: YOUTH OFFENDING SERVICE

Reports to (title): PO2 – YOS Senior Court Officer

1.PURPOSE OF JOB:

To undertake a range of tasks in support of the Enfield Youth Offending Service Court Section including direct support [Administration, and Recording etc] and representation at Court and the provision of a logistical and administrative role within the YOS delivering support, advice and data inputting to support the Senior Court Officer, YOS Management and Staff Team in all Court related matters as part of the aims and objectives of the Enfield YOS.

2.ORGANISATION CHART: SM3 Head of YOS

SM1: Operational manager

PO2 Senior Court Officer

Court Services Support Officer.
3.SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:
none
4. Main Duties and Responsibilities:

To support the Senior Court Officer, Court Sectionand the YOS in general in all areas of their work.
To undertake a range of typing and word processing services for the Court Section in particular and the YOS in general.
Toundertake general admin tasks for the YOS and Court Section e.g. filing etc.
To assist with the mail processes in regard to both incoming and outgoing and internal and external mail in accordance with current policies.
To deal with telephone enquiries.
To assist staff with the production of legal letters and documents such as Court Breach forms etc in accordance with instructions of Senior Court Officer.
To assist in the preparation and administration of meetings and conferences.
To attend and minute complex meetings such as the High Risk panel where serious offences and issues of child abuse may be discussed.
To receive, record and process all referrals in relation to YOS clients and Court matters.
To input data onto the client data base and other data-bases and to maintain these databases and the accuracy of the data held on them.
To carry out data cleaning and extraction from the client data base and to assist the YOS Information Officer/ Management Team in the collation and retrieval of information and data as and when requested
To record and collate all requests for Pre Sentence Reports [PSRs], assist the YOS Management Team with PSR allocation and maintain an up to date records of PSR status ensuring that the information provided to the YOS Management Team is totally accurate in regard to target allocations of PSR so as to conform with National standards and YOS KPIs.
To ensure that systems are in place to monitor progress and status of all Court Reports and to liaise with staff towards maintaining key objectives and National standards.
To record and collate all requests for Referral Orders and pass these onto to the RO and V Coordinator / YOS Management for allocation.
To attend Court, establish contact, and liaise, with; Court officials, Justices, District Judges, CPS Staff, Court Clerks and Defence Solicitors, Clients and their Parents and Carers etc in support of the YOS Court Officer to ensure that all relevant information is available.
To provide high quality support to the Court and to YOS clients [and their families] attending Court.
To attend Courtand record cases ensuring that this recording is to a very high standard.
To ensure that any matters, such as failure to meet National Standards or deviation from published protocols are reported to the Senior Court Officer / YOS Management Team.
To make representation to magistrates on behalf of the YOS and YOS clients and to iaise with all magistrate and Crown Court’s regarding the provision of Reports, Breach information and any other information required.

To support the senior Court Officer in presenting and / or developing up to date guidance and information to all staff in relation to changes in any process or procedures likely to affect the work of YOS staff in relation to Court systems
To work with the Senior Court Officer and YOS Management Team to develop and maintain efficient systems for the production, updating and retention of all paper and computer records. And maintain and to continue to develop efficient systems for the storage and retrieval of all information and records held in both electronic and paper format.
To work with the Senior Court Officer and YOS Management Team to maintain and to continue to develop efficient YOS Court Support Systems.
To attend meetings as and when required and directed by the YOS Senior Court Officer or the YOS Management Team.
Deal with all out of area Court matters affecting Enfield YOS clients / potential clients with particular regard to PSR requests for both local and out of area Courts.
Liaise with others YOT / YOS’s regarding the appearance of their clients in Enfield Courts.
To prepare Breach paper work etc for Courts and to present it to magistrates.
To present PSRs to Magistrates.
To assist in the quality control proofing of all reports and to inform the YOS Management Team of any matters concern or those requiring remedial action.
To assist the YOS Senior Court Officer in the training / mentoring / support of all YOS Staff assigned to the role of Court Officer.
Undertake all other administrative tasks, e.g. filing, electronic transfers data cleaning as may be essential to the maintenance and development of an efficient YOS Court Service.
To ensure that all work and activities undertaken reflects the needs of all clients regardless of Race, Colour, Culture, Creed, Gender, Class, Sexuality, Disability or Political Persuasion.
To participate in section, team and service meetings and the Team Duty Rota or any other team service activity as requested.
To attend training, supervision and development opportunities as and when required.
To undertake any other task as requested by YOS Senior Court Officer / Management Team which may be commensurate with the role and grade of this post.
To work within YOS and Enfield Council Policies and Procedures.

CONTACTS:
Close liaison is on occasions required with the following people: -

YOS Senior Court Officer
YOS Management Team
YOS staff
IT and Software Providers
Court Officials e.g. Ushers and custody staff.
Magistrates
Court Clerks
CPS Staff
Defence Lawyers
Other YOTs
YOS Clients and their Parents.
Probation Service Staff

6.EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:
The Council has a strong commitment to achieving equality of opportunity in its service to the community and the employment of people and expects all employees to understand, comply with and promote its policies in their own work.
7.HEALTH AND SAFETY:
The postholder shall ensure that the duties of the post are undertaken with due regard to the Council’s Health and Safety Policy and to their personal responsibilities under the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and all other relevant subordinate legislation.
For a more detailed definition of these responsibilities, refer to the current versions of the Corporate Health& Safety Policy, Group Safety Policy and employee information leaflet entitled "Health & Safety Policy; Guidance on Staff Health & Safety Responsibilities".

Person Specification

Department: ECSLChildren’s Services Team: Youth Offending Service

Job Title:Court Services Support Officer Grade: 6

Section Unit: Youth Offending Service

The criteria below should consist of 5 essential skills

Essential / HOW TESTED
1. /

Qualifications: Educated to GCSE or Above [or Equivalent] Standard in English and Maths with a high level demonstrable ability to communicate and present information in both written and verbal form and have good general communication and presentation skills with a very good demonstrable knowledge and experience of IT use and evidence of further professional developments such as an NVQ2 or above.

/ A.I.T
2. /

Experience: Significant demonstrable experience of working both in, and with, YOTs, Youth Courts, Court procedures and protocol and the Criminal Justice System as well as a good demonstrable knowledge of both criminal and welfare legislation regarding young people and the wide range of potential Court disposals for young offenders.

/ A,I.T
3. /

Skills and Knowledge Base: Must have a good demonstrable knowledge of the issues affecting children and young people and young offenders / those at risk of offending and the Risk and Protective factors regarding offending. Must be exceptionally well organised, with substantial experience in producing and presenting written and verbal information and the ability to manage a substantial administrative work load. Must be IT literate with a high level of skill in Programs and Data bases such as Word, Outlook, lotus, excel and YOIS etc. Must also have knowledge of such issues as Criminal Justice Legislation, Welfare Legislation, Case Management, Recording and Quality Assurance. Must also have a very good demonstrable knowledge of Anti-Discriminatory and Anti Oppressive practice together with an ability to integrate these into all areas of practice.

/ A.I.T
4. /

Personal Attributes: Must be flexible, hardworking and dedicated with a commitment to providing high quality services as well as being clear, concise, rational and reflective in all areas of work with an ability to manage time effectively, prioritise workload and meet deadlines. Must also be able to work and communicate with a wide range of people from clients and parents displaying challenging and aggressive behaviour to Magistrates, Court Clerks and Lawyers and be able to be responsive to the needs of these people in a fast paced and stressful environment.

/ A.I.T
5. /

Professional: Must be a team player who can work to direction and is able to cope with pressure and work under stress whilst remaining calm and professional, working within Policies and Procedure, within Personal and Professional Boundaries, to a very high standard meeting targets within tight times scales. Must be flexible and work unsocial hours to meet the needs of the service and be willing and able to share information and work in partnership with Statutory and non-statutory agencies such as the Police.

/ A.I.T

The criteria below should consist of 2 desirable skills

DesirablE / How tested
1. /

A driving licence and car and an ability to travel to Courts and to various isolated venues around the borough.

/ A,I
2. /

A relevant degree [e.g. Law / criminology etc] or equivalent qualification and / or Training in Youth Offending Work.

/ A,I.

Other requirements:

The successful candidate must be able to work flexibly and be able to work unsocial hours. The ability to attend early morning [from 0800] and evening [up to 7 PM] and occasional weekend meetings and other events [if and when required] is essential.
This post is exempt under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Due to the sensitive nature of the duties the post holder will be expected to undertake a criminal record check as part of the recruitment process.

N.B.HOW TESTED COLUMN indicates whether the criteria will initially be
assessed from the application form or at the interview/test / ‘A’= Application form
‘I’= Interview
‘T’=Test or presentation

FOR CANDIDATES TO NOTE

This Person Specification gives a description of the skills that are required by the postholder. It is a particularly important document to consider when completing your application; it provides a “benchmark” against which applicants will be shortlisted.

Only candidates who can demonstrate that they meet the essential criteria will be considered. You should therefore ensure that your application demonstrates how your previous experience, skills and abilities match all of the essentials identified and show examples of evidence of these.

Please refer to and read the application process page carefully. Please also note that the interview will probe, in more depth, all criteria and additionally:

-Commitment to the promotion of Equal Opportunities Issues

-Commitment to and awareness of Quality in Customer Services

-Commitment to the promotion of Health & Safety at Work