Duty Senior

The purpose of the duty system is to provide a framework for the Youth Justice Service to deliver services and respond to enquiries and referrals from individuals and other agencies. The duty system also enables tasks and responsibilities that do not fall within the remit of any one particular member of the team to be dealt with, and provides cover for staff who are on leave or off sick.

This document links with and should be read in conjunction with other Youth Justice Service procedures.

The duty senior forms part of the duty team alongside the duty officer, court duty officer (where appropriate) and the admin team.

The primary role of the duty senior is to offer support and guidance to the duty staff in terms of helping them to plan and prioritise tasks and to assist where management decisions need to be taken.

The duty senior needs to be available for consultation by duty staff during the course of the working day. Therefore, the duty senior will not be out of the area or involved in meetings where they cannot be disturbed.

At the beginning of each day the duty senior should endeavour to meet with the rest of the duty team to plan what needs to be done as a result of tasks passed on from the previous day, messages or faxes received overnight and children who may be appearing in court (either locally or elsewhere)

At the end of each day the duty senior should endeavour to meet with the rest of the duty team to review what has happened and to ensure that tasks are either completed or clear instructions are left for the next duty team about what needs to be followed up.

Occasionally, the duty senior may need to become involved in discussions or negotiations with managers from other teams or agencies about issues such as case responsibility or transfer and financial decisions.

The Duty Senior is responsible for the gatekeeping of all PSRs and Referral Order reports completed that day if the authors line manager is not available on the day.

If the duty officer has to leave the office the Duty Senior will assess how any further incoming work can be dealt with and make the appropriate arrangements.

The Duty Senior will check the secure email group in-box and follow up on any requests for case transfers or care-taking of cases from other boroughs. The duty manager who starts a case transfer process will continue the process until completion.

Occasionally the duty senior may need to become involved in discussions or negotiations with managers from other teams or agencies about issues such as case responsibility or transfer and financial decisions.

The role of the Duty Senior during out of hours and weekend work is to provide support and guidance for staff including sessional workers and court duty officers.

The identified Duty Senior will be contactable on their mobile phone in case of an emergency and also enable staff to advise when a session has been completed for health and safety reasons.

The Duty Senior will be provided with details of all scheduled working including start and end times, location and contact details.

The Duty Senior will provide telephone support for queries raised by other Youth Justice Service in relation to Saturday and Occasional Court cover.