CSOLA

Title: Children’s Sexual Offence Legal Adviser (CSOLA)

Responsible To: Head of Advocacy Services and Projects

Location: The post base can be decided upon appointment -Belfast Hub - Albany House, 73-74 Great Victoria Street, Belfast, BT2 7AF OR Foyle Hub - 6th Floor Embassy Building, 3 Strand Road, Foyle, BT48 7BH. Candidates may be requested to attend other venues as necessitated by the needs of the business

Hours of Work: 37.5 Hours per week Monday to Friday. Candidates may be required to work additional hours including alternative shift patterns when authorised and as necessitated by the needs of the business.

Duration: Fixed Term Contract 30th November 2025 - with possibility of extension, subject to funding.

Salary: £39,553 FTE per annum

Equal Opportunities: We are an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons. However, as Black and Minority ethnic groups, disabled people and people from the LGBT community are currently under-represented within the organisation, we would particularly welcome applications from the above-mentioned communities and backgrounds. All appointments will be made on merit.

Purpose:

Victim Support NI supports people affected by crime in NI. We are recruiting for CSOLA’s as a part of a project scheme to provide publicly funded independent legal advice and advocacy to child complainants in serious sexual offence cases.

The main purpose of the role is to prepare and provide informed legal advice to child complainants in serious sexual offence cases as they navigate the criminal justice system, in a way that is accessible and age appropriate to children and young people aged under 18. The post-holder will manage a caseload and provide direct service to clients and their families from the point that an offence is reported throughout the process up to the commencement of the trial. They may also on occasion provide advice to victims who are considering reporting a crime.

While it is important to emphasise that this role will be based within Victim Support NI it is also very important that applicants appreciate that this is a legal appointment requiring highly relevant experience.

Essential Criteria:

Qualifications and Experience

· University level degree, or equivalent, in law or another relevant subject.

And must;

· Be a qualified solicitor or barrister who holds a current NI practicing certificate OR be on the Roll of solicitors in NI and eligible to obtain a NI practicing certificate by the date of appointment.

· Be qualified to practice in Northern Ireland with a minimum of three years’ post-qualification experience gained within the last five years.

Knowledge and Skills:

• · Have proven substantial experience of providing legal advice in a criminal law setting to children and young people with a range of age, comprehension and vulnerability.
• Have proven experience of managing large caseloads in respect of advice, review and advocacy, including challenging and sensitive cases.
• Have a demonstrable track record of exceptional client care; and Experience of working with organisational information systems.
• Excellent verbal and listening skills and the ability to communicate well with a wide range of people from a wide range of diverse backgrounds, including children and young people.
• Demonstrable knowledge of the criminal justice system, court and police procedures and how these relate to sexual offences and in particular children and young people;
• Demonstrable understanding of safeguarding protocols and familiarisation with the roles of agencies and services involved in cases where child protection issues are raised and the associated legal responsibilities.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) interview process and the requirements for victim care and evidence gathering and presentation.
• Experience of supporting victims and a commitment to anti-discriminatory practice.
• Awareness of the HSCT/PSNI Joint Protocol for investigating allegations of child abuse.
• Current knowledge of the enhanced protection children and adolescents have under the criminal law in NI, specifically in relation to the ‘best interests of the child’ principle.
• A working understanding of the Youth Court will also be essential as peer-on-peer offences are frequently prosecuted in this court, its sentencing powers are both complicated and unique.
• Excellent written communication skills including report writing.
• Good crisis management skills and the ability to work effectively under pressure and to deadlines
• Ability to manage own workload and prioritise tasks; and
• Experience of representing an organisation and its interests with a range of key internal and external stakeholders.

Desirable Criteria:

In addition to the above essential criteria, the following additional desirable criteria may be used to shortlist applicants:

• · Previous experience of providing legal advice in respect of serious sexual offence cases in Northern Ireland;
• Previous experience of providing legal advice in relation to Article 8 ECHR rights; and
• Experience of working with the media.

We reserve the right to enhance the criteria as deemed appropriate in the event of a large volume of applications.

Additional Requirements:

· The post holder will be required to demonstrate the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the post.

· The post holder will be required to undertake child Safeguarding training and regularly refresh on an ongoing basis, skills in communication with children and young people and being aware of their rights under the UNCRC etc.