The Youth Offending Service work with children and young people aged up to 18 years, who come to the attention of the police and courts because of being involved in crime.

The main purpose of the team is to reduce the number of offences committed by children and young people. The team provide a range of services to help and support young people, and their families, to try and keep them from becoming any further involved in crime and anti-social behaviour. They are also helped through the courts if necessary.

Each young person who comes to the attention of the Youth Offending Service, will be assessed to decide the risk of them re-offending or hurting others.

This assessment is to help plan how the team can work with the child or young person, and their family, to reduce any risk and promote the young person’s development and well-being.

What are the aims of the team?

The main aims of the Youth Offending Service are to:

give a fast response to help young offenders
encourage young offenders to make amends to the victim
develop activities to increase opportunities for young offenders and help them stop committing crime
help to develop a sense of responsibility within the young person.

Who are the workers in the Youth Offending Service?

The Youth Offending Service includes:

workers from a range of partner agencies, including social services, education, health, the police, housing and probation.
Mental health nurse – offering advice and support on mental health issues to young people and their carers.