Youth offending
The Barnet Youth Offending Service (YOS) is a statutory multi-agency partnership established under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 which is responsible for co-ordinating work to prevent offending by children and young people. Over the past three years the number of first time entrants and the rates of re-offending by young people in the borough have steadily decreased.
Barnet’s frontline YOS is one of 155 YOS throughout England and Wales. Barnet YOS works with children and young people aged between eight and 18 years who are either already in the criminal justice system or who are assessed as being at risk of becoming involved in criminal activity.
Why do young people commit offences?
The factors which put young people at risk of offending include:
- a troubled home life, including poor parenting, a criminal family member, violence or abuse
- peer group pressure
- poor attainment at school, truancy and school exclusion
- drug and alcohol misuse
- mental or physical illness
- poor housing, homelessness and poverty.
What does the Youth Offending Service (YOS) do?
Every child and young person referred to the team undergoes a holistic assessment which identifies the particular risk factors for that individual. This informs an individualised effective plan of supervision which is implemented by a range of relevant members of the team.
The team is made up of staff from the Police, the Probation Service, the Health Authority, the Education Authority, the Connexions serviceChildren's Services. In addition, the team has dedicated staff for adolescent mental health, parenting and substance misuse.
Specialist project workers deliver:
Intensive Supervision and Surveillance (ISS)
Intensive Supervision and Surveillance provides 25 hours per week of supervision and surveillance for the most persistent and serious young offenders in Barnet. This is effective in reducing the risk and the seriousness and frequency of their offending while engaging also promoting engagement in education, training and employment in preparation for a more positive future.
Referral Order Panels
Referral Orders are usually a young persons first experience of the criminal justice system whereby all young people appearing before the court for the first time and pleading guilty, will, in nearly all cases, be referred to a panel, consisting of volunteer members from the community and very often the victim of the offence. Its purpose is to address the reasons for the young person's offending behaviour and agree a programme to address these issues and undertake some form of reparation, either directly to the victim of their crime or to the community at large.Full training and support is given to volunteers and applications are particularly welcome from ethnic minority communities and men. For further information contact Geoff Hook by email: geoff.hook@barnet.gov.uk for an application pack. An enhanced Criminal Record Bureau check is required for this position as there is a direct involvement with young people.
The YOS also offers a range of preventative services to support young people and reduce the likelihood of them getting involved in offending and antisocial behaviour:
The Youth Justice Board
The work of the YOS is monitored by the Youth Justice Board, a non-departmental public body. It sets out six key objectives for the Youth Offending Teams (YOTs)
- to ensure prompt sentencing
- to confront offenders with the consequences of their behaviour
- to reduce the risks associated with youth crime
- to encourage the participation of victims
- to promote parental responsibility.
Related Service Area Information: Youth Offending Service
Email this pageLast modified by: Steve Lawlor on 24/09/2010