Youth offending
The Barnet Youth Offending Service (YOS) is a statutory multi-agency partnership established under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and responsible for co-ordinating work to prevent offending by children and young people. The rates of re-offending by young people in the borough have steadily decreased since the YOS’s inception in April 2000.
Barnet’s frontline Youth Offending Service is one of 155 Youth Offending Services which cover the whole of 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:
- troubled home life, including poor parenting, criminal family member, violence or abuse
- peer group pressure
- poor attainment at school, truancy and school exclusion
- drug and alcohol abuse
- mental illness
- deprivation such as poor housing, homelessness,
- 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 effective plan of supervision which is implemented by the 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 service and Social Services. In addition, the Team has dedicated staff for adolescent mental health, accommodation, looked after children, parenting, reparation and substance misuse.
Specialist project workers deliver:
The Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme (ISSP)
The Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme which 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 seriousness and frequency of their offending while engaging them in education, training and employment in preparation for a more positive future.
The Youth Inclusion and Support Panel (YISP)
The Youth Inclusion and Support Panel which puts eight to 13 year old children ‘at risk’ in touch with services and support mechanisms so they are less likely to be excluded from society. This targeted prevention programme improves the life chances of those who take part and reduces the numbers of offenders entering the system at a later and more serious stage. The work not only benefits youngsters but also their families and the wider community.
Referral Order Panels
This is a scheme 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 of the community. 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.
Restorative Justice in Schools Project
Working in secondary and primary schools to reduce the incidence of bullying, vandalism, theft, assault, inter-pupil conflict, teacher-pupil conflict, non attendance. The emphasis of restorative conferencing is to challenge the pupil to be aware of the effects of his or her actions on others and provide an opportunity to put things right.
The Team is also fortunate to have some 60 volunteers working in various capacities.
Referrals come directly from the Police and the Courts but can also be made by other agencies with concerns about young people. From the time a young person appears to be at risk of offending, when they commit an offence, through arrest and sentence, whilst in the community or in custody, they can be in contact with the YOS.
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
To help ensure that young people are dealt with proportionately the YJB also requires each Youth Offending Team to produce an annually updated Youth Justice Plan.
Download the Draft Youth Justice Plan 
(PDF 675KB).
Related Service Area Information: Youth Offending Service
Email this pageLast modified by: Steve Lawlor on 01/07/2008