Community
Policing and public safety
Crime and law enforcement
Youth offending
Youth offending frequently asked questions
General
Youth offending orders
Careers in youth offending
What is an appropriate adult?
Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, a young person
aged under 17 years must be accompanied by a parent or other
responsible adult during interviews and certain other procedures at
police stations. If no one known to the young person is
available, the Youth Offending Service is asked, by the police, to
supply an appropriate adult. The service provides a rota of
sessional staff during working days, evenings and weekends for this
task.
What are the main reasons why young people commit offences?
Thinking and behaviour: Young offenders demonstrate
a lack of understanding for the consequences of their behaviour,
impulsiveness, and poor temper control.
Lifestyle: Associations with other pro-criminal peers, non-constructive use of leisure time, and a lack of money.
Education and employment: Non-school attendance either because of truanting or exclusion is strongly linked to offending. Behavioural difficulties within education placements (usually mainstream school) are also commonly identified, and are likely to account for the exclusions. The knock on effect can also be linked to employment, training and further education.
Family: The absence of strong parental supervision. Child protection issues and the witnessing of domestic violence are also frequently cited within these cases.
What is a Final Warning?
On 1 June 2000 the system of cautions by the police
changed. Young people are now reprimanded if they admit a
first minor offence, a further offence results in a final warning
and a third offence will result in a charge and a court
appearance. If the first offence is not minor, they may
immediately receive the final warning, and if the first offence is
serious, they may be immediately charged to appear at
court.
After a final warning, police officers in the Youth Offending Service contact the young person and the family to involve the young person in a remedial programme. During the programme, the police officers also contact the victim to find out whether direct reparation or mediation is requested by the victim.
What is a Referral Order?
When a young person aged 17 years or under pleads guilty at a
youth court and has no previous convictions, the court will make a
Referral Order of between 3 and 12 months. This order has the
effect of placing decisions as to how the young offender should
make amends for the offence in the hands of a youth offender
panel. Each panel will comprise of one member of the Youth
Offending Service and two volunteers from the local
community. The service is responsible for recruiting and
training these volunteers, and for monitoring and reporting on the
young offender's compliance with the programme that the young
person is required by the panel to complete.
What is an Action Plan Order?
An Action Plan Order requires the offender (aged 10 to 17
years) to complete an intensive supervision programme within three
months. The programme is tailored to the individual but may include
education, job training, an offending behaviour programme, victim
awareness and reparation, drugs or alcohol counselling.
What is a Reparation Order?
This order requires the offender (aged 10 to 17 years) to
perform up to 24 hours reparation (making amends for their crime),
either directly to the victim of the offence, or indirectly on
community reparation.
What is a Parenting Order?
This requires the parent or parents of a young person (aged
10 to 17 years) convicted of an offence to attend advice and
guidance sessions for up to three months, and/or to ensure the
young person maintains certain behaviour standards for up to 12
months. The Parenting Order is also available to the court if the
parents are prosecuted for not ensuring school attendance, or if a
young person is made the subject of an Anti Social Behaviour
Order.
What is a Supervision Order?
A Supervision Order is usually made for between 3 and 18
months but can be made for up to three years. The offender
(aged 10 to 17 years) is required to co-operate with a supervision
plan, This plan focuses on offending behaviour and the factors that
are assessed to have contributed to the offending. Some
orders have up to 90 days of specific activities added.
What is a Community Rehabilitation Order?
This is similar to a Supervision Order but intended for older
young offenders (aged 17 years and over). It is likely to be
transferred to the Probation Service when the young person reaches
18.
What is a Community Punishment Order?
The offender (aged 16 years or over) is required to perform
between 40 and 240 hours of unpaid work for community
benefit. These orders are administered by the Probation
Service's Community Service Unit.
What is a Community Punishment and Rehabilitation
Order?
This is a combination of a Probation Order and Community
Service (maximum 100 hours) for offenders aged 17 years and
over.
What is an Attendance Centre Order?
The offender (aged 14–21 years) is required to attend a
programme of constructive activity at a designated centre on
Saturdays, for up to 24 hours (up to 16 years of age) or 36 hours
(16 years or over).
What is a Curfew Order?
The offender (aged 16 years or over) is required to remain at
home during specified hours.
What are Detention and Training Orders?
This means a custodial sentence of up to two years.
Youth Offending Service staff visit the young people (aged 12 to 17
years) during the sentence, work with the centre staff on the
training plan and carry out supervision following release.
How can I get involved in work with youth
offenders?
All jobs with Ealing Youth Offending Service are advertised
(as and when available) on the council's
vacancies pages. Most jobs require
either a qualification of relevant previous experience. You
can gain experience by volunteering to work as a mentor or a
Referral Order panel member – application packs are available from
the youth offending team.
