Youth justice

What does Plymouth Youth Offending Team (YOT) do?

• Supervises young people to encourage them to change their outlook and behaviour
• Works with young people and partnership agencies to help prevent them offending
• Ensures that the voice of victims is heard
• Works with families and the community to help promote positive changes in young people
• Protects the public through the rigorous enforcement of sentences imposed by the courts

Youth Offending Teams were established by the government in 1998 in response to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. There is a Youth Offending Team or Youth Offending Service in every local authority in England and Wales.

Tasked with the prevention of offending by children and young people (between 10 and 17 years of age) the Plymouth Youth Offending Team is a multi-disciplinary organisation which works with others to not only prevent crime and the fear of crime, but also to meet the needs of victims and communities.

The Youth Offending Team (YOT) is composed of staff from a variety of professional backgrounds including social workers, police officers, probation officers, drugs and alcohol advisors, mental health practitioners and accommodation officers.

There are a number of reasons why a young person might commit offences and these may include issues such as, social and family problems, substance misuse problems, truancy, social exclusion etc. In order to address these and any other issue which may lead a young person into offending behaviour, young people need support from professionals who possess a wide variety of skills and knowledge which will assist the young person to make the right life choices.

There are no easy solutions to the problem of youth offending and the answer will not lie with any one agency. By working together, in a multi-agency service, staff from different agencies and professionals involved with the Youth Offending Team can reduce youth offending by working together and sharing their knowledge, skills and experience.

The victims of offences committed by children and young people are at the heart of the work that the YOT carries out with young people in order that the fear of crime can be reduced and offenders are encouraged to accept responsibility for their actions and make amends for any harm caused. The responsibilities of parents/carers in the prevention and reduction of criminal offences committed by young people is another area which the YOT rigorously reinforces.

For more information please either email youthoffendingteam@plymouth.gov.uk or call 01752 306999.