Youth Offending

Preventative Services

The aim of pre-crime prevention is to identify children and young people who are at high risk of offending and help them to avoid entering the Youth Justice System.

The Youth Justice Board developed a variety of programmes which are intended to achieve this aim.

On a local level, we have collaborations with various local and community organisations to divert young people from offending. Some of these initiatives are listed below:

Baseline Youth Inclusion Project

The Barking and Dagenham Youth Inclusion Project is 1 of 70 projects funded by The Youth Justice Board across England and Wales.

The Youth Inclusion Project has set geographical boundaries, and has 2 centres - 1 at The Gascoigne Estate Barking and the second at the Jo Richardson School Dagenham, within the Goresbrook ward. They are both managed by Crime Concern in Partnership with the Barking and Dagenham Youth Offending Team.

The project provides a constructive way of involving the most disaffected young people whom are offending or at risk of offending.

The programme provides a dynamic, locally based integrated package of activities for more then 50 young people between the ages of 13-16 years who have been in trouble with the police, are at risk of offending or not attending school. The Youth Inclusion Project also benefits other young people in the area by enabling them to participate in programme activities through their association with those in the target group.

Key objectives

To reduce arrest rates in the target group (by 60%)
To reduce recorded crime in the area (by 30%)
To reduce truancy and school exclusion among the target group (by at least one third)

Activities

The project provides the primary group of young people with individually tailored programmes, engaging them on a regular basis in structured activities. Programmes vary according to both group and individual needs and encourages participants of other young people in the neighbourhood.

Activities include

Education and school support (e.g. literacy/ numeracy and IT skills)
After school activities
Mentoring and life skills
Sport and recreation (e.g. football, midnight basketball, dance and outdoor activities)
Arts and culture (e.g. DJ and MC workshops, multi-media and creative arts programmes)
Support for families and carers

Baseline Music and Basic Skills Programme

The intention of this programme is to offer a flexible basic skills/personal development programme for young people traditionally excluded from school and/or other formal education routes. It will give young people the opportunity to gain accredited qualifications through the Open College Network London Region.

The aims of the programme are to develop a young person's basic skills in literacy, numeracy and communication. Alongside this, the young person will be able to develop constructive use of leisure time through music.

At the end of the programme the young person would have developed their life skills - increased confidence, self-awareness and citizenship. The programme will look to offer the young people an attainable progression route into appropriate educational, training or employment opportunities.

The programme is to run over an intensive and structured 12-week period. The young person is expected to attend sessions on both basic skills and music production. The sessions will be held during the day on Baseline premises.

Aimed at young people aged between 14-19 at risk of offending and outside mainstream education.

Youth Inclusion and Support Panels

The Youth Inclusion and Support Panels is a multi-agency planning group seeking to prevent offending and antisocial behaviour by offering voluntary support services and other complementary interventions for high risk children and their families. The main emphasis and rationale for the panels work is about ensuring that children at risk of offending and their families are receiving support from main stream public services at the earliest opportunities.

The objectives of Youth Inclusion and Support Panels are:

Reduce offending and antisocial behaviour by providing 'Integrated Support Plans'
Reduce school truancy and exclusion by children at risk of offending and repeat offending
Ensure children at risk of offending or repeat offending are in full time education
Children and their families receive services from mainstream public bodies and agencies

Programmes available

Young people who are referred to the panel will undergo a screening test where the causes of their behaviour and their level of risk will be examined.

The allocated level of risk will determine what intensity and type of intervention should be offered. At the lower level of the spectrum the parent and carers will receive a letter informing of the seriousness of the behaviour posed and the possible consequences, with a possible visit form a local community police officer.

At the more extreme level young people will be allocated a Integrated Support Plan that will engage them for up to 6 hours a week over a 3 to 6 months period. The key elements of Integrated Support Plans will cover education, interventions to tackle antisocial and offending behaviour, assistance in developing interpersonal skills and whole family support.

Each Integrated Support Plan is tailored around the needs and requirements of the individual based not only upon the recommendations made by the panel, but also the young person and families requests.

Key Worker Support

A key worker will provide support for the young person and their family throughout the duration of the Integrated Support Plan. The worker will encourage the young person to face up to the consequences of their behaviour whilst supporting the parent in their role.

The key worker will keep a close record of all contact and developments made during the referral which will be discussed at review meetings where the referring agency can attend.

Who is eligible?

Youth Inclusion and Support Panels have been designed to target those young people aged 8-17 who are most at risk of antisocial and offending behaviour and will only be considered if the young person reaches the criteria below

The child lives or socialises within a known high crime area
The behaviour is a concern is a concern to panel members and is having a detrimental impact on other individuals and the community
The child is involved in or exposed to 4 or 5 significant risk factors associated with predicting offending
The child and their parent or carer is consenting to the referral and the child is willing to voluntary cooperate with an Integrated Support Plan