For further support and advice, contact:
Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers Team
Thurrock Social Services
Crown House
Crown Road
Grays
Essex
RM17 6JH
Telephone: 01375 413710
E-mail: Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers Team
The Youth Offending Service (YOS) is a statutory, multi–disciplinary service staffed and funded by Thurrock Council, Essex Police, National Probation Service and the NHS. Its primary function is to prevent offending and re-offending of young people between the ages of 10 and 17 years.
To this aim it delivers interventions of varying severity and enforces criminal court orders made in the Youth (magistrates) Court and the Crown Court. The service also delivers supported bail made in those courts.
Additionally YOS runs a highly successful diversion programme called Triage in conjunction with Essex police where young people who have committed less serious crimes for the first time can can receive intervention without entering the court process.
The Youth Offending Service (YOS) works with young people who have been identified as being "at risk" of entering the criminal justice systemin a number of ways:
The Youth Offending Service in partnership with Thurrock Police, also offers interventions to young people who have received Final Warnings from the police via the Final Warning and Reprimand Panel.
Young people appearing in court for the first time and pleading guilty will almost always automatically receive a referral order (unless the seriousness of the offence requires referral to Crown Court. They will then appear before a Youth Offender Panel, with their parents at the YOT made up of 2 members of the local community and a YOT Officer.
They will then negotiate a contract with the panel that will involve:
A criminal court, family court or magistrates' court acting under civil jurisdiction imposes Parenting Orders, when there has been a problem with a young person's behaviour. They allow parents to build their skills so that they can respond more effectively to the challenges of parenting.
The court may impose these at the same time that an ASBO is granted or their child is made subject to a criminal court order and may require parents or guardians of young people between 10 and 17 years of age to attend counselling or guidance sessions.
The YOS also supervises young people receiving other court sentences such as Youth Rehabilitation Orders, Reparation Orders and Detention and Training Orders (custody). YOS Officers will devise a supervision plan that addresses those factors that contribute most to a young person's offending behaviour. This plan is agreed by the court. It may contain some or more of following elements:
The YRO is a community based order that can last up to three years. A YRO will contain one or more requirements such as completing reparation or unpaid work, complying with a curfew or activity or living as directed by the courts.
The number of elements given to be requirements of the YRO are based on the needs and risk indicators of each young person. This will also determine the frequency of contact with the YOS.
An Intensive Supervision and Surveillance (ISS) element may also be attached to a YRO. ISS is an intensive community order that lasts for six months. During the first three months of ISS a young person is required to have daily contact with the YOS every day for a minimum of 25 hours per week. During the final 3 months contact is relaxed.
These are orders that contain unpaid work only up to a maximum of 24 hours
These are custodial sentences imposed in both the Youth and Crown Courts on young people between the ages of 12 and 17 years. They have a minimum length of 4 months and a maximum of 2 years. For very serious offences, longer sentences are available in the Crown Court only.
All young offenders are supervised according to Home Office National Standards (Youth Justice Board).
01375 652652
01375 652359
