Youth Offending Service
Torbay Youth Offending Service comprises of two teams, the Youth Offending Team (YOT), based in Torquay
at Commerce House and LINK Youth Support Team, based at Harbourside, Paignton.
The YOT is a multi-agency partnership, established in April 2000, under the requirements of the Crime and
Disorder Act 1998. The YOT team includes professionals from Children’s Services, Police, Probation, Primary
Care Trust and Connexions, all who are working in partnership, with the primary aim of preventing children and
young people from offending. Primarily, the YOT works with the 10 – 18 year old age group, the majority of
whom are under some form of statutory supervision. LINK operatives effectively as the preventative arm of the
service and engages on a voluntary basis with young people between the age of 7 – 15 years, who are at risk
of offending, being excluded from school, or being taken into Local Authority Accommodation/Care. The work
of the service is currently overseen by an Executive Steering Group involving senior representatives of the key
partner agencies.
Services provided by the Youth Offending Team include:

Preventative Work
Preventative and early intervention work is mainly undertaken by Link Youth Support.

Appropriate Adult Service
In cases where it is not possible to have a parent/guardian present, a trained member of the Youth
Offending Team will ensure that a young person has their interests protected at key points during their
detention and interview at the police station.

Final Warning Programme
After receiving a final warning the young person will be assessed and then offered a programme of
interventions according to need, delivered primarily by the police officers within the team.

Bail Support/ Information and Remand Provision

Referral Orders
The majority of young people convicted and pleading guilty for the first time in court will receive a Referral
Order.
The YOT facilitates Youth Offender Panels; staffed by volunteers from the community who have received
special comprehensive training preparing them to deal with young offenders, their families, victims and
communities. Within a panel the young offender will have to agree to a “contract of change” comprising a
compulsory element of reparation, and also requirements based on the factors influencing offending
behaviour such as school attendance. For this purpose an Education Worker is employed within the
Youth Offending Team.

Pre-Sentence / Specific Sentence Reports and Court Duty
The law states that the court must obtain a written report (prepared by a member of the Youth Offending
Team), before it passes a custodial sentence or most types of community sentences. The report describes
the offence, its effect on the victim, the offenders home background and how they are doing at school /
work. It also lists any previous convictions, an assessment of risk of re-offending and makes
recommendations to the court about the most suitable sentence.
April 2006

Work with Parents and Families
The YOT team aims to reduce offending behaviour by young people through the medium of Parent Support
and Education.
When the court makes a parenting order the YOT will actively engage with the parents offering
interventions including support, guidance and education.

Community Sentence Provision
The YOT is primarily responsible for the statutory supervision of all community sentences (i.e. Reparation,
Supervision Orders, Probation Orders and Combination Orders). Each order will have a Responsible Officer
appointed , though input into the programme of intervention could come from a variety of sources from
within the team (e.g. health, education, reparation, parenting) and also from other outside agencies.

Restorative Justice

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This involves communication between victim and offender and typically results in practical reparation, the
communication can also produce powerful emotional responses leading to mutual satisfaction and socially
inclusive outcomes.
Substance misuse - offering assessment, education, support and interventions to young people with drug
or alcohol problems
Through Care and Post Supervision

Intense Surveillance and Supervision Programme
The Youth Offending Team general enquiries is 201655. Specific officers can be contacted with reference to
the functional telephone directory incorporated elsewhere within this handbook.
Link Youth Support
The aims of this service are to provide support to children and young people experiencing difficulties at home,
school or in the community and to work with other agencies, to help children and young people deal with
difficulties in their lives.
For a young person to become involved in Link they need to be referred by a professional organisation such as
Children’s Services, Police etc.
The following projects are being operated by Link Youth Support:
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Under 10’s project (8 – 10 years) - early intervention/support for those at risk of offending
Transition project (10 – 13 years) - support in managing changes from Primary to Secondary School
Youth Support Project (13 – 15 Years) - helps young people experiencing problems at home/school
School Support Project (5 – 13 Years) - offers specialist transition support to young people in schools
Activities Project (5 – 13 years) - provides after school leisure opportunities on Friday evenings/Sat morns
Youth Inclusion and Support Project (8 – 13 Years) - early identification/interventions with young people at
risk of anti-social behaviour/offending, ensuring access to appropriate mainstream services
For further information please contact Nadia Cooper (Administrator) or Christina Vincent, Operations Manager)
on 557870.
April 2006