Intensive Referral Order Contracts
Intensive Referral Order contracts should be considered at PSR stage where the
Court may be considering imposing a custodial sentence. It is essential in the PSR
report that not only is a proposal for sentencing but also an outline of what a
potential Referral Order Intensive contract would look like. To achieve this it is
essential that there is a Panel arranged before sentencing to discuss the contents of
any potential Referral Order intensive contract. The PSR needs to reflect that any
proposal for the contract is subject to the panel’s approval.
The intensive element is a specified period of intervention that can be similar to the
requirements of ISS. It is therefore essential what when recommending an intensive
element to the contract that it is clearly defined both in terms of duration of the
intensive element and the number of hours supervision required per week during this
time. It should also be clear if the young person requires 7 day contacts.
Intensity
High (hours)
Medium (hours)
Low (hours)
Month 1
25
15
10
Month 2
15
10
7
Month 3
10
5
5
Month 4
5
Scaled approach
Scaled Approach
The other conditions that can be included in the contract are
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Non electronic curfew.
Exclusion zone. (Map must be included)
Non association.
Following the sentence the Referral Order Panel must be held within 5 working days.
This panel will use the PSR that was written by the Youth Justice Officer.
At the Panel it is the role of the Youth Justice Panel Representative to advise the
Panel. More time needs to be taken with intensive proposals to ensure the contract
is SMART and legal. It is vital therefore that the YJS rep make themselves available
at 5PM to brief the panel members. Care must also be taken when writing the
intensive contract. A copy of the contract is stored on the YJS icon under the
templates section.
1. I will attend the following hours per week. The number of appointments may
change depending on my progress, my assessed risk of offending or my risk to
others.
Intensity
High (hours)
Month 1
25
Month 2
15
Month 3
10
Month 4
5
Medium (hours)
Low (hours)
15
10
10
7
5
5
Scaled approach
Scaled Approach
When addressing reparation for an intensive contract the guidance states the
following.
“For orders of 10 - 1 2 months, Youth Offender Panels should normally include a
minimum of 30 hours of reparation in contracts; and, in certain custody threshold
cases, a considerably higher number of hours will be appropriate and should equate
with the unpaid work element of community orders where the young offender is aged
16 – 17”
Caution should be made regarding setting a high number of reparation hours and the
ability to deliver this linked to the other elements of the contract. Please remember
proportionality when agreeing reparation hours.
Length of order
Reparation hour guidance
3 - 4 months
4 - 10
5 – 7 months
10 - 19
8 – 9 months
20 - 29
10 – 12 months
Up to 30
12 months or intensive
Up to 240
Referral Order YJS Rep guidance
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The volunteers will arrive from 5 PM and will need to be greeted by YJS Rep.
YJS rep to allow volunteers time to read the reports for the evening and make
themselves available for any queries.
The YJS rep to facilitate a discussion around the structure of the panel
meeting and begin to discuss potential elements to be included in the Referral
Order Contract.
During the meeting the YJS Rep should assist the Panel members to ensure
they follow the process but should not take over.
The process of the meeting.
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Give copy of reports to parent and young person.
Greet the victim and briefly explain process.
Invite young person into panel.
Introductions.
Ground rules.
Purpose of the meeting.
Ask the young person about the offence (what, where, who, when).
Ask the victim about the impact of the offence (how did you feel etc.).
Ask young persons parent / carer (how did you feel etc.).
Agree reparation and letter of apology if needed.
Thank victim and escort out.
Discuss the issues identified in the report that could lead to further
offending.
Agree intervention to prevent reoffending.
Write contract.
Read through the contract.
End the meeting.
It is the role of YJS rep to write the contract. Contracts should be SMART and
legal.
Once the contract is printed the panel lead will read through and ask all
parties to sign.
A copy is taken and given to the family and the YJS retains the signed copy.
Following the meeting the YJS rep facilitates a reflective discussion about the
meeting and addresses any learning points.
Any learning, areas of good practice or areas for improvement to be emailed
to Snr practitioner.