Youth offending
Reducing youth crime is central to building safer communities
and to tackle the problem of social exclusion.
The Council works closely with the Probation Service, The
Police, and the Health Service to tackle the problem of offending
anti social behaviour by young people. The Rochdale Youth Offending
Team is a multi-agency unit that aims to work effectively with
others to reduce the level and impact of youth crime in Rochdale.
An important part of the team’s work involves providing
pre-sentence reports to Court to decide on suitable sentences and
supervising a range of court orders that help young people avoid
further offending.
Youth crime
Working with others to reduce the level and impact of youth
crime in Rochdale.
- The Youth Offending Team provides a range of services to: the
Court; young people who have committed offences; their families;
the community in Rochdale/Victims.
- We aim to work effectively with young people to reduce the
level and impact of youth crime in Rochdale.
- We promote a fair and consistent service for all young people
in the criminal justice process.
- The Youth Offending Team is a special Unit made up of staff
employed by the Council’s Adult Care Service, the Probation
Service, the Police, the Education Service and the Health
Authority, all of whom are there to work with young offenders from
anywhere in Rochdale from 10 years up to the age of 18.
Offending and anti-social behaviour
Working with others to stop offending and anti-social behaviour
before it starts.
- To help prevent children and young people becoming involved in
crime or anti-social behaviour the Youth Offending Team has the
INCLUDE programme. INCLUDE are a team of people who offer voluntary
support services to children and young people aged 5-18 years and
their families.
Services
Our services are based on the following principles:
- Offending by young people is a matter of serious concern to the
community and requires agencies to work together to manage the
problem effectively.
- Children and young people need help and support to develop into
law-abiding adults.
- Young offenders are more likely to develop into law-abiding
adults by remaining in the community rather than being removed from
it.
- Custody has damaging effects and does not stop young people
re-offending.
- The law states that custody should only be used as a last
resort where the offending is persistent or is so serious or where
the public need protecting from serious harm.
Achieving our aims
Our work to achieve our aims includes all of the following:
- Taking an active part in crime prevention work.
- Working alongside existing organisations that offer support and
activities to young people.
- Supporting parents to deal effectively with their child’s
offending.
- Assisting the Police and families to deal more effectively with
some young people without the need for Court.
- Working with young people who are awaiting sentence. For those
who cannot live at home during this period, providing a range of
supervised settings where they can live.
- Providing reports to help Courts to decide the most suitable
sentence for a young person.
- Actively taking into account issues of public protection and
the interests of victims in all work with young people.
- Providing a range of community sentences through which young
people are supervised, faced with their offending and its effects,
and helped to develop more responsible and law-abiding
behaviour.
- Where a young person is sentenced to custody, working with
prison staff and others to prepare them for when they are released
and to supervise and support them when they return to the community
so as to reduce the risk of them re-offending
The Youth Offending Team works throughout to ensure that no
young person is the subject of discrimination because of race,
colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability or any
other improper ground at any stage of the justice process.
Complaints
If you feel unhappy about the way you have been treated you have
the right to talk to the Youth Offending Team Manager about this.
They will take your complaint seriously. There is also a formal
complaints procedure, a copy of which you should receive at the
start of your Order.