Youth Justice Team

The Stockton-on-Tees Youth Justice Team consists of Youth Justice Officers, Restorative Justice worker and Social Worker, with seconded staff from Police, Probation, Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and Speech and Language Therapy.  They have direct routes into the Youth Support and opportunities teams within the Children and Young People sector of the Council.

The team is responsible for the supervision and support of children and young people who receive out-of-court disposals, statutory court orders and custodial remands or sentences. They also support social care with the completion of AIM (Assessment, Intervention and Moving on) assessments.

We deliver a range of services which are designed to:

• help children and young people to stay out of the criminal justice system
• reduce reoffending
• keep children and young people safe
• keep other people safe
• ensure that any sentence received is served

Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice puts the victim at the heart of the youth justice system. It plays an important role in reducing reoffending, helping victims and increasing public confidence in the youth justice system by:

• repairing the harm caused by children and young people
• giving victims a voice

Once a young person has been sentenced at court, a specially-trained Restorative Practice Adviser will contact the victim to explain the sentence and explore what support can be offered that may go some way towards repairing the harm that has been done. 

Victims are offered a range of opportunities to take part in the restorative justice process.

We welcome suggestions for reparation and unpaid work tasks from members of the community that meet the following minimum criteria:

• it will benefit the local community
• it will not take work away from others
• no one will make a profit from the work
• it will be worthwhile and constructive

Contact the Youth Justice Team with your ideas and suggestions on 01642 527597 or youthjusticeadmin@stockton.gov.uk.

Get involved

The Youth Justice Team actively seeks volunteers from the community to help us in our work and participate in our Community Panels with children and young people.

We will provide you with training to be a Community Panel Member and ask you to commit to the project for at least a year. The time spent sitting on panels will vary dependent upon your existing commitments.

Referral Orders are in place for children and young people convicted of their first offence. Members of the community meet with them, their parents or carers, and sometimes the victim to draw up a plan to help them to stop getting involved in crime and make amends.

This is a great opportunity for all those who wish to help reduce crime in their area and or those seeking voluntary work with children and young people.

If you are interested (and either live in Stockton or have extensive knowledge of the area), please contact 01642 527597 or youthjusticeadmin@stockton.gov.uk.