Youth Offending Team
Bridgend Young Offending Team is a multi-agency team, made up of representatives from Social Services, Education, the Police, Probation, Health and voluntary agencies. It currently sits within the Chief Executive's Department of Bridgend County Borough Council.
By bringing together representatives from each service, the Youth Offending Team aims to offer a holistic approach to tackling the causes of offending.
We work directly with the young person and their family to identify the reasons for the offending behaviour. Part of the work involves:-
1. Helping the young person take responsibility for the consequences of their actions
2. Providing interventions, which tackle the factors that put young people at risk of offending.
3. Ensuring that the "punishment" received is appropriate to the seriousness of the offence committed.
4. Reinforcing the responsibilities of parents.
By promoting a sense of self esteem, responsibility and positive life styles, the Youth Offending Team aims to divert young people away from offending and back into a law abiding community, helping to make Bridgend County Borough a safer place to live.
Work with Victims
The Youth Offending Team also works with victims and the community by encouraging them to participate in restorative justice. Restorative justice is designed to redress the balance in the criminal justice system by offering victims a chance to have their say and to be kept informed. It also gives the young people a chance to repair the harm they may have caused.
Work with the Community
Since its inception in 1998, Bridgend Youth Offending Team has strived to build up relationships with community projects. Reparation (or community-based work) carried out by young offenders should be an opportunity for them to learn a new skill or about a project in their area. Recent community projects include a charity walk, writing and directing an award -winning drugs awareness film, and building a pond.
BRIDGEND YOUTH OFFENDING TEAM
MISSIONSTATEMENT
AND KEY OBJECTIVES
MissionStatement
Bridgend Youth Offending Team will strive to prevent and reduce offending and re-offending amongst children and young people and increase their self esteem, responsibility and opportunity to develop positive life styles.
Key Objectives
The Youth Offending Team works to six prime objectives set nationally by the Youth Justice Board.
1. Tackling delays in the criminal justice system.
2. To confront young offenders with the consequences of their offending.
3. Interventions to tackle risk factors
4. Punishment appropriate to the seriousness of the offending
5. Encouraging reparation to victims
6. Reinforcing the responsibility of parents