Volunteers needed to help tackle youth crime (Twickenham & Richmond Liberal Democrats)

Volunteers needed to help tackle youth crime

November 20, 2009 5:30 PM

• RESIDENTS who want to contribute to tackling local crime are being encouraged to join the borough's youth offending panel, which decides what programme of actions young offenders should take following a Referral Order at Court.

Richmond Council's Youth Offending Team (YOT) will then work with the young people, their families and the victims of crime to help prevent future offending. Cllr David Williams, Cabinet Member for Communities on Richmond Council, said:

"The volunteers working on the panel are vital to the work we do with young offenders, helping them to face up to what they have done, put right the wrong and support them from not offending again. All successful applicants will become part of a team of already established volunteer panel members. They will receive full training and ongoing support by the YOT - I would encourage anyone interested to get in touch."

A youth offending panel is convened every time a young person receives a Referral Order in Court and will instruct a programme to be completed by the young person. This might consist of community reparation, attending presentations from serving prisoners or victim support and writing letters of apology, among others.

Two volunteers sit on each panel, at present some volunteers sit at least one panel every fortnight but we can vary this depending upon individuals availability. There is no payment, but costs will be covered. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please contact YOT Manager, Clare Lambert or Restorative Justice Coordinator Michael O'Connor on 020 8891 7050. Richmond Council's YOT works to reduce youth offending and the public's fear of offending in the borough. For more details visit www.richmond.gov.uk/yot_what_we_do

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