About Trafford Youth Justice Service

The overarching objective of Trafford Youth Justice Service is to stop young people offending and prevent further re-offending.

We are a multi-agency team with members from:

Through our assessments with young people, we identify risk factors in their lives which will make them more likely to offend or re-offend. We then tailor a bespoke package of interventions to reduce these risks and prevent offending behaviour.

We work with young people at different stages, ranging from those who are appearing before the courts to those with out of court disposals.

Preventative work

In some instances we work with children and young people aged 10 to 17 years old, who are at risk of becoming involved in offending behaviour.

Out of Court Disposals

We work with young people aged 10 to 17 years old who have committed a criminal offence and are in receipt of a Youth Caution or Youth Conditional Caution.

Court

We have representatives in Manchester Courts to inform young people and their parents/carers of what's involved if they receive a sentence. We make assessments on suitability for bail and remand, write and present pre-sentence reports and inform the court of the progress of young people on orders. We also present information on breaches of court orders.

Statutory Court Orders

Young people who receive community disposals and custodial sentences will be given a named Case manager and Youth Justice Practitioner. They receive an extensive service to help ensure that their offending behaviour is addressed.

How do we prevent offending and re-offending?

Each young person is assessed using a Youth Justice Board nationally recognised assessment tool called Asset Plus. This helps to identify positive protective factors in their lives that can be maximised to turn young people away from offending. Asset Plus also looks at risk factors that contribute to young people offending; the risk they pose to others as well as safeguarding issues.

Interventions offered to those subject to community programmes or sentences can include:

  • restorative justice (for example, conferences and mediation or community reparation)
  • referrals to specialist support such as Speech and Language Therapy
  • support with education, training or employment
  • health support
  • family support
  • substance misuse
  • specific offence focused interventions
  • victim awareness work
  • exploring volunteering opportunities and promoting engagement in constructive leisure activities

This list is not exhaustive.

When young people are serving a custodial sentence, we work closely with the secure establishment and partner agencies to ensure effective sentence planning and a focus on resettlement from the start of the custodial sentence. Planning incorporates an emphasis on:

  • education, training and employment
  • offending behaviour work
  • suitable accommodation on release
  • health and mental health provision
  • provision of support for dealing with finances, debts and benefits
  • engaging with parents and carers
  • managing risk issues in relation to victims
  • managing any risk of serious harm to others