Beat crime and play a youthful role in your community
Warwickshire is looking for new volunteers who want to make a difference to young people in their community.
To mark Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June), Warwickshire County Council is looking for new members for its Youth Offender Panel. Volunteers will be directly involved with community justice, helping young people who have appeared in the youth court for the first time and pleaded guilty to their crime.
It takes a special kind of person to take on such an important role according to Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Portfolio Holder for Children, Young People and Families.
She said: “We’re looking for people from all walks of life and with all kinds of backgrounds to come and help the young people of Warwickshire. But they must all have one thing in common – a desire to cut youth crime and help young people out of the cycle of crime.
“Our volunteers play a crucial role in community justice by helping young people to stop offending. Our current volunteers include a retired teacher, university student, youth worker, prison officer, self-employed businesswoman
and all find their work tremendously rewarding.
“So if you are looking for a way to help young people and your community, volunteering as a panel member will make a real difference.”
Volunteers and the other members of the panel work with a young person, their family and the Youth Offending Service, to devise a contract of work which the young person agrees will help them stay out of trouble in the future. This contract also includes making amends either to the victim of the offence or to the wider community by way of an apology or some unpaid work.
Ideally and if appropriate, the victim of the crime may also be invited to attend the Youth Offender Panel. Where this has happened the meeting has proven to be beneficial for the victim. Also, encouraging the young person to face up to the victim, and take responsibility for their actions, means that they are less likely to re-offend.
Youth Offender Panel Members are required by The Youth Justice Board to undertake the equivalent of seven days training before they can participate in panels. Youth Offender Panel Members should be over 18 years of age and have patience, good judgement and objectivity, good listening and communication skills, commitment, availability and reliability and the ability to relate to young people. They should also, in most situations, have a full driving licence. All suitable volunteers undertake an Enhanced Criminal Bureau check.
If you are interested in becoming a Youth Offender Panel Member please contact Natalie O’Reilly, Referral Order Administrator, on 01926 736 200 for an information and application pack or for further discussion contact Heather Shilling, Team Leader, who is also available on the same number.