Youth Offending Service Update: COVID-19

On 19th March 2020, the Welsh government imposed measures to help to stop the spread of Covid-19. Due to this, we have had to close the Youth Offending Service office at Mamhilad House.

Staff are continuing to work from home mainly, but are completing face to face to contacts where necessary on the basis of risk and safeguarding (using social distancing), for Court Duty, Appropriate Adult requirement and urgent administrative duties. Our telephone lines have been re-directed so that Business Support can answer all calls, if anyone needs to contact us.

Young people and their families involved with the Youth Offending Service have all been contacted. Plans have been put in place to continue with their Court Orders, Out of Court Disposals, Community Resolutions and Prevention interventions safely whilst ensuring that appointments, reports and safeguarding are continuing despite the different format.

Our service has adapted by increasing the use of technology, being pro-active and creative to deliver a service to support young people and their families/carers during this time. For example, virtual panels and meetings have been taken place.

If you need to contact us, please ring our main office telephone 01495 768300 or email us on Youthoffendingservice@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Please follow the Welsh Government Guidelines regarding COVID-19 https://gov.wales/coronavirus

Stay Safe,

Monmouthshire and Torfaen Youth Offending Service

Information on the restorative service offered by YOS

Victim Information

Monmouthshire / Torfaen Youth Offending Service is committed to ensuring victims of youth crime are kept informed, updated and involved.  If you happen find yourself a victim of youth crime in our area we will contact you. We will spend time with you to discuss the incident and the affect it may have had upon you and your family, we will where appropriate offer advice and support and if we cannot, we will referrer you to an agency that can help.

Our service will offer you the opportunity to become involved in the process and take an active role. We will ask you if you wish to be updated with your case as it progresses.  If you do not wish to be involved you can simply say no thanks, it will be your choice.

Victims and Restorative Justice.

Restorative Justice (RJ) provides opportunities for those directly affected by an offence (victim, offender, and members of the community) to communicate through a restorative process and agree how to deal with the offence and its consequences.

The basic principles include:

  • Putting things right and healing relationships, thereby giving high satisfaction to victims and reducing re-offending
  • Ensuring that those directly affected by crime are involved in the process and that their wishes are given careful consideration
  • Achieving positive outcomes for the victim, community and young person. Ensuring all processes are fair, non bias, equal to all, and that all meetings take place in a neutral and safe environment.

Our service is registered with the Restorative Justice Council and can provide accredited practitioners to assist with all forms of restorative justice. Please follow the link below for information on Restorative justice.

http://restorativejustice.org.uk

Alternatively if you do not wish to meet the person involved we can offer a range of restorative work that may meet your needs.  This could be direct reparation, this is when the perpetrator/ wrong doer repairs damage caused, they will have to “put things right” indirect reparation for the benefit of the community, this could be working on a community project or assisting a charity. Alternatively the victim / harmed party can receive a letter of explanation from the young person involved or  shuttle mediation, this is where a harmed party can give questions to us and we can take them to the young people involved, gather answers and or information and feed back.

Victims Charter

The police and crime commissioner for Gwent has stated that supporting victims of crime is a priority.  Please follow the link below to see the commissioner’s web site and read the victims charter and read the 10 point victim charter he has set out.

http://www.gwent.pcc.police.uk

Supporting victims of crime

Our service is here to help and support you following an incident of youth crime, however if we feel that further help or advice is needed we have links with Victim support.  For further information please follow the link below to visit their web site for national and local contact details.

https://www.victimsupport.org.uk
https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/what-we-do/local-services/wales/south-wales

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