We want to help you stop offending and achieve a better life.
Torbay Youth Justice Service (TYJS) wants to work with you, your family and anyone else close to you. This includes other agencies and professionals. We want to help you build a positive future for yourself and those around you.
This means we will spend a lot of time building your trust and getting to know you, your family and those who support you. We will work with you to agree a plan about what we can all do to make sure that you don’t get into that situation again.
Here are some of the common areas that we can offer support to you to achieve what you want to achieve now and in your future.
There are specialist workers based in the Youth Justice team. They will help maintain or re start education, training or employment. We can help by liaising with schools, colleges, training providers and job coaches. We will make sure you can attend, transfer to a new provider or help to develop work skills and find employment.
Providing activities and events that support a future free from offending and focus on future goals. These activities aim to boost confidence and skills, helping create a positive plan for the future.
Restorative Justice (RJ) is a term used which means repairing the harm caused by the offence. This may be as simple as:
We will work with the young person, and the victim, with the aim of bringing them together in a safe planned way. They can discuss the harm or distress caused and find a way to repair the damage. This is always done with the agreement of both the victim and the young person.
Reparation is part of Restorative Justice. It may be work to repair the physical damage. For example, fixing the fence. It could be working to pay back to the local community. Maybe doing something like:
During the activity there will always be a worker from TYJS with the young person.
We have all been a victim at some point in our lives and know how it feels to be unfairly treated in some way. These sessions can help you understand the impact your actions have had on:
These sessions will ask you to reconsider:
Drug, alcohol and substance use is a complicated issue for young people. It can be a serious concern for those caring and supporting young people. We know that young people who use drugs and other substances are more likely to:
Our substance misuse worker offers a range of support. It is non-judgemental, young person led and can really help young people understand:
We can support them to build strategies to reduce or to stop their use through one-to-one support.
We can help young people using our service with their emotional or mental health needs. We can offer support and practical help to identify and address any issues. We have trained and qualified workers from the Health Service working in teams in all areas. They can provide this work directly or can refer on if required.
If a young person has committed a sexual offence, we have a range of interventions and programmes. These aim to help understand and address the offences. We have specially trained staff to deal with offences from:
We know that this can be difficult to discuss, but we do this in a supportive and confidential way, so we get the best result for all.
Violent offences are common among young people on orders with TYJS. Most violent crimes involve anger, leading to aggression and sometimes the use of weapons. We will help young people learn:
DAY is a unique multimedia programme. It raises awareness and provides education about domestic abuse and exploitation. It does this by using short films, advertisements and music in a relevant and exciting way. It is a 10-week course designed for young people over 14 but can be adapted for those over 11.
A number of young people we work with are involved gangs. Often young people don’t feel that they are involved in a gang. They are just a group of friends or people they know. They help each other out and do things for each other, they are mates. That is fine until there become expectations about what you will and won’t do for your mates. If that involves criminal activity, then that group may be seen as a gang. Gangs often involve older people befriending young people. This may be through providing:
But later these debts may need to be paid. We will work with you if you have become involved in a gang to help see what it is really about and move away from it.
Below are some local organisations. They may be able to provide support to young people and we work with them regularly.
Drugs services:
Housing:
Mental Health:
Young People as carers: