Youth offending

Who we are

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 introduced a requirement that local authorities must establish a Youth Justice Service (YJS) (Formally known as Youth Offending Team (YOT)) comprised of members of the police, children’s social care, probation, health and education. We also work with other services such as voluntary sector agencies and charities.

Bradford & District YJS is made up of representatives from agencies including:

• Police
• Probation Service
• Bradford Children and Families Trust
• Bradford District Care Trust
• Education

What we do

The aim of the service is to work with children and families to address factors that lead to offending behaviour (age 10 to 17) to help make our district a safer place to live.

The role of the Youth Justice Service includes:

• Assessing children to understand how to keep them and others safe.
• Working with children who have come to the attention of the Police as a result of their behaviour. This could be before the matter reaches court (Out of Court disposal) or when a child has been sentenced by the Court to a community or custodial sentence.
• Provide reports and information required by the courts in criminal proceedings and support children and their families at court.

The following links provide more useful information.

• Nacro
• Standing up for kids – Just for Kids Law -
• Youth Justice Board
• Young people and the law - GOV.UK

What should you do if you are arrested?

If you are unfortunate enough to be arrested, it is important that you are clear on your rights. The UK Government website contains this very useful guide: Being arrested: your rights: When you're arrested - GOV.UK.