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PCC visits East Riding Youth Justice Service to hear success in diverting young people from crime

Friday, 31 January 2025

Jonathan Evison, Police and Crime Commissioner, visits Our Place youth bus

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Jonathan Evison, visited the Youth Justice Service and the new mobile youth provision - Our Place - to hear about the impact on young people and communities across the East Riding.

The Youth Justice Service (YJS) works with all children and young people, aged 10 to 18, that commit an offence and come to the attention of the Police. The service has proved successful in supporting young people and diverting them from crime.

Between February 2023 and January 2024, the YJS has successfully diverted 87 young people away from the criminal justice system. Out of these young people only one has committed a further offence within a 12-month period.

The Youth Justice Service is a multi-agency service consisting of police officers, a probation officer, substance misuse worker, mental health nurse and a speech and language therapist. The PCC provides funding to the Youth Justice Service to support this early intervention work.

The team works with the young people to understand their needs, interests and what interventions would help each person lead a fulfilling life, away from crime. The young people may be supported to take up a range of diversionary activities from sport, music, dance and drama, to gardening, cooking and work with animals. They are supported with emotional wellbeing, empowerment, confidence and identity, supported with any substance use issues and speech and language - which can impact upon education, employment and lead to isolation.

Victims of crime are also supported, and reparation takes place where it will be beneficial to both the victim of the crime, and the young person. The Victim Workers within the Service also promote restorative justice conferences between children and victims.  

Councillor Victoria Aitken, cabinet member for children, families and education said: “I’m delighted that the PCC was able to hear first-hand from our staff about the great work that they do and the partnership working that makes such a positive impact on the lives of children and young people. They also make a positive difference to communities, through reducing crime and supporting victims too.

“The East Riding is unique in having one of the largest local authority areas, and so ensuring young people have access to local diversionary activities is one of the challenges. We are grateful to the PCC for the funding to support the service and it’s great to demonstrate how this early intervention saves money across services in the longer-term, whilst improving young peoples’ lives and communities.”

The PCC joined young people at the Our Place bus to hear about the impact of the work, and how anti-social behaviour has significantly reduced in areas where the bus has been located. Our Place is a community brand that provides a mobile youth provision with street-based outreach workers. The concept has been co-designed with the charity Barnardos, partners and also with children, young people, parents and carers with lived experience. This provision is jointly funded by the Community Safety Partnership and the Police and Crime Commissioner, as well as through Holiday Activity Funds (HAF), so that provision can be provided over the school holidays.

Jonathan Evison, Police and Crime Commissioner commented “I was delighted to visit the East Riding Youth Justice Service earlier this week. I was able to see first hand the impact they are having on the people they work with. I am a strong advocate for ensuring young people have the opportunity to engage in positive activities and this service is clearly doing this. I was particularly impressed by the way the service is able to track how many people they have impacted by looking at the reoffending rates.

"The Youth Justice Service is outstanding and I look forward to seeing it progress even further, especially the work with the mobile provision.”

The good work of the Youth Justice Service is also recognised through the last HMIP Inspection, who awarded the service an outstanding judgement.

The Youth Justice Service is delivered through partnerships between East Riding of Yorkshire council and local youth VCSE partners to ensure we meet the needs of local communities.

pcc visit to yjs jan 25

Youth Justice Service officers meeting Jonathan Evison, Police and Crime Commissioner.

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