REPARATION - Working in the Community

What is the Youth Offending Team?

The Mid Essex Youth Offending Team is based in Victoria Road, Chelmsford.  The team is comprised of people from the Police, Probation, Health, Education and Social Services as well as a number of specialist workers.  Our aim is to reduce offending by children and young people.  We work with young people between the ages of 10 and 18 years old.

What is reparation?

Reparation is the act or process of making amends.

Most of the young people that we work with are given a number of hours of reparation to complete as part of a court order.  By undertaking work for their community each young person is able to make a valid contribution as well as go some way to make up for the wrong they have done.

Reparation may include removing graffiti, clearing litter, community and conservation projects, fund raising events etc.

Who supervises the young people?

All work carried out is fully supervised by members of the Youth Offending Team.  Some of our current projects provide supervisory staff themselves but unless this is specifically stated we take full responsibility to oversee all reparation work.

Who do we work with?

The Youth Offending Team already works with a wide range of organisations in the community including:

Registered Charities

Borough and Parish Councils

Environmental Schemes

Community Projects

What about transport, insurance and contacts?

The Youth Offending Team provides all transport for young people to and from reparation work.  Any organisation we work with is required to have Employers and Public Liability Insurance with a limit of indemnity of at least £5m in respect of any one incident.  The Youth Offending Service has Public Liability Insurance with a limit of indemnity of £30m in respect of any one incident.

We have a basic agreement that needs to be viewed and signed before any work can commence.  It is very simple and straightforward and can be adapted to suit the requirements of each individual organisation we work with.  Detailed risk assessments are also agreed as part of this process.

How can you get involved?

We are always willing to be involved with the community and are keen to offer our services to anyone who may benefit from our work.  We essentially have a workforce of young people that are able to carry out a wide range of tasks for free!

To set up a project with us all you need to do is contact your local Reparation Officer whose details are shown below.  They will arrange to visit you and discuss how the project will run.  We are more than willing to undertake work that will benefit the community but at the same time offer our young people the chance to make up somewhat for their wrong.

If you are interested or would like further information contact:

Tony Duke - Reparation Officer

Mid Essex Youth Offending Team, Suite 2, Empire House, Victoria Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1PE.

Tel: 01245 358092   Fax: 01245 358337

Email: Tony.duke.yot@essexcc.gov.uk