The Youth Offending Service (YOS) is a multi-agency team which works with young people and families to address factors that lead to offending behaviour (age 10 to 17).

The YOS is made up of practitioners from:

• council staff
• police
• London Community Rehabilitation Company
• drug and alcohol service
• children and adults mental health services (CAMHS).

The principle aims of the youth justice system are to:

• prevent young people getting into crime
• reduce the number of first-time entrants to the system
• reduce re-offending
• reduce the amount of young people within the youth secure estate
• safeguard young people from harm
• protect the public from harm
• repair the harm caused by youth crime

The role of the YOS includes:

• working with young people who have been convicted of offences
• working with young people who have received out of court disposals
• helping young people and their families at court
• working with the parents of young people who offend
• working with the victims of crime
• supervising young people serving a community sentence
• working with a young person if they’re sentenced to custody

It outlines processes that young people may become involved in and provides information to their parents or carers as well as their victims.