Gateshead youth in justice system praise council for help, report finds
One young person supported says they now don't carry a knife
Gateshead Council workers who help young people involved in or victims of crime have been praised for their work. One youth reported how intervention stopped them carrying a knife just to feel safe.
Gateshead Council’s families overview and scrutiny committee heard anonymised praise from children and young people on both sides of the justice system. Victims and young people going through or have been through the courts submitted thanks to the local authority’s Youth Justice Service.
One youth said: “My case manager helped me understand why I carried a knife, it was because I didn’t feel safe. Working with him, he helped me to change where I was going and I felt more safe.
“I don’t carry a knife now.”
Workers were also thanked for helping others return to school, set up their own businesses and attend counselling sessions.
One victim also wrote that they “100%” had a better understanding of why they had been the victim of assault through the support offered to them.
Another victim submitted: “It was a positive experience helped by ‘A’ keeping us updated throughout the entire process (delays and reasons)…fully explained OOCD (out of court disposals) in detail which helped immensely”.
Children who commit less serious offences and are at low risk of re-offending can be offered alternatives to being charged with criminal offences.
The service was last inspected in February 2023, with a report published in May of that year, rating the service as ‘Good’ overall, with ‘Outstanding’ elements. However, the service was commended in March this year, following a visit from by the chair of the national Youth Justice Board, Keith Fraser.
Mr Fraser wrote: “It was clear that the strong partnerships between both statutory and non-statutory partners have had a profoundly positive impact on your service. This collaboration has ensured that the needs of the
children within your community remain central to your work, enabling a continued focus on their welfare and well-being. “