Youth justice and serious violence plans unveiled in Stockton
It follows a fall in the number entering the criminal justice system for the first time
Stockton's aiming to become one of the North-East’s safest places for children by 2031.
A new five -year youth violence strategy focuses on spotting concerns earlier and stopping children being exploited by organised crime groups.
It follows a fall in the number entering the criminal justice system for the first time.
The reduction was hailed as a success by Stockton Council leaders as they heard of the latest plans to tackle youth justice and serious violence. The number of children entering the criminal justice system fell from 33 to 21 in 2025-6, with out-of-court panels used in more than 90 cases to try to steer children away from crime.
Three children were sentenced to long custodial sentences, between four and 10 years, for serious violent offences between April and June 2025. The latest youth justice plan says a small number of cases were linked to exploitation and organised crime groups.
Youth justice and support head Kellie Wigley told the council cabinet: “We have seen a significant reduction in first-time entrants to our youth justice system. Stockton are performing than better of our regional and national comparators.
“That’s a real positive reflection of our early intervention, diversionary approach, youth justice and child-first practice. We’ve continued to reduce the use of custody, we’ve strengthened our response to serious youth violence and exploitation and we’ve seen some real positive feedback from families.
“We’re seeing increasingly complex needs that are presented to our officers, including children who have experienced trauma, exploitation, violence, poverty, poor emotional wellbeing and educational vulnerability.”
She said the latest youth justice plan was meant to support children and families, reduce offending and keep communities safe, focusing on “recognising children as children”, aiming to prevent them coming into the justice system, hear their voices and reduce reoffending and custody. She added they had a strong partnership despite reduced funding.
A separate five-year serious youth violence strategy was drawn up after hearing from over 100 children as well as families and public health officers, aiming to reduce harm, strengthen protection and improve opportunities: “Our vision is that by 2031 Stockton will be one of the safest places in the North-east for our children, young people and families.
“Early intervention and prevention, we know that’s better than cure, getting in there as early as we can and identifying our most vulnerable young children as we possibly can to intervene is important,” she said. Dedicated teams would gather intelligence with police to “deter, disrupt and divert”, intercepting organised crime in communities, she added.
“We know we need to strengthen family support to ensure families are equipped to deal with what their children are experiencing.” Education support would be improved to promote school attendance and stop children being pulled into exploitation.
Councillor Clare Besford, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “My view is every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, whatever challenges they may face, and that’s what this youth justice plan is all about. I’m really proud that Stockton-on-Tees continues to see fewer people entering the criminal justice system for the first time.
“It reflects the outstanding work of our youth justice team and our partners, and means more young people are getting the support they need before our their lives are defined by poor choices or adverse circumstances. Sadly though, we know only too well that some of our young people are drawn into anti-social behaviour, exploitation and criminal activity by older individuals who seek to take advantage of them.”
She stressed the importance of working together to identify and support vulnerable children early: “We will always take action where behaviour is causing harm to others. But the flip side of that is we must ask what has happened in that young person’s life that has brought them to that point and what support can help move them forward.
“Prevention, early intervention and listening to the voices of children and families remain at the heart of everything we do. This plan reinforces our commitment to seeing children as children, recognising their strengths and potential, and working together across services to help them build safer, happier and more successful futures.”
She said the serious youth violence strategy was “a long time in the making”. She added: “While serious youth violence remains relatively low in Stockton-on-Tees, even one incident is one too many. We know the impact can be devastating for victims, families, communities and the young people involved themselves.
“Our approach is about much more than enforcement. We’re determined to identify concerns earlier, tackle the root causes of violence and provide the right support at the right time.
“We know that young people can be vulnerable to exploitation, criminal influences and circumstances beyond their control. And it is our responsibility as a partnership to help them build those positive pathways for the future.”
She said schools, police, health services, youth justice, families and the volunteer sector helped support young people and take action: “We are united in our ambition to keeping our our children and young people safe. We want Stockton-on-Tees to be a place where every child can grow up free from violence, fulfil their potential and have the opportunities they deserve.”