Community panel members
Community panel members are volunteers from the local community. They work with young people who have offended and their parents / carers to ensure that:
- Young people take responsibility for their behaviour and the harm caused by their offending.
- Young people change their behaviour in order to promote good outcomes for themselves and communities.
- Guide young people to build upon the positive factors in their life.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Answer:
Community panel members will work with children and young people aged 10-17 who have appeared before the youth court. In general they not be convicted before. This is unless the offence is so minor that it is discharged, or so serious that the young person is sent into custody.
- Answer:
Panels give victims of crimes an opportunity to let the young person know how their crime has affected them and what might help repair the harm caused by the offending.
Panel members will listen to all views and will then agree a plan to prevent further offending and address the harm which has already occurred.
The panel will regularly meet with the young person / carer to check progress.
They may refer someone back to the youth court if the young person has not worked with the Youth Offending Service to address the plan of action.
- Answer:
Each panel will have a minimum of two members who are volunteers from the local community.
The panel members will work with a member of the Youth Offending Service.
The young person and their carer will attend along with any other adult who may be able to offer guidance.
The victim of the offence will be invited to attend the panel and may choose to bring someone to support them.
If a victim feels unable to attend the panel, they can ask for their views to be represented by someone else, often the youth offending service police officer, in order that their views can be taken into account the meeting.
- Answer:
We need community panel members to represent the local communities within which they live.
If you are aged 18+ and interested in working with young people and a good listener and communicator we would like to hear from you!
Please contact your local area office for more information about becoming a community panel member.
- Answer:
We will provide training before you work as a community panel member.
We will also offer you additional opportunities to increase your knowledge and skills and support you in your work.
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We would expect you to attend a panel meeting once a week for about 40 weeks of the year.
You would spend around 2-3 hours a week. This covers your preparation, attendance and training.
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As you would work with children, we would carry out a full criminal record check.
Previous convictions, especially those which are minor in nature and old, will not automatically stop you from becoming a panel member. This is something that we would be happy to discuss further with you.
- Answer:
As community panel members are volunteers, you will not be paid. However, we will pay travel expenses.