| Preventing
Youth Offending Project (P.Y.O.P.)
The Preventing Youth Offending Project
(P.Y.O.P.) is a Portsmouth City Council initiative, set up
in August 1998 as a result of the police identifying that
a small number of juvenile offenders were committing some
70% of the city's juvenile crime.
The original age range to be catered
for was 13 – 18 years. However, the inclusion of younger
offenders was commenced earlier than originally anticipated
due to both the demand from parents and the need for this
being acknowledged by the police and social workers.
Each young person referred is assessed
and, if appropriate, offered one or more of the many services
provided by the P.Y.O.P. as listed below.
Services provided
Challenging Offending
and Anti-Social Behaviour Groups
(For 8 –12 yr olds to look at anger management/develop
victim awareness/raise self-esteem)
One
to One support work
(A mentoring service outside of school hours)
Education
support
(Working with young people at risk of exclusion within the
school setting)
Risk assessment and relapse prevention
for adolescents with sexually problematic behaviour
'Keeping
Safe' work
(For young people not convicted of sexual offences but whose
attitude/behaviour puts them at an increased risk or for victims
of past abuse)
Anger management/Counselling
Outdoor Activities
Allotment/self sufficiency scheme
The Project is being evaluated externally
by the Forensic Psychology Department of the University of
Portsmouth. This evaluation is to determine the efficacy of
the whole project as well as examine attitudes to offending.
Referral
Criteria
Owing to the high volume of referrals it has become necessary
to outline the following criteria:
| 1 |
Those young people identified
as being prolific offenders or whose offences are particularly
high tariff. |
| 2 |
Young people requiring specialist
input i.e. keeping safe, risk and treatment packages for
juvenile sex offenders. |
| 3 |
Those young people between the
ages of 8 – 12 years who require preventative input
i.e. outdoor pursuits, challenging anti-social behaviour
groups. |
Contact
Details
If you wish to find out more information on the PYOP or would
like to obtain a referral form, please contact us.
Bruce Marr
Project Manager
Tonia Earey
Project Co-ordinator
The Project operates from venues across the city the main office contact details are:-
PYOP
Portsmouth City Council
Mezzanine Floor
Civic Offices
Portsmouth
TeL 02392 688516
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