Referral Orders

What is a referral order?

Referral orders are given to most 10 to 17 year-olds pleading guilty and being convicted for the first time in court.  They are designed to deal with first time young offenders.

What is the purpose of a referral order?

The aim is to make the offender take responsibility, and make amends, for the consequences of their offending.

A referral order gives the victims of the offence a part in the process. This can lead to the offenders making restoration to the victim or to the wider community.

If you have been served with a referral order, what does this mean for you?

If you have been given a referral order, you must attend a 'youth offender panel' to decide the correct course of action for your offence/s.

A youth offender panel is a meeting where the victims and offenders can be brought together face to face. Meetings are staged in a controlled environment, with members of the Youth Offending Team and community panel members (see Who are community panel members? below) acting as a neutral party.

The process at a youth offender panel is as follows:

• The offence is discussed. The victim may ask questions, receive an explanation, an apology and/or discuss how the offender can make practical reparation for any distress and inconvenience they may have caused
• Suitable remedies for the situation are decided upon by the panel
• A contract is then drawn up to address the issues
• Failure to comply with the details of the contract may result in the case going before the courts for further disciplinary action.

Who are the Youth Offending Team members?

The Youth Offending Team members are professional workers, trained to work with young offenders and help them to comply with the orders given to them by the courts.

They can also help offenders with problems that may lead to offending, and put in place interventions to prevent people from re-offending.

Who are community panel members?

• Community panel members are members of the community where you live
• They have been trained to sit as panel members
• They work on a voluntary (unpaid) basis
• Prior to the meeting they may have read a report on you, detailing the offence and general facts about your background.

Back to top

Page updated: 28 Feb 2008