Restorative Justice
If you have been a victim of crime committed by a child (under 18 years old) your views and feelings are important to us. St Helens Youth Justice Service provides information to victims of youth crime and listens to you about the effect the crime has had on you.
We also give you a chance to communicate with the child who has committed the offence. This might be directly or indirectly and it will encourage the child to understand the effects of their actions on you and hopefully help to make amends for any harm they have caused. We call this Restorative Justice.
Why get involved?
As the victim of a crime, you are the person most affected by the offence. We want to give you an opportunity to be involved in Restorative Justice. This is voluntary and you can decide if it feels right for you. You can also change your mind at any time.
Often victims of crime have questions that they would like to ask the person who has committed the crime against them. There might also be things that you would like to tell them. Getting involved gives you the chance to:
What are the options?
Communication can involve:
The Restorative Justice and Victim Liaison Coordinator will help and support you with any involvement that you choose to have. You will be given all the information that you need in order to make a decision and your wishes and safety will always be our main priority.
If you choose not to get involved, you can still receive updates on the case, if you want to.
What happens next?
The Restorative Justice and Victim Liaison Coordinator will contact you to arrange to visit you at a time and place suitable for you. If you prefer, they can speak to you on the phone. This will be a chance to talk through everything and consider what you would like to do.
You can contact the Restorative Justice and Victim Liaison Coordinator for St Helens Youth Justice Service via phone on 01744 677990 or email yotadministration@sthelens.gov.uk
A referral can be made to Victim Support at any time for on-going emotional and/or practical support.
In addition, victims of crime committed by children who are children themselves may be eligible for support from our Barnardo’s counsellor. This will be discussed with parents in detail and is a voluntary, supportive intervention for children affected by youth crime.
Remember, your involvement in this process is totally voluntary and your details will be kept confidential and will never be made known to the young person or their family.
Please see the Privacy Notice in Related Documents
Compliments and complaints
We will send out a questionnaire for you to complete and return to us, after our contact has ended. This will be sent to your phone or email to complete online or a paper copy can be posted to you; whichever you prefer. Your feedback is really important to us and we want to make ongoing improvements, wherever possible, to the service that we provide.
If you would like to provide feedback or make a complaint about the service that you have received from St Helens Youth Justice Service, you can contact Operational Manager Mon-Fri, during office hours on 01744 677990. Alternatively, you can ask to speak to Manager of Youth Justice Service on the same number, by emailing yotadministration@sthelens.gov.uk or by post at the address above.
We value your opinions and feedback and will respond to you within 5 working days to try to resolve any issues that you might have. If you feel that your complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction by St Helens Youth Justice Service, you can access the complaints process using the St Helens Council website at www.sthelens.gov.uk
