Volunteer for the Oxfordshire Youth Justice Service

Are you interested in volunteering in youth restorative justice?

What is the Oxfordshire Youth Justice Service?

The Oxfordshire Youth Justice Service is a partnership between Oxfordshire County Council departments (social and health care, community safety, resources), Thames Valley Police, County Magistrates, Mental Health Trust, NHS Primary Care Trust and the Youth Offending/National Probation Service. Its aims are to:

  • Prevent re-offending.
  • Help young people repair the damage they have caused by thinking about the effect it has on their victims.
  • Encourage young people and their families to take responsibility for their offending.
  • Reintegrate offenders into the wider community.
  • Contribute to protecting the public by supporting local crime-reduction techniques.

Would you like to get involved?

Volunteers play a key role in helping young people who are supported by the Oxfordshire Youth Justice Service. We provide full training for people who want to get involved as a volunteer in several different roles:

Appropriate Adult volunteer

When a young person or vulnerable adult is being held at a police station and has no adult person to act for them, a volunteer will be asked to attend the police station and act as an Appropriate Adult. There is currently a 12 week rota in place where volunteers can indicate their available days which includes weekdays and weekends (8.30am - 11pm this is part of a shift rota of seven hours per day). Call outs vary, and visits to the police station will generally last between two and four hours. There is a one day training and the expectation to attend the quarterly Appropriate Adult Support Group. 

Referral Panel volunteer

A Referral Panel convenes when a young person has been given a Referral Order at a Magistrates Court. The panel is made up of two volunteers who help the young person to formulate a plan for how they will go forward in not committing further offences in the future, and to help them understand how their offending affects others. The Referral Panel meets every three months for half an hour to an hour to monitor the plan until the Referral Order comes to an end. There is a training which will equip the volunteers as Restorative Justice Facilitators and have the knowledge of the legislation around Referral Orders.

Restorative justice volunteer

Restorative justice involves attempts to mediate and arrange communication between the young person and their victim. The volunteer will need to communicate effectively with the young person, their Oxfordshire Youth Justice Service worker and their victim to explore potential options for restorative intervention. Restorative Justice Volunteers need to have extensive experience as a Referral Panel Volunteer and Oxfordshire Youth Justice Service identifies potential Restorative Justice Volunteers to undertake this work.

Youth Justice Service provide additional training for all volunteers throughout their commitment with this team. 

What you need

In order to volunteer with the Oxfordshire Youth Justice Service, you need to be passionate about helping young people to succeed despite adversity. You do not need any previous experience, as we will provide full training for you. Volunteers must be over 18 and must complete a DBS check.

How to apply

If you are interested in volunteering with the Oxfordshire Youth Justice Service, contact us.