Volunteers aged 18+ are required to assist witht the Referral Panel. The Youth Offender Panels are a groundbreaking way of dealing with young people who commit crime.  They allow young people to speak for themselves and to take responsibility for their actions.   A young person is referred to the panel by the courts through a sentence call a Referral Order, which is usually given to 10 - 17 years olds who plead guilty to a first court conviction, although from April 2009 it will be available to some other young people who offend.  A referral order can be for 3 - 12 months, depending on the seriousness of the crime.  The panel is made up of 2 volunteers who are capable of representing the community and 1 member of the local youth offending team
AS A PANEL MEMBER you will meet with the young person and their parents/carers to talk about the reasons for the yong person's offending behaviour and to discuss a way forward.  The victim is encouraged to attend the meeting to tell the young person how the crime affected them.  Youth offender panel members agree a contact with the young person.  This will include activities that repair the harm caused to the victim or the community by the yong person's crime and that will address the causes of their behaviour.

A contract will include activities that repair the harm caused to a victim or the community by the young person's crime and a programme of activities to address the causes of the young person's offending.   The activities could focus on drug problems, anger management, truancy or any other aspect of the young person's life that puts them at risk of re-offending.
The time commitment is negotiable with the organisation.  Travel expenses are re-imbursed and full training is provided.  An informal discussion, references and a criminal records check will be required.