About us

Cumbria Youth Offending Service is one of 155 Youth Offending Teams in England and Wales. At a national level, the Youth Justice Board has a statutory duty to monitor the effectiveness of the youth justice system and give advice to ministers.  In order to fulfil its duty, the Board sets performance targets for Youth Offending Services and monitors their work.  The Board provides additional financial support to Yot partnerships in the shape of ring-fenced grants to promote good practice and/or to develop new services.

Currently located within the County Council’s Children’s Services Directorate, Cumbria Youth Offending Service remains a discrete service with responsibility for its own budget and planning.  The Head of Service is a member of the Cumbria Strategic Partnership, Children and Young People’s Board, Local Safeguarding Children’s Board, the Drug and Alcohol Action Team and the Criminal Justice Board.  Senior managers of Cumbria Youth Offending Service (CYOS) attend the various groups emanating from those meetings thus maintaining a balance between children’s services and the criminal justice system. 

Cumbria YOS has recently undergone a Joint Inspection, which confirmed that there is an effective Management Board structure.  The Management Board provides strategic oversight and direction and coordinates the provision of youth justice services by Cumbria Youth Offending Service and partner organisation.  The Board is made up of appropriate representatives who attend and participate in meetings.  The Board ensures the provision of accurate and timely data returns, both for its own use and that of the national Youth Justice Board.  It gives support and guidance to the Head of Service and holds her to account.  It ensures that the Youth Justice Plan is implemented.

Youth justice services require a high level of skilled face-to-face contact with young offenders, their families, their victims and those who have to pass sentence in our courts.  Our staff are our greatest asset and the partnership is committed to further improvements in its arrangements for the induction, training, supervision and appraisal of the staff who work in the Yos.  The “Services” section of the web page gives details of the work that we undertake with young people at risk of committing crime, those who have committed crime, their parents and carers, and the victims of youth crime.