Have you ever thought of becoming a volunteer?

Are you...

• Over 18 years of age?
• Interested in working with young offenders and victims of youth crime?
• Looking to learn new skills
• Willing to spare a few hours each week?

If you answered yes to all the above then check out the areas we have to offer.

Appropriate Adult – Volunteering

What is an appropriate adult?

When a young person under 17 years of age is arrested and detained at the police station

for questioning, the police are obliged by law to ensure that there is an impartial adult

present to safeguard the young person’s rights and civil liberties. In a situation where the parents, guardian or family friends are unwilling or unable to attend, an Appropriate Adult aged over 18 years, is required to attend.

What does the appropriate adult do?

The main functions of the Appropriate Adult include:

• Advising the young person of his/her rights and advising the police of any concerns raised or observed.
• Observing that the interview is conducted properly and fairly.
• Making sure that communication between the police and young person is correctly interpreted and clearly understood.

Once trained, Appropriate Adult volunteers go onto a call out rota managed by the Youth Offending Service. These volunteers can be called upon in their nominated time slots at any time between 8:30am – 10:30pm, 7 days a week. The duties of the Appropriate adult include:

• Attending the police station.
• Meeting the Custody Sergeant.
• Meeting the young person in private
• Checking conditions of detention.
• Witnessing the reading of rights.
• Meeting the solicitor.
• Being present during the interview.
• Countersigning the interview tapes.
• Witnessing the charge, finger prints and photographs.
• Countersigning property returns.
• Informing the Youth Offending Service of the outcome.

Community Panel member

A Community Panel member is a volunteer recruited from the local community who has

an interest in the criminal justice field and a commitment to working with victims of crime,

young offenders and their families.

You would be expected to spend about two – three hours a week/fortnight sitting on panels.  Panel Members will be required to attend up to forty panel meetings per year and must be able to commit to being a Panel Member for at least one year.

What is a referral order?

A young person (aged 10 – 17 years) who appears before the Court for the first time and pleads guilty can be sentenced to a Referral Order.  Once a young person has been sentenced to a Referral Order he/she will then face a Referral Panel charged with the responsibility of administering an appropriate level of intervention. This panel will comprise of one staff member from the Youth Offending Service as an advisory capacity and two volunteers from the local community.

What does a community panel member do?

The purpose of a Community Panel is to draw up a Contract between the victim, the young person, his/her family and the Youth Offending Service.

The exact nature of each contract will depend on the individual young person and their circumstances, the offence and the views and wishes of the victim. The young person

should expect to be required to perform  unpaid community work and to address his/her

offending behaviour. Panel members will talk and listen to the young person and other

key people involved to agree a plan of action designed to put right the harm already done

and to try and prevent further offending.

Panel members aim to:

• Ensure young people take responsibility for their behaviour
• Encourage victim participation to support the healing process
• Bring young people back into the law-abiding community.

Who else will be at the meeting?

The young person’s parents will be there along with any other adults who may be able to offer support and guidance. The victim will normally be invited to attend in person and can bring someone with them to provide moral support. Alternatively they can ask for their views to be taken into account or be represented by someone else at the panel meeting.

Will I be trained?

We don’t expect you to have all the skills necessary to be a Panel Member from the start.

We will offer full training, which will help you prepare for a challenging but worthwhile task.

What if I have a criminal record?

Being an Appropriate adult or Panel Member involves working with young people and for that reason we are required to carry out a full criminal record check. Previous convictions can affect your application however minor convictions and those that are spent will not exclude you from becoming a Panel Member. This is something we can discuss further with you.

Will I get paid?

No, Appropriate Adults and panel members are volunteers. You will not make money from being one, but equally you will not be out of pocket.  Travel expenses will be paid. In the unlikely event any other expenses are incurred these will also be reimbursed.

Full training and support provided.

Are you still interested?

For more information and an application pack, please contact Bibi Davies, Volunteer Coordinator on 01446 745820, badavies@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk