Youth mentoring

Young people with a family member involved in the criminal justice system can be more likely to follow the same path. They can be overlooked by support services so can miss out on interventions that would support them to make positive choices.

In partnership with Barnet Council, our youth mentoring scheme fills this gap in service provision. Our team of mentors supports young people aged 10-14 living in Barnet, who have an older sibling in the youth justice system.

Young people can be referred by the youth offending service or early help team working within Barnet, or through self-referral. Mentors provide ten sessions within the community, taking time to get to know young people by working in a relationship-based way. We find out about their experiences and ambitions, linking them up with other community services and taking part in activities alongside them.

We also work with the young person’s family where appropriate, if they are willing to be part of the support programme.

The project is funded by the Youth Endowment Fund as part of the government’s Serious Violence Strategy. The overall aims of keeping young people out of the criminal justice system, increasing their school attendance and building their resilience all contribute towards making London safer for our young people.