The Action Plan Order was created by the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act as a way of dealing with young people between the ages of 10 and 17 who have to be dealt with by the Youth Court.

What is an Action Plan Order?

The aim of the Action Plan Order is to prevent you from further offending by working with you to resolve problems which may have led you to get into trouble.

What will I have to do?

The Court has ordered you to complete an Action Plan Order over the next three months. The content of the Order will vary for each young person. Once your needs have been assessed, the Order may include some, or all of the following elements:

• you will have regular contact with your Youth Offending Team Officer
• you may be expected to do something to help the victim of your offence. This is called 'reparation' and could be anything from writing a letter to say sorry to more practical work. Alternatively it may be that you will be found more general reparation work to help the community
• you may go to an Attendance Centre to do two or three hours of activities once a fortnight
• you may be told to keep away from a particular place or places
• you may be required to keep to any plan which had been put together for your education or training

What are the rules?

You must keep all appointments given to you by the Youth Offending Team Officer

• Tell you Officer if you change address.
• Allow your Officer to see you at home when required.
• Do the things that are set for you in your Action Plan Programme.

But what if I have problems with the Programme?

We want your Action Plan Order to succeed. If you have any problems with attendance or other problems in completing the Order, let your Officer know as soon as possible.

What happens if I break the rules or don't co-operate?

• You will be asked for an explanation by your Officer who will decide if your reason is acceptable or not.
• If you fail to keep more than two appointments without an acceptable reason, you will normally be taken back to court.

If you do get taken back to court for not keeping to the rules or co-operating, the court may:

• order you to complete the Order
• fine you up to £1,000
• impose an Attendance Centre Order
• discharge the Order and sentence you in a different way for the original offence
• if your Action Plan Order was made in the Crown Court, you may be committed back to the Crown Court for re-sentence.