Youth justice roundup: Sexually harmful behaviour, volunteers, and misconduct

Professionals who work with children and teenagers in Norfolk will be given specialist training to identify the signs of harmful sexual behaviour following the launch of a new initiative designed to reduce offending and protect vulnerable young people. The Eastern Daily Press reports that Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and Norfolk's Youth Offending Team have been given £150,000 of local transformation funding from the area's five clinical commissioning groups to expand services for children showing signs of harmful sexual behaviour. The money will be used to train staff who work with young people, such as teachers, health professionals, social workers and police, so that they can better identify early warning signs.


Leicestershire's youth offending service (YOS) is looking for volunteers to help support young people under the team's supervision. The Loughborough Echo reports that the service wants to add to its established support network, particularly with "role model" mentors for young men, parenting volunteers and appropriate adult volunteers.


A youth offending team worker has been struck off for misconduct and dishonesty. The Bristol Post reports that Mark Anthony Henry worked as a social worker in North Somerset Council's youth offending team from 2007 until June 2016. A panel of the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service heard Henry had failed to attend meetings with young people in his care and in one case faked records to show he had attended meetings when he had been elsewhere.