Youth Court
Page updated on: 02/04/2025
Carmarthenshire Youth Justice staff attend Llanelli Youth Court to support children and who appear for criminal hearings. We also assist children at Swansea Crown Court.
This allows parent(s)/carer(s) to receive information on the case and to ask questions about proceedings and the support that we offer. It is advisable that you are represented by a solicitor at Court. In most cases, a duty solicitor will be present on the day to act for a child.
If the Magistrates decide to sentence a child to a Court order, we complete Referral Order and Pre-Sentence Reports that provide the Magistrates/Judge with information regarding the needs of children and how we can support children to stop offending.
The Youth Justice Legal Centre has produced a helpful video, which explains what happens and what you can expect when you go to a Youth Court.
Bail Support Programme
We can also support children on Bail Support Programmes, a period whilst awaiting sentencing.
This can be a very stressful time for children and their families, as it can be a daunting experience to appear in formal proceedings irrespective of any prior involvement in the system or attendance at court. We will offer support and advice to children and their families; and have a statutory duty (under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998) to offer bail and remand services which are bespoke to the child’s individual circumstances and objections to bail. This also provides the opportunity to establish relationships with children who may later receive a Court Order.
Different Court Orders
A Referral Order is usually given to a child aged 10-17 who pleads guilty for an offence at their first appearance at Court. The only exceptions are in very minor cases or if the Court decides the offence is so serious that a custodial sentence is necessary. A Referral Order can be made for a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 12 months.
Following the Court appearance, the child will be expected to attend a panel, to agree on a contract that includes interventions to support them not to re-offend. The child will be expected to complete reparation work in the community and repair harm to their victim(s). The panels consist of Youth Support Service staff and volunteers representing the community.
When the Order is complete your conviction will be spent. This means that you do not have to tell anyone about it, and most people will have no right to know about it. The only exception is if you are applying for certain jobs, for example, working with children.
The community sentence available to children is known as a Youth Rehabilitation Order (YRO). A YRO can last between 3 months and 3 years in length.
There are many requirements that can be attached to the YRO. These can include:
- A supervision requirement - To receive support and advice on a wide range of interventions.
- A curfew with electronic curfew requirement - A child will be given a curfew time by the Court. This will be monitored by an electronic company.
- An activity requirement - A child will be required to attend certain activities in the community including reparation projects to allow children to do positive things in Carmarthenshire to repair the harm that they have caused.
- An intensive supervision and surveillance requirement - This intensive supervision includes 25 hours a week of supervision and activities, including education, training or employment and the child will receive a curfew with electronic tagging. This may also include activities on weekends.
There are two types of custodial outcomes at Court for children who have committed serious crimes.
The Youth Court can initially remand a child to Youth Detention Accommodation, which is secure accommodation designed to meet the child’s needs and keep the public safe. A child can remain on remand or bailed to an appropriate address depending on Court decisions at future hearings until their sentencing date.
Children can also receive custodial sentences, the most frequently used being a Detention and Training Order, but they will only be given in the most serious cases. The aim is to provide training and education and support children, so they do not reoffend when they are released. Children are supported and supervised by the Youth Justice Team during their sentence within a custodial setting, and also when released back into the community, when they will be subject to licence conditions.
