Family conference files, annual single number series with 'FCREG' prefix - Youth Court (GRS/11407)

This series comprises records of family conferences undertaken for youth offenders aged between ten and eighteen, where police have referred the case to the Youth Court.

The conferences are convened by youth justice co-ordinators and are conducted by Family conference teams. They occur when a youth admits the commission of a 'minor offence'. Conferences are intended to divert matters away from the court system. At a conference, the young offender, the offender's guardian/family/or other appropriate person, the victims of the crime, a police officer and a co-ordinator meet together. These people discuss the offence and determine a suitable outcome that will attempt to address the needs of all parties, while adhering to the philosophy and policy directives set out in the Young Offenders Act 1993. The resultant undertakings, agreed to by the offender, are supervised and the outcome reported on. These files document this process. They include apprehension and other reports, referrals, correspondence, file notes, notices of forthcoming conferences to offenders and police, and invitations to parents, other parties and victims to attend conferences. Also included are the undertakings agreed upon, reports of the supervision of undertakings and in some instances essays or letters of apology from the offender, which form part of the undertaking. The records emanate from both city and regional Youth Courts.

Arrranged by annual single number, with prefix eg FCREG-94-123.