Working with young people to educate and prevent crime

Junior Life Skills

Torbay Junior Life Skills (JLS) is a hands-on training experience for Year Six pupils in Torbay. JLS takes place during two events through the course of the academic year and is kindly hosted by the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service at Torquay Fire Station.

JLS introduces young people, in a safe way, to some of the risks they may face in the home and the world around them and offers some ideas on how to cope and who to turn to in times of need.

The scheme is provided and staffed by a variety of agencies that provide practical interactive learning experiences. JLS is an inclusive event encompassing 32 schools and approximately 1100 pupils including those with special needs.

The children need no preparatory instruction in school, apart from a brief explanation of the aims and objectives of the event. Their visit to the event involves a mixture of teaching and practical experience, and teacher’s resource packs are provided for follow on work.

The JLS experience includes:

• British Telecom - How to Use the 999 System
• RNLI - Beach Safety
• Devon and Cornwall Police - Cyber Bullying Awareness and Internet Safety
• Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service - Fire Safety
• Western Power - Safety Around Electricity
• British Red Cross and St Johns Ambulance - First Aid
• Torbay Council - Age restricted products, Food Safety and Road Safety
• Torbay Lifestyles Team - Smoking Awareness and Healthy Eating

If you are a young person or a parent/carer and have any suggestions as to how JLS could be developed further, please contact us by email at scatt@torbay.gov.uk.

Torbay Visiting International Students

Each year Torbay welcomes between 15,000 – 20,000 Visiting International Students over the summer period.

Operation TVIS (Torbay Visiting International Students) is the banner term for partnership working between Torbay’s Language Schools and the Police, Safer Communities Torbay and other organisations.

TVIS is a Police-led operation which started in April 2006 to provide a safe and secure environment for all visiting students.

A partnership team which includes Language Schools, Local Schools, Street Wardens, Torbay Youth Offending Team, the Tourist Information Board, Street Pastors, Safer Communities Torbay and the Police work together to ensure that students from all cultures come together to enjoy all that Torbay has to offer.

TVIS is co-ordinated by the Safer Communities Torbay project team with support from the Partnership Sergeant.

Young Victims of Crime

The Young Victims of Crime project was delivered in response to consultation with young people. The project focused on:

• Improving the identification of young people who are victims of crime and ensuring the provision of support services for these young people.
• Completing an audit of existing services and developing a contract of commitment between agencies to ensure effective partnership working and clear referral pathway protocols to deliver existing services.
• Developing the use of social media tools to appropriately target young people who may have been victims of crime and how to get help.
• Engaging with panels of young people to gather their views and opinions on current service provision, what we could do better and what needs changing etc.

As part of the project a short film about young victims of crime was made and featured local young people. View our young victims of crime short film.

To view information for young victims visit our young people help and support pages.

If you’re a parent or carer and are concerned that your child may have been the victim of a crime, view our support and advice for parents and guardians pages.