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This guidance supports the shared understanding of the role of the police officer within the youth justice service (YJS).

The statutory definition of a local youth justice service is contained in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. In statute these are known as youth offending teams and generally within policing, abbreviated to YOT. As services have evolved, they have become known by different names and for the purposes of this guidance we use the term YJS.

This revised guidance considers:

• Child First research and changes in legalisation
• developments in prevention and diversion approaches
• the resulting change in composition of childrens caseloads in the justice system.

This document supersedes 2014s The role of the Youth Offending Team Police Officer.