Preventing Offending
We are focused on preventing people, particularly those who are young and vulnerable, from ever getting drawn into crime, while also working to reduce reoffending.
According to Government statistics, the likelihood of an individual reoffending fluctuates between 23.1% and 31.8%.
We are committed to reducing that number by supporting young people and those who are inclined to offend again through targeted programmes and support.
We focus our work with young people who are subject to license or community sentences, working with our partners in probation, Merseyside’s five local authorities, health and other services.
We encourage positive voluntary engagement from the people who use local authority, health and other services. Our key areas are families, substance misuse, housing, finance, mentoring and mental health.
To make sure our programmes bring about sustainable changes, we have formed strong partnerships with the Youth Offending and Probation services and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Our work with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP)
Merseyside was the first Violence Reduction Unit in the country to have a member of Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) staff seconded into the team.
This move has reaped significant results and has been particularly beneficial for young people who are long-term unemployed or who may have been in custody.
The co-location has also resulted in greater collaboration and the co-commissioning of projects and programmes, including some of these highlighted below.
We are constantly reviewing the progress and success of our projects to learn more about reoffending, risk management and progress, including through pre and post interviews. Visit our Resources page
Early action for young people
The Government has pledged to take earlier action to prevent children and young people from being drawn into crime—by creating more opportunities in their communities and improving access to vital mental health support.
To help deliver on this, the Young Futures Programme (YFP) is being launched, featuring Young Futures Prevention Partnerships (YFPPs) and Panels that bring together local services to better protect vulnerable young people.
From April 2025 to March 2026, our Partnership will pilot YFP Panels in selected Local Authority areas. These panels will identify those at risk and ensure they receive timely, coordinated support to steer them away from criminal pathways and towards brighter futures.
Here in Merseyside, our first local YFP Panel will take place in October, marking a key step in building a more joined-up approach to early intervention.
Current programmes
We have been working with The Brain Charity and others, to measure the impact of neurodiverse conditions on the Criminal Justice System and examine how better understanding could increase the support for those with neurodiverse needs and help to prevent reoffending.
As a result this research Another Sign – Neurodiversity in the Criminal Justice System, the MVRP commissioned the Brain Charity to deliver training for staff working in the Criminal Justice System and look to take forward the other recommendations detailed in their report.
This Fund is focused on giving young people in the areas which have seen the highest levels of violence and the biggest cuts to youth services access to better opportunities to prevent them getting involved in trouble.
By investing in our young people, we are focused on giving them safe, positive, fun opportunities which help them to unlock their full potential.
Having a loved one in prison is traumatic for children and can often result in stigma.
Time to Thrive is an early intervention scheme delivered by Time Matters UK which provides peer support groups and one-to-one mentoring for children, aged five to 18 years old impacted by the imprisonment of a parent of family member.
Through this programme children access a wider variety of enrichment activities through our service which means during their school holidays they are well supported, learn new skills, engage in positive physical and mental health activities and wider learning opportunities.
Championed by the MVRP and developed in partnership with Merseyside Police and our region’s five Youth Justice Services (YJS’s), Operation Inclusion is a ‘deferred prosecution scheme’ which works with children and young people to give them a chance to change their behaviour.
Operation Inclusion focuses on young people aged between 10 and 17 who have been linked with drugs and / or violent crime. It aims to provide the YJS’s with an extra three to six months to work with the young people to put support in place and prevent their offending behaviour from continuing or escalating. The programme works with the young people and their family or carer, using diversion and support strategies based on that individual’s needs and can include:
- Parenting Support
- Mentoring
- Health & Wellbeing Support.
- Educational Services
- Referrals to wider services such as Early Help/Family Support
- StreetDoctors Reducing Violence Programme
- Programmes from other wider community support or services
Since Operation Inclusion commenced, there have been 213 referrals into the programme.
Crucially, for those young people who engage effectively, Operation Inclusion enables a young person to leave YJS without a statutory criminal record, giving them a much brighter future.
In November 2022, Operation Inclusion received a Howard League Award recognising its success preventing offending and keeping young people out of the criminal justice system.
The ‘No Comment’ Pathway is a collaborative initiative delivered in partnership by the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP), Merseyside Police, and Youth Justice Services (YJSs). It provides children with an additional opportunity to be diverted away from the formal court process and engage positively with Youth Justice Services across Merseyside.
The pathway offers an alternative route into Merseyside’s Out of Court Disposal Framework, specifically designed to support children who may otherwise face prosecution. It places particular emphasis on children who are disproportionately represented in the youth justice system, including:
- Children from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds
- Looked-after children
- Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
The No Comment Pathway is designed to:
- Reduce early entry into the youth justice system, helping prevent children from progressing to statutory interventions.
- Increase access to support through Youth Justice Services, enabling children to take part in offence-focused, restorative, and diversionary work.
- Prevent unnecessary criminalisation, ensuring children are treated fairly and given the chance to make positive changes.