In North East Lincolnshire, the Youth Justice Service works with children aged 10 to 18 where offending or vulnerability has already come to attention. The operational aim is straightforward: identify the problem early, put the right agencies around the child, and avoid allowing a pattern of behaviour to harden into repeat offending.
The phrase people search for is often youth diversion programs Grimsby referral. That wording suggests a simple sign-up form. The actual route is more controlled. Referrals usually begin when a young person comes into contact with the police or another local agency. The Youth Justice Service then assesses what support is suitable, whether the child is eligible, and which risks need attention first.
Based on publicly available information, no single general self-service registration portal has been identified that covers every diversion scheme operating across the area. The practical route described in that information is to contact the North East Lincolnshire Youth Justice Service directly for advice, or to ask the professional already involved with the child to make or discuss a referral.
Diversion is not a soft option. It is an early intervention route designed to deal with the cause of behaviour before the formal justice system becomes the main structure around a child.
The role of the North East Lincolnshire Youth Justice Service
The North East Lincolnshire Youth Justice Service, or YJS, is the main local service managing youth diversion and youth justice support across Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Immingham and the wider authority area.
Its remit covers children and young people aged 10 to 18 who have committed an offence or whose behaviour indicates underlying vulnerabilities. That second category matters. A child may be showing warning signs before the situation reaches court: repeated anti-social behaviour, association with risky peers, problems at school, unstable home circumstances, substance-related concerns or other pressures that increase the likelihood of further offending.
The service is not simply a punishment mechanism. Its role is to assess the child's circumstances, coordinate support and reduce the likelihood of further contact with the criminal justice system. That can involve early intervention, multi-agency panels and specialist projects.
The point at which a referral is made affects the available options. A young person may be referred after:
- Contact with the police.
- Arrest for an alleged offence.
- Being charged with a crime.
- Conviction by a court.
- Contact with another agency that identifies behaviour or vulnerabilities requiring youth justice support.
This is why the first practical step is not to search for a generic online form. Establish who is already involved. If the police, school, social care, family support service or another agency is dealing with the situation, that professional may be able to explain the referral route and provide information to the YJS.
What the service is assessing
A youth diversion referral is not based solely on the incident itself. The service needs to understand the access points around the problem — where the behaviour is happening, who is involved, what supervision exists, and whether there are vulnerabilities that need a response.
In practical terms, expect questions about:
- The alleged offence or anti-social behaviour.
- The child's age and current living arrangements.
- Previous contact with police or other services.
- School attendance, exclusion or education difficulties.
- Peer relationships and locations where incidents occur.
- Substance misuse, mental health or family pressures.
- Immediate safeguarding concerns.
- What support has already been attempted.
That is not unnecessary bureaucracy. A diversion plan that only addresses the visible incident usually leaves the vulnerability untouched. If the child continues to return to the same unsafe environment, the same peer group or the same unstructured hours, the physical and social conditions producing the behaviour remain in place.
How referrals work in practice
The referral pathway depends on how the child has come to the attention of services. There is no universal sequence that applies to every case, and diversion does not automatically replace prosecution for every offence or level of seriousness.
The process can be understood in four stages.
1. A concern or offence is identified
The starting point may be a police incident, an arrest, a charge, a court conviction or a professional concern about behaviour and vulnerability. In some cases, the child is already known to another service. In others, the first formal contact is with the police.
At this stage, record the facts rather than attempting to build a diagnosis. Note what happened, when it happened, where it happened and which agencies are already involved. Avoid exaggeration. A referral becomes less useful when it is built around labels rather than observable behaviour.
For parents and carers, the key information is practical:
- What behaviour has triggered concern?
- Has the child been spoken to by police?
- Has anyone from school or another agency raised a safeguarding issue?
- Is there an immediate risk to the child or another person?
- Has the child been arrested, charged or convicted?
If there is an immediate danger, use the appropriate emergency route. The Youth Justice Service is not a replacement for emergency services or urgent safeguarding action.
2. The referral is made or discussed
The Youth Justice Service receives referrals when a young person comes into contact with police or is involved with the formal justice process. Other agencies may also be involved in identifying children who need early intervention.
Parents should not assume that an online self-registration route exists for every programme. The confirmed public information supports contacting the service for advice and diversion support, but it does not establish a general self-service portal for parents or members of the public.
That distinction prevents wasted time. If you are a parent, carer or professional, contact the service directly and explain the situation. Ask what information is needed and whether the child's circumstances should be discussed with the YJS or another local service. If a police officer, school safeguarding lead or support worker is already involved, ask them to clarify whether they are making the referral.
Use a short, factual explanation:
1. State the child's age.
2. Describe the incident or pattern of behaviour.
3. Give the date and location of any police contact.
4. Identify current risks or vulnerabilities.
5. List agencies already involved.
6. Ask what referral or early-help route applies.
Do not frame the call as a demand for a particular programme before the service has assessed the circumstances. The correct intervention may not be the one a family has found through an internet search.
3. Suitability and risk are assessed
Once the service has the referral information, staff can decide what level of intervention is appropriate. That may involve early help, a multi-agency panel or a specialist project.
The assessment should distinguish between several different issues:
- The seriousness of the behaviour.
- The likelihood of repetition.
- The child's level of vulnerability.
- The influence of peers or adults.
- The safety of the home and local environment.
- Whether the child is willing and able to engage.
- Whether another agency is better placed to lead support.
This is where a physical security mindset is useful, even in youth diversion. I look for access points and pressure points: the places where a young person spends time, the routines that create exposure to risk, and the gaps in supervision that allow behaviour to escalate. The objective is not to treat a child as a security problem. It is to identify the conditions that make a harmful pattern easy to repeat.
4. A support plan is put in place
The outcome may include structured work with the young person, involvement from several agencies, practical activities, family support or a specialist intervention. The exact offer depends on the assessment.
A plan is more likely to work when it is specific. "Stay out of trouble" is not an intervention. A useful plan identifies:
- Which behaviour must stop.
- Which locations or routines create risk.
- Which adult will monitor progress.
- What activity replaces unsafe unstructured time.
- How school, family and services will communicate.
- What happens if the child disengages or risks increase.
This is the difference between a warning and a diversion strategy. The first relies on willpower. The second changes the conditions around the behaviour.
Why early intervention is treated differently from prosecution
North East Lincolnshire Council cites research indicating that a young person formally prosecuted in the early stages of criminal or anti-social behaviour is six times more likely to re-offend than one supported through prevention and early help.
That figure should not be misread. It does not mean every offence can or should be diverted. Nor does it suggest that consequences are irrelevant. It shows why the timing and structure of the response matter.
A formal justice response can become a new vulnerability if it increases stigma, disrupts education or places the child in closer contact with others already involved in offending. Early intervention aims to interrupt the pattern before those effects become established.
The practical test is whether the response changes the child's exposure to risk. A good diversion plan should do more than discuss the incident. It should address the access points that keep the behaviour going:
- Unsupervised time in locations associated with anti-social behaviour.
- Peer pressure and group dynamics.
- Conflict at home or in the community.
- Exclusion from school or lack of constructive activity.
- Substance misuse or contact with vulnerable adults.
- Weak communication between agencies.
- A lack of trusted adults who can intervene early.
This is also why public awareness campaigns and local youth outreach programmes need to be connected to services rather than treated as isolated messaging. A poster about anti-social behaviour reduction in Grimsby may raise awareness. It will not, by itself, provide a child with a safe alternative, a trained worker or a structured support plan.
The JEFF Project: a specialist diversion route
One example of targeted support is the JEFF Project, short for Journey to Enrichment, Fulfilment and Friendship. It is operated by the North East Lincolnshire Youth Justice Service and Compass Go.
The project is designed for children who need more focused support around engagement, enrichment, fulfilment and positive relationships. Those terms are not decorative. A child who has no constructive routine, no stable peer network and no trusted adult is exposed to a clear vulnerability. Removing one activity without replacing it leaves the access point open.
During the 2024/25 reporting period, the JEFF Project received 169 referrals. Of those, 133 were considered appropriate, and 109 children accessed the service.
Those figures show the difference between referral volume and actual access. A referral does not guarantee acceptance, and being accepted does not mean the child has completed the intervention. Suitability is assessed. Capacity, need and engagement all affect the outcome.
For families, the correct approach is to describe the child's circumstances accurately and allow the service to decide whether JEFF is appropriate. Do not present the project as a universal registration scheme. It is one specialist option within a wider youth justice and early-intervention structure.
A professional making a referral should provide enough information to answer five practical questions:
1. What behaviour or vulnerability has been identified?
2. Why is this child likely to benefit from the project?
3. What has already been tried?
4. What barriers may prevent engagement?
5. Which adults and agencies can support the work?
The fifth question is often missed. A child cannot be expected to carry the whole intervention alone. If the family, school and referring agency do not know their roles, the plan may fail even when the project itself is well designed.
A referral opens a door. It does not secure a place, remove every consequence or replace the work required from families and agencies.
Where youth diversion fits with wider local safety work
Youth diversion is one part of crime prevention across North East Lincolnshire. It sits alongside public safety awareness, anti-social behaviour work, women's safety initiatives, knife crime prevention, substance misuse support and domestic abuse services.
These areas overlap, but they are not interchangeable. A young person involved in anti-social behaviour may need an intervention focused on peer influence and routine. A child carrying a knife may require an urgent safeguarding and risk response. A young person affected by domestic abuse may need protection and specialist support rather than a behaviour-focused programme.
That is why the referral should describe the full vulnerability picture. If the initial contact only records the visible incident, the service may not see the factors that require action.
For community groups, retailers and residents, the useful role is to report patterns accurately and pass concerns through the correct channels. Avoid confronting groups of young people or attempting informal enforcement. Record locations, times, behaviour and immediate risks. Specific information gives local agencies something they can assess.
For professionals, the physical environment still matters. Poor lighting, concealed access points, abandoned spaces and weak lines of sight can create locations where anti-social behaviour is easier to sustain. Environmental changes will not resolve the underlying needs of a child, but they can reduce opportunities for harm while diversion work is under way.
A youth diversion programme should therefore be viewed as part of a wider perimeter. The child needs support. The family needs clear communication. The school and local agencies need an agreed response. The surrounding space should not make harmful behaviour effortless.
How to contact the service
The North East Lincolnshire Youth Justice Service can be contacted for advice and diversion support by telephone on 01472 325252 or by email at [email protected].
The service is based at:
William Molson Centre
Kent Street
Grimsby
North East Lincolnshire
DN32 7DJ
Publicly listed contact information also includes 01472 326 859. If one number does not connect, use the other listed service contact or email and explain that you are seeking guidance about a youth diversion or early-intervention referral.
When contacting the service, keep the first message clear. Include:
- The child's age.
- Your relationship to the child.
- The nature of the concern.
- Whether police or another agency is already involved.
- Any immediate safeguarding issue.
- A reliable way to contact you.
Do not include unnecessary personal information in an initial email. The service can tell you what details are required and how information should be shared securely.
If you are contacting the YJS as a parent or carer, ask directly whether the circumstances meet a known referral route and whether another service should be involved first. If you are a professional, state your agency and role, then provide the factual basis for the referral. The more precise the information, the less time is lost correcting assumptions.
The practical position
The safest route into youth diversion programmes in Grimsby runs through people, not portals. The North East Lincolnshire Youth Justice Service is the coordinating point, the JEFF Project is one specialist option within that wider system, and the police, schools, social care and family support services all feed into the same referral network.
What does not exist in the public information is a single registration form that covers the lot. Anyone looking for one is likely to either find a dead end or end up describing the situation to the wrong service. Start with the YJS, describe the behaviour accurately, ask which route applies, and let the assessment decide whether diversion, early help, or a specialist project such as JEFF is the correct fit.
Done well, diversion changes the conditions around a young person rather than simply responding to a single incident. That is the whole point of the approach, and it is also the reason a controlled referral route exists in place of an open sign-up page.