Referral order

A youth sentence requiring a child to agree and follow a contract with a youth offender panel, usually after a first guilty plea.

A referral order is a sentence for children aged 10 to 17, usually made by the youth court. The child must attend meetings with a youth offender panel, made up of trained community volunteers and a youth offending team worker, and agree a contract aimed at repairing the harm and preventing further offending, for example through reparation, an apology or programmes. The order lasts between three and 12 months. It must be made where a child pleads guilty to an imprisonable offence and has no previous convictions, unless the court decides on custody, a hospital order or a discharge, and it can be made in some other cases. Parents of under-16s are normally required to attend panel meetings. Once the order is completed, the conviction is spent. Failing to attend or keep to the contract can mean being sent back to court and resentenced.

Checked as at 25 September 2026. General information only, not legal advice.