A short film has been launched to explain the work of the Early and Effective Intervention (EEI) Team that helps young people in Glasgow who have been involved in offending behaviour to get back on track. 

EEI is a multi-agency team that works in partnership with our Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), Glasgow City Council and Police Scotland.

The informative video was created by Street Cones and it features young actors from the North United Communities Drama Group, who bring to life anonymised case studies of children and young people referred to the programme. It’s designed to help children, young people and their families understand what the EEI programme can offer and highlights the importance of engaging with the team as an alternative to the criminal justice system.

The EEI programme takes referrals for children under the age of 12 (the age of criminal responsibility), who have come into contact with the police and are displaying risky or concerning behaviour. Young people referred to the voluntary programme are given advice and support in a bid to stop them entering a life of crime.

Our HSCP has responsibility for checking the EEI referrals’ backgrounds. This process ensures that any concerns such as health issues and family background are investigated. Once the check is completed the referral is returned to the EEI Team.
The EEI Team receives around 70 referrals a month from Police Scotland. Their programme encourages young people who have committed an offence or been charged by the police to learn from their mistakes. They’re encouraged to change their behaviour and taught strategies for coping with issues like bullying, bereavement and mental health problems, which may have contributed to their offending.

Problems like poverty, underage drinking, anger management, grief, peer pressure and anxiety often surface when the team begins working with young people aged 8 – 17 years.

Jamie Callaghan, Manager of Glasgow’s EEI Team said: “This voluntary programme gives young people time to reflect on the incident and enables us to look at their wellbeing, how they are, how their home life is and how they’re doing in school to see if there’s anything we can do to support them.”

Peter Orr, Service Manager, Children and Families – Intensive Services within our HSCP said: “We work very closely with the EEI Team to identify the root causes of offending behaviour and support the young person to achieve a better outcome. This vital multi- agency work is making a difference to the lives of young people, as we work with them to avoid becoming involved in further criminality as they get older."

The new EEI film can be viewed in full at www.glasgow.gov.uk/eei