Our services Mentoring Early Intervention Early Intervention The young people that Refocus works with have one thing in common: they are all exhibiting negative and persistent behaviour patterns such as substance abuse, self-harm, anti-social behaviour, truanting from school, engagement with gangs or delinquent peers, and petty crime. Behaviours such as these tend to arise from difficult: home or care backgrounds where there is a negative relationship with parents or carers, sexual abuse, families in prison, mental health problems and, more often than not, lead to young people becoming involved with the criminal justice system. It is well established that early intervention can significantly reduce the numbers of young people going through the criminal justice system, which starts with school exclusion and then often leads to probation and prison. Our diversionary programmes are delivered in collaboration and recently with other organisations and partners, such as Energise, which is for low income families and vulnerable youth providing, Sports, Arts, music, trips, activities and hobbies to build on the immense potential of young people, drawing on their resilience, creativity, empathy, and interest to lead others. This frames the way we address their aspirations, keeping in mind relationships young people have with adult professionals and their communities. Through this, we can make sure we have the most meaningful impact across our work.