The Guidance Programme (GP) is a 6-month pre-court diversionary programme for young offenders who have been arrested for petty offences. They could be let off with a stern warning if they complete the programme successfully in lieu of court prosecution. It was developed in response to the recommendation by the Inter-Ministry Committee on Dysfunctional Families, Juvenile Delinquency and Drug Abuse (IMC) in 1997 to address rising juvenile crime rate.

The GP was put in place in October 1997 with the aim of providing a counselling and rehabilitative programme for youth offenders. Specifically, the programme aims to have the youth:

a) recognise the offence as a criminal act

b) make a decision to help himself not to commit an offence again

c) be committed to work on his ability to manage his vulnerability to commit future offences

d) be empowered with increased life skills, social skills and enhanced self-esteem

e) be connected to his family and/or significant others

There are several partners agencies involved in the GP, namely

- Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC)

- Singapore Police Force (SPF)

- Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS)

- Social Service Agencies (SSAs). There are currently 17 centres running the programme.

- Schools

Youths placed on GP would be referred to one of the SSAs appointed by MCYS to conduct the programme. They participate in a variety of activities including

- individual counselling

- family counselling

- groupwork

- community service

- educational visits (visits to Drug Rehabilitation Centres, Prisons)

- outdoor activities

Their parents are also encouraged to participate in parents’ support group and attend parenting talks.

Towards the end of the 6-month programme, the social worker will assess the youth’s overall progress and make an appropriate recommendation to the Police Investigation Officer. Depending on the risks and needs of the youth, the programme may be extended for up to six months. The youth, if he completes the programme successfully, may be let off with a stern Police warning in lieu of prosecution.

Prior to the implementation of the programme, about one in three young offenders who were let off with a stern Police warning returned to crime within two years

The Ministry’s after-conduct study in 2007 to evaluate the effectiveness of GP showed that for the cohort of GP youths discharged in 2003, only 8.7% reoffended within three years upon successful completion of the programme.

In addition to reducing the re-offending rate, GP has also made a positive impact on many aspects of youths’ lives – including their family, school and social life.

To date, over 6000 youths have been placed on the GP.

With the success of GP for juveniles (i.e below 16 years old), ‘GP Plus’ was introduced in 2003 to extend the programme to offenders in the 16 to 19 age group and currently, it constitutes about 30% of the referrals. GP Plus recognises that offenders may be entering a different phase of their lives, such as entering the workforce or moving on to tertiary education. The programme is hence tailored accordingly to meet the offender’s individual needs.

In 2006, a pilot on extending GP to intellectually disabled (GP-ID) young offenders was introduced. Instead of charging them in Court or letting them off with a stern police warning, these offenders are placed on GP-ID to reduce their risk of re-offending and to teach them positive life skills. The involvement of the family is particularly important. Through interviews with the youths and parents, the cognitive, social, emotional and motivational needs of the ID youth offender are assessed by the caseworker and the programme is then tailored accordingly.

Students Care Service is one of the pioneer agencies involved in the implementation of the Guidance Programme (GP) since it started in 1997. To date, more than 1600 young offenders have attended GP at their 3 centres located at Clementi, Hougang and Yishun.

Students Care Service have initiated various programmes, backed by their research, to complement the counselling that GP youths received, such as the C.H.O.I.C.E groupwork which is featured in today’s conference. The groupwork sessions are designed to be experiential and interesting, with an emphasis on the concept of “C.O.O.L” or Consequences and Others-Oriented Learning.

Care Corner Family Service Centre (Admiralty) came on board GP in 2004 and more than 400 youths have undergone the programme at their centre. Through counselling and a series of activities, the programme aims to help youths break their offence cycle, guide them to set goals to make positive changes in their lives, improve the relationship with their parents and equip them with useful life skills such as anger management, time management, decision making and problem solving.

The centre also organises community service projects where GP youths are involved in the planning and execution of these projects to help the community.

Outdoor activities such as trekking at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve were also organised. Through experiential learning, offenders learn about teamwork, problem solving and perseverance in the face of adversity.