Children aged 10 – 17 years old can be given a youth conditional caution if they admit a criminal offence.
A youth conditional caution is a formal out of court disposal. Youth conditional cautions are a youth caution with one or more conditions attached. If a child does not keep to the conditions they could be prosecuted for the original offence.
When a person who is authorised to give a youth conditional caution is deciding whether a youth conditional caution is appropriate for a child, they should refer the matter to the Youth Offending Team (YOT) for an assessment. The final decision lies with the decision-maker, but the YOT’s recommendations should be taken into account. A child must have an appropriate adult if they are given a youth conditional caution. Unlike the youth caution, a child must consent to the youth conditional caution and the conditions attached.
A child may decide at any stage to withdraw from the youth conditional caution, whether before, during or after it has been administered.
A youth conditional caution is not a criminal conviction, but it does represent a criminal record. A Youth Conditional Caution will be considered spent and filtered from a criminal record three months after it is issued. This means once three months have elapsed, you do not need to disclose it to employers and it won't automatically appear on DBS checks. However, the police retain the discretion to disclose a youth conditional caution in an Enhanced DBS check if they consider it is appropriate. Enhanced checks are conducted when you apply for certain jobs such as working with children or vulnerable people.