TRAFFORD Youth Offending Team received national recognition for its impressive results when its leader was invited to meet the Prime Minister.

Leader Helen McFarlane met Tony Blair recently after attending a conference on youth justice in London.

Mr Blair wanted to meet representatives of the youth justice services to hear how the radical reforms of the Youth Justice System were working.

Helen was one of only three YOT managers invited to attend the meeting at 10, Downing Street. She was taken to the famous home and spent an hour discussing progress and ideas with the group.

She said: "He was particularly interested in talking to me about how services worked together in the youth offending team from arrest to sentencing and also about the restorative justice work with victims of crime in Trafford, carried out in partnership with Trafford Victim Support."

Helen has worked for Trafford for two and a half years following 20 years with the probation service.

She said: "It was a great honour for us to be singled out for praise like this by the Prime Minister and it shows there is national recognition for the work we are doing.

"The team is involved in working at many different levels to prevent children and young people offending.

"While the principal aim is to work with young people who have already offended, we also work closely with those who are at risk of offending.

"So far the signs are very promising in terms of reducing the anticipated rate of reoffending."