It is extremely rewarding to see young people come out at the end, possibly with a job, definitely feeling more confident in themselves. When you see happiness in their eyes it makes every minute of the day I spend with them worthwhile."

Tanya Burke is speaking about the time she spends as a volunteer with Bradford's Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Project helping young, persistent offenders to face up to crimes they have committed and, through work on projects within the community, move towards a better, crime-free life.

A volunteer with the crime-prevention organisation Nacro, which works alongside Bradford and District Youth Offending Team, Tanya talks with the young people about their behaviour surrounding the crime, the crime itself and the impact their actions have had both on the victim, on themselves, and others.

She also accompanies the teenagers - most aged between 14 and 18 - and specialist staff on projects across the district such as litter collections, clearing cemeteries and other areas, and leaflet drops.

They also learn life skills such as cooking. In some cases, the young person is electronically tagged.

The 26-year-old admits that this can at times be challenging, but feels she can relate well to most of the youngsters and win around those who appear reluctant to talk or join in.

"I grew up in Shipley, on an estate, and had it pretty rough myself as a kid, " she says. "I can get down to their level and understand them."

The Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Project is just one of the many projects and activities that have resulted in national accolades for the youth offending team, which was created five years ago.

These include being ranked eighth best in England and Wales out of 156 teams for the period April to December 2005 - a rise of 37 places from the previous year's performance figures, judged by the National Youth Justice Board. The results also placed them top in Yorkshire and Humberside.

The team, whose key partners are Bradford Social Services, West Yorkshire Police, the Probation Service, the Primary Care Trusts and Education Bradford, plus a string of other agencies such as Nacro and an army of volunteers, aims to turn young people's lives around.

This either means stopping bad behaviour turning into crime or helping those who have committed offences to break the offending cycle, find a sense of purpose and build a future for themselves.

The multi-agency approach has, says youth offending team manager Paul O'Hara, been vital to their success. "Working with a range of partners has definitely helped - being able to focus on different areas like employment, training, literacy and numeracy. Plus our staff and volunteers are very committed, they are very skilled at motivating young people."

Across all projects, the team works with youngsters aged from ten to 18 who have committed a range of crimes ranging from criminal damage to burglary and occasionally violent crime. Only a minority are in custody.

Many are first-time offenders who have appeared in court for the first time and who, under special referral orders, agree a contract that if successfully completed, results in a certificate to say they do not have a criminal record.

The contract - which can be applied to the bulk of crimes, although not all - includes a number of discussions with a special community panel, offending behaviour work and victim awareness.

Having this chance is welcomed, particularly by parents of young offenders, who have voiced great concern about the lasting effects of the crime.

During the period June to November 2005, 499 panels were arranged and 109 contracts successfully completed.

Retired teacher Janet Gallagher is a volunteer panel member. "I'm there at the initial meeting and sometimes at the review and at the end you ask what they have got out of it and how they feel compared to how they felt at the start. It can be really rewarding to hear how different they feel."

The work of volunteers has such an impact that the parents of victims have themselves joined the panel.

In common with other projects, referral orders are not plain-sailing. It is no picnic, and serious issues are being tackled.

"These are not easy options, " says Mr O'Hara. "We want to motivate young people in order for them to become better citizens."

The work of the team is having an effect. Across the district, the many youth offending team initiatives have seen a 17 per cent drop in reoffending.

"A key to what we do is to encourage youngsters to take responsibility for their own actions. We do a lot of work around reparation for actions."

If, for instance, a young person has been involved in car theft, they are shown a hard-hitting film, Stolen Lives, which highlights the perils of dangerous driving. "Some find it very hard to watch, " says Mr O'Hara. This is complemented by other work including looking at the crime from the victim's point of view.

The team recently won the National Youth Justice Award for Communication for a short film, Views of the Victim, showing the impact of crime on victims, young offenders and their parents.

Drama and sporting events are also used to encourage young people to participate. One particularly successful event was the team's very own Olympics held last summer at Bradford's Horsfall Playing Fields.

Another was an impressive show held last November, featuring a mix of music, dance and video.

Says Mr O'Hara: "If you give respect to young people they will give respect back."

He adds: "We want to help Bradford become a safer place for everybody, and see young people in Bradford making a positive contribution."

Anyone interested in volunteering to work with the Youth Offending Team should call 01274 436089/436074 or, for panel members, ring 435050.

WHAT THEY 'VE SAID. . .

A 17-year-old with 60 previous convictions left school at 13 on an Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme (ISSP): "For me this last three months has felt like three weeks - but it still does your head in. You are out for ten in the morning every day when you know there's other stuff going off.

"The tag takes away a lot of your privileges but I think it works - I have not committed any offences in the past three months. I think you have to want to stop offending for it to work through."

A parent of a 15-year-old on a custodial Detention and Training Order with an ISSP: "The help my son received was brilliant. My lad needed to talk about a lot of things but didn't want to tell me. The intensive support and the activities he got involved in really helped him."

A 16-year-old youth on an ISSP: "I am not a persistent offender and have no previous offences of any kind against my name. The ISSP team was something new to me, it was very difficult to engage with them from the start because I did not show any interest in anything they put together for me.

The first project, I did not fit into. I spoke to my worker and I started another projectmy attendance improved. I was working and interacting very well with the staff. I have now completed the programme and enrolled in college."