A YOUNG offenders' agency is asking for an extra £36,000 to help it cope with an overwhelming volume of cases.
The South Tees youth offending team was set up last April to tackle youth justice issues in Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland.
The team is supported by the police, health service, social services and education departments of both areas.
It has been inundated with cases of ten to 17 year-olds who have offended, or are thought likely to. It is asking for money to pay for an extra 15,289 hours, in the next financial year.
In a report to Middlesbrough Borough Council's social services cabinet, Glenys Jones, chairman of South Tees Youth Justice Board, outlined the team's workload.
From April 1 to December 31, it worked with 422 youngsters, carrying out 175 Criminal Evidence Act interviews, and giving 129 final warnings. Staff had to attend Teesside and GuisboroughYouth Courts.
At a meeting on Tuesday, cabinet members will be asked to approve the rise.
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