AYJ Monthly Newsletter: September and October 2023
AYJ
News
ORGANISATIONAL NEWS: Staff changes
After taking a sabbatical to complete her PhD, Pippa has returned to the AYJ. Our Interim CEO Saqib Deshmukh has now completed his handover with Pippa; read his blog reflecting on his time at the AYJ. Mia Edwards, our Policy and Communications Officer, is also departing her role; we will be sharing information with members regarding recruitment in due course.
AYJ
Views
YOUNG ADVOCATES: Young Advocates advise on National Appropriate Adult Network training
In August, two of the Young Advocates attended a session led by AYJ member the National Appropriate Adult Network (NAAN) to learn about appropriate adults, the training that NAAN provides to its members, and to share their experiences of police custody. The information the Young Advocates shared has been used to make sure NAAN’s training is most beneficial to adults supporting children in police custody. Read about the session here.
SURVEY: Young Advocates for Youth Justice
Run in partnership with Leaders Unlocked and the AYJ, the Young Advocates is a project in which children and young people use their experiences of the justice system to bring about positive change. As part of their current peer research work, the Young Advocates have released a survey for those aged 12-25 with experience of the youth justice system (such as courts, custody, YOTs, policing) about their views and experiences. The survey takes 10-15 minutes to complete, and the data collected will be aiming to influence government policy and practice on youth justice. We would be grateful if you could share it with your networks. Survey closes on 10th November.
ENGAGEMENT:
We hosted our Quarterly Members’ Meeting, which featured a presentation from Alan Webster, Head of the Youth Justice Policy Unit at the Ministry of Justice, and a Q&A where members were able to share their concerns and ask Alan questions about his team’s priorities and actions. Read more about the meeting here.
We convened a meeting between the Ministry of Justice remand team and AYJ members to feed into the consultation on youth remand funding arrangements, which closes on 8th November. Members discussed the pros and cons of local, regional, and centralised funding models and highlighted solutions to incentivise innovation to provide alternatives to custodial remand.
The AYJ hosted a meeting with AYJ members and wider stakeholders to share information about conditions and developments in custody and coordinate actions to hold the government to account.