Saqib Deshmukh reflects on his time as Interim CEO at the AYJ

I am leaving my role as Interim AYJ CEO at the end of October, and handing back to my predecessor Pippa Goodfellow who has returned after taking a sabbatical.

It's been a whirlwind 15 months since I started in July 2022. I would like to thank the staff and the Board for their support, particularly throughout the last 5 months, during which I have experienced challenges in my personal life. I'd also like to extend thanks to our members for their engagement, and to our key partners at Leaders Unlocked – with whom we’ve had the pleasure of working on the Young Advocates project, the Criminal Justice Alliance, and Agenda Alliance.  

It's been an honour to be the Interim CEO for this organisation during this period of change, where we’ve witnessed 3 Prime Ministers and an endless carousel of Justice Ministers. From the meetings with the Ministry of Justice, Youth Custody Service, and Youth Justice Board it has been made clear to me that the AYJ can have real impact on issues such as policing and custody. I have enjoyed working with our many and varied members and stakeholders on these topics, and we’ve been able to get a real sense of what their concerns are on the ground.

Most of all, it is the engagement with the Young Advocates that I will hold onto the most - because as they say, from the mouths of babes comes the truth of the world. It's been amazing to spend time with them as they gathered and presented evidence, as they did back in February to the APPG on Children in Police Custody.

It's a difficult time for many VCS groups right now; I would emphasise more than ever the importance of collaboration and supporting each other. The children and young people that we serve must have a functioning sector acting in their interests, so we need to be thinking imaginatively to look at how we can operate sustainably and not in isolation.

I will continue to be a friend to the AYJ and to the sector going forward, and hope that we can get through the current difficulties and make a positive difference to children and young people who are caught up in the youth justice system.

Saqib Deshmukh 
AYJ Interim CEO, 2022-2023