This briefing considers key challenges for the youth justice system that have been brought about, aggravated or accentuated by the pandemic. It demonstrates how the youth justice system is at a critical juncture, considers future directions for justice for children, and calls for lessons to be learnt from experiences during the pandemic.

The Young Advocates were recently invited to provide insight to press regulator IMPRESS in a consultation workshop to feed into IMPRESS’ proposed changes to their Standards Code and Guidance, ensuring that, in the context of youth justice, the code works to avoid damaging and unjust press coverage of children.

AYJ have joined a coalition of children’s charities led by AYJ member, Just for Kids Law, and have have sent a letter to the Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, calling for the Statutory Guidance on Exclusions and Guidance on Behaviour to better protect vulnerable children facing school exclusion from child criminal exploitation (CCE).

Find out what we've been up to in the month of March!

Today, AYJ publishes the first of three policy briefings for our ‘Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Justice’ research project. The briefing presents the significant risk of a surge in the number of children drawn into the youth justice system following the pandemic.

This briefing explores the significant risk of a surge in the number of children drawn into the justice system following the pandemic as a result of the exacerbation of children’s vulnerabilities, support services under severe strain, and the complex and challenging policy context.

AYJ has supported a consultation response by AYJ members the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) and Just for Kids Law (JfKL), along with many more organisations including our members The Children’s Society, Become, NYAS, and New Horizon Youth Centre.

Winston Goode, CEO and Founder of Juvenis, discusses their DIVERT Youth programme and the components which make up successful diversion including a multi-agency approach, mental health support, and long-term funding which prioritses relationship-building and family and community connections.

Join AYJ and the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies on Wednesday 27th April where the findings from the UKRI-funded research project will be presented, hosted at Manchester Metropolitan University.

This briefing, “We’ve not given up”: Young women surviving the criminal justice system, in partnership with Agenda, the alliance for women and girls at risk, looks into young women’s pathways into the criminal justice system in collaboration with young women and expert practitioners.

The new briefing, “We’ve not given up”: Young women surviving the criminal justice system, is released today as part of the Young Women’s Justice Project, with Agenda. The briefing calls on the Ministry of Justice to make urgent reforms, showing that without immediate attention, girls and young women will remain marginalised and locked in a cycle of harm, inequality, and re-offending.

Could you be a Young Advocate for youth justice? The Young Advocates project supports children and young people aged 14-20 with youth justice experience to have a stronger voice on the system by helping them to engage with their peers and shape decision-making for the better. 

Last week marked 5 years since the Youth Custody Improvement Board published their findings and recommendations – but the children’s secure estate continues to be mired in crisis. We explore progress to date in implementing the board’s recommendations and what further action is required.

Bami Jolaoso, Innovative Practice Officer at the Centre for Justice Innovation, calls for greater awareness of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impeded children's engagement with and access to effective diversion, placing a particular focus on vulnerability, partnership working, and racial disproportionality.

Find out what we've been up to in the month of February!

This first report from the Young Advocates Project presents findings from engagement with over 120 young people across England and Wales, and focuses on the three priority topics of stereotypes, education and warning signs, and jail (custody). The aim was to identify patterns that run through society, and the education and justice systems overall, to find out what young people feel increases the chance of entering the justice system.

This is the first report from the Young Advocates Project, which has been co-produced by children and young people with first-hand experience of the youth justice system.

StopWatch, which works to ensure fair and accountable policing in the UK, discusses inappropriate and ineffective police stop and searches on children, highlighting the shameful racial inequalities which persist and calling for higher standards and more oversight on the practice.

In her new role, Millie will be leading the development and delivery of AYJ’s programme of policy and parliamentary work and implementing the influencing strategy.

Anne Longfield, Chair of the Commission on Young Lives, highlights the reality of the exacerbated issues faced by vulnerable children and families following the COVID-19 pandemic, and calls for deep-rooted reform of the services that should be supporting them, as well as the way in which they are viewed by Government and society.