This month marks 2 years since we launched as the Alliance for Youth Justice! Our Interim CEO Saqib Deshmukh reflects on our achievements over the past year.

Find out what we’ve been up to in the months of December and January!

On Tuesday 24th January, the AYJ hosted our quarterly Members’ Meeting, featuring the Children’s Commissioner for England Rachel de Souza, and her Director of Policy, Planning and Delivery Juliette Cammaerts.

In line with our goal, as highlighted in our Strategy, to expand our communications to a greater variety of audiences, we are delighted to unveil the new AYJ Instagram account.

We speak with Raymond Lyons - IFJ member, nurse, Registered and Court Appointed Intermediary - about why children have so many obstacles to communication and equity throughout their contact with the Youth Justice System.

The AYJ has worked with members, stakeholders and children and young people to identify four priority areas for our policy influencing work across 2023-25: Rethinking policing; Explaining and reforming racial disparities; Ensuring custody is a last resort; and Reframing violence.

Saqib Deshmukh shares his thoughts on the values underpinning our new Strategy: Reimagining justice for children and young people

Read about our new strategic priorities for 2023-25

Introducing our new three-year project funded by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, examining the experiences of children and young people turning 18 while in contact with the justice system, exploring issues spanning youth and adult systems.

Find out what we’ve been up to in the month of November!

The AYJ speaks with Charlie Sutton, co-ordinator and social researcher for new research on ‘context sensitive preventative interventions’ within youth justice.

The AYJ has joined over 80 organisations in making Joint Statement in response to Universal Periodic Review, which highlighted a wide range of areas where the UK Government is failing to meet its international legal obligations.

On 15th November, the AYJ team, Leaders Unlocked and one representative from the Young Advocates met with Change Factory. Representatives from Change Factory were visiting London, and other countries, to build an international network for youth justice.

Find out what we’ve been up to in the month of October!

As Black History Month draws to a close, our Policy and Communications Officer Mia Edwards reflects on the historic roots and present-day manifestations of racial disparity in the youth justice system.

Find out what we’ve been up to in the month of September!

Our quarterly Members’ Meeting featured a panel on the harms posed to children by stop and search, with an emphasis on strip searching. Panellists were Yolanda Lear, Project Officer at Hackney Account; Dr Ian Joseph, Research Associate at the Open University; and Chris Bath, Chief Executive at the National Appropriate Adult Network.

AYJ comment on HM Inspectorate of Prisons progress report on HMYOI Wetherby and the Keppel unit. The report has highlighted a lack of improvement and continued uncertainty about Keppel’s role

AYJ has responded to the Children’s Rights Alliance for England’s (CRAE) call for evidence on the UK’s adherence to its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

The AYJ has responded to the Children’s Rights Alliance for England’s (CRAE) call for written evidence to inform the Civil Society Alternative Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child 2022.