Practice Implications of Coronavirus for Children in Conflict with the Law : An Ongoing Review

The Coronavirus (Scotland) Act received Royal Assent on April 6, 2020, bringing wide-ranging provisions across a broad range of policy areas, with several implications for children in conflict with the law. This report documents CYCJ’s analysis of the issues and collates concerns and experiences shared with us by practitioners and managers working under unprecedented and challenging circumstances to support children and maintain their care, safety, health and wellbeing. We will update this on an ongoing basis to ensure practitioners and managers have the most up to date information available in one place

A Story of Youth Justice in Scotland

We all live and work in communities that are affected by crime. Understanding youth justice and youth crime patterns is therefore important to everyone. Our survey of communities and young people in 2015 found that many people misunderstand youth crime trends, but also that many people desired to have access to accurate and useful information about youth crime, especially in their local area. This paper draws together the current key published national statistics into one place. The Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice will be working with our partners and consulting with stakeholders to continue to bring you the most up to date statistics available

Information and Support to Victims of Youth Crime and Young Victims of Crime

This is intended for practitioners within organisations working with victims of youth crime, especially young victims, as well as policy makers who are seeking to make improvements to current arrangements. It brings together information on arrangements for sharing information about offences and the support available to victims of youth crime and signposts to the relevant legislation, standards and protocols in respect of victims of crime

Equalities and Human Rights Committee Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill : Submission from the Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommends that the age of criminal responsibility is a minimum of 12 years old, which the Bill adheres to. What are your views on the appropriate age of criminal responsibility in Scotland? The Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice (CYCJ) conducts research and supports the development of practice and policy across youth and criminal justice. Over the past five years we have undertaken a range of research projects to support the consideration of the age of criminal responsibility, including international case studies about how different jurisdictions approach the age of criminal responsibility, and a survey about workforce development needs as a consequence of any change. CYCJ staff have also been members of the advisory group established to investigate the age of criminal responsibility, and continue to be involved in supporting the workstreams developing specific areas of practice to support any legislative change

National Independent Care Review - CYCJ's Response

In October 2016, Scotland’s First Minister announced a national ‘root and branch’ review of care. This led to the establishment of a board featuring people who experienced the care system as they grew up and academic experts in this field. The next stage consisted of meeting with various individuals, groups and bodies involved in the care of children or who hold a particular interest in that field. During this stage the review hoped to gain a better understanding of the following points: 1. What do we mean by a root and branch review? And that means being absolutely clear about what is part of the Review and what is not. 2. What does good care and protection look like for children and young people in care

A Guide to Youth Justice in Scotland : Policy, Practice and Legislation

Whether you’re a practitioner, researcher or educator, you should be familiar with the latest policy and practice legislation in youth justice. That’s why the Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice (CYCJ) has produced a guide to youth justice in Scotland. This is aimed at practitioners and managers who work with children and young people who offend or who are at risk of offending. It is also valuable for academics, educators and anyone else with an interest in youth and criminal justice. This document is intended as an overview of the 11 sections that comprise the guide, which can be accessed on our website at www.cycj.org.uk/youthjusticeguide. To ensure that the information we are providing is relevant, accurate and meaningful, this guide will be reviewed and updated annually. The next revisions will be made in June 2019. Please get in touch at [email protected] if you have any queries or wish to access a specific section

CYCJ Annual Report 2019-2020

This Annual Report covers the period from April 2019 to March 2020. During this time, we published ground-breaking research, hosted well-attended events and training sessions, and continued to provide strong practitioner support, despite recent global events which have forced us to adapt our working patterns. Highlights include the publication of our positively acclaimed work on Scotland's youth justice system and children's rights; publishing key messages from five years' worth of research into trauma, bereavement and loss; and undergoing a successful evaluation exercise as a centre and bringing people together to help us 'future proof' youth justice. We also hosted visits from the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Humza Yousaf MSP and the Minister for Children and Young People, Maree Todd MSP; supported the development of our partnership projects; and took forward the work of the Scottish Government's Youth Justice Strategy through implementation groups and forums. Our international outreach has continued to grow, with visits to Ireland, Geneva and Wales enabling us to find out more about youth justice practice out with Scotland and develop new partnerships. Throughout all this activity, CYCJ has continued to strive to meet the needs of the Scottish youth justice workforce and young people

Communicating with Young People with Learning Disabilities

Young people with learning disabilities are at risk of being disadvantaged in the youth justice and criminal justice systems if they do not have the right support. The purpose of this Information Sheet, written by Brian McClafferty, is to provide basic information in relation to effective communication for anyone working with a young person with a learning disability, who is either in the youth justice system, or is at risk of offending

Over the Internet, Under the Radar : Prevention of Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation in Scotland

In early 2016 the Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice (CYCJ) facilitated two seminars for professionals from a wide range of backgrounds who encountered issues around adolescent risk taking behaviour online and e-safety. Anonymised cases relating to ‘sexting’, sexual exploitation online and downloading indecent images of children were discussed. These allowed the group to explore examples of good practice as well as identify some of the ‘pinch points’ in current processes and outline the gaps in professional knowledge and practice. Key findings included significant gaps in relation to policy, guidance, training and practitioner support that impacted on initial responses and decision making, when young people get into trouble through their online behaviour, and impaired high quality assessment and intervention. Cases involving online risk taking behaviour often raised issues around values and foregrounded complex ethical concerns. There were significant gaps in relation to research around higher tariff adolescent behaviours online

Managing Risk in Schools and Other Settings

This Info Sheet, written by Stuart Allardyce, offers support for Named Persons and other professionals when making decisions about Risk Management with young people involved in offending behaviour