Looked after children and youth justice:A response to recent reviews

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a response to a recent government-commissioned review of residential care (Narey, 2016), and the subsequent government response (Department of Education (DfE), 2016), which minimises the correlation between the experience of being looked after and becoming involved in the youth justice system. The Narey review emphasises on the role of early adversity in looked after children’s offending behaviour but minimises the significance of experiences during and after care, and downplays the effect of policies and practices that may exacerbate looked after children’s involvement in the youth justice system. Design/methodology/approach The paper builds upon a systematic literature review conducted for the Prison Reform Trust (Staines, 2016) to demonstrate the extent of current knowledge about how risk factors, adverse experiences during and after care and the criminalisation of looked after children combine to increase the likelihood of involvement in criminal proceedings. The paper also highlights gaps in the research evidence, particularly in relation to gender and ethnicity. Findings The findings suggest that the Narey review (2016) and the government response (DfE, 2016), are misguided in their attempts to minimise the role of care in looked after children’s disproportionate representation within the youth justice system. The paper cautions against the over-simplification of a complex relationship and emphasises on the importance of recognising the intersection between different factors. Originality/value The paper uses secondary sources to develop an original argument to rebut claims within a recently published review. </jats:sec

Nurturing attachments parenting program:The relationship between adopters’ parental reflective functioning and perception of their children's difficulties

This article draws on an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Nurturing Attachments group work program provided by AdoptionPlus for adoptive families in England. Twenty-nine adoptive families participated in a longitudinal quantitative study, completing questionnaires and validated measures before and after group attendance. The Nurturing Attachments program, informed by Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, was developed to help foster and adoptive parents strengthen their relationships with the child and support children who had experienced developmental traumas. Most parents were caring for children who were late placed and who had complex and overlapping difficulties. Post-training, parents reported increased confidence in their own parenting and statistically significant positive changes in self-efficacy and in their capacity for reflective functioning. However, unexpectedly, adoptive parents identified more children as having greater emotional and peer difficulties and fewer with symptoms of conduct disorders. This article focuses on the relationship between perceptions of adopted children’s behavior and parental reflective functioning (PRF) and self-efficacy. It explores whether improved reflective functioning, particularly curiosity, led to a better understanding of their child’s behaviors and thus an increased recognition of emotional distress. Recommendations for supporting adoptive parents, including the importance of supporting PRF, within a wraparound package of support during childhood and adolescence are made

‘We need to tackle their well being first’: understanding and supporting care-experienced girls in the Youth Justice System

Despite some positive developments within policy and practice, the over-representation of care-experienced children in the youth justice system remains of significant concern globally. Moreover, there is a relative lack of research or policy focusing specifically on the needs of care-experienced girls who become involved in offending behaviour. This article presents novel findings from interviews with 17 girls and young women and eight Youth Offending Team (YOT) staff, highlighting how being in care can affect offending behaviour and how YOTs may provide support to care-experienced girls who have been inadequately supported elsewhere. Reviewing research and practice through a gendered lens helps to demonstrate how and why care-experienced girls may be escalated through justice systems at a greater rate than boys. The provision of gender-specific, trauma-informed interventions by YOTs demonstrates how focusing on care-experienced girls’ well-being first is essential if their involvement in the youth justice system is to be reduced. Nonetheless, while YOTs can plug the gaps by providing valuable support within an unsatisfactory system, youth justice intervention must not be a default option for girls in care who exhibit ‘challenging’ behaviour

Policy Briefing: Disrupting the Routes Between Care and Custody for Girls and Women

There is a stubborn over-representation of girls and women who have been in care as children in the youth and adult criminal justice systems in England and Wales. This policy briefing summarises the evidence on routes between care and custody for girls and women, and considers how policy can be strengthened to respond to ongoing challenges

Final Report: Disrupting the Routes between Care and Custody for Girls and Women

This report explores the over-representation of care-experienced girls and women in the youth and criminal justice system. The majority of children in care do not come into conflict with the law (Prison Reform Trust (PRT), 2016), but a minority continue to do so, and risk being abandoned when they do (Coyne, 2015). The Laming Review highlighted the lack of research on the experiences of girls in care within the criminal justice system and recommended a particular focus on their needs (PRT, 2016; Staines, 2016). Furthermore, the Lammy Review (2017) subsequently showed how ethnic identity adds an additional layer of disadvantage for some, highlighting the need to also focus on Black and minoritised women. The research underpinning this project aims to explore how to reduce the number of girls and women who move between the care system and prison custody. It focuses on the experiences of imprisoned women from care, as well as those of care-experienced girls and young women in the community who have had youth justice system contact. Because official views overwhelmingly focus on the deficits of individuals and their families (Fitzpatrick & Williams, 2017), there is a vital need to amplify the voices of those with lived experience of care and criminal justice to provide more nuanced and balanced understanding. Our research includes interviews with professionals who work with care experienced women and girls, with expertise stemming from across a range of professional spheres