Exploring Experiences of Partnership Work with Community Psychology Projects Focussed on Youth Violence

Abstract

Aims: Young people involved in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) experience high rates of mental health difficulties and barriers to accessing support. Community Psychology (CP) projects aim to address the accessibility and acceptability of psychology and provision across systems levels. Research examining the impact of these projects have shown positive outcomes for the cohort of young people who access them. However, little is known about the experience and perception of wider systems who work in partnerships with these projects. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the experience and perceptions of stakeholders who work in partnership with CP projects that specialise in youth violence. Method: Fifteen participants were recruited from organisations with experience working in partnership with CP projects that specialise in youth violence, i.e., statutory, voluntary and third sector organisations. A purposive sampling and snowballing method were used for recruitment. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews which explored their experiences of partnership work with CP projects. Transcripts were analysed using Thematic Analysis. Results: Three superordinate themes, each with multiple subthemes, were elicited through analysis: 1), Developing and sustaining partnerships, discussed the need for the partnerships and key components that facilitated the partnership and work with young people overtime; 2), Growth as a by-product, which captured the mutual benefits of partnership work for both parties; and 3), Navigating tensions, which provided insight into the challenges faced within the partnership work and how these were navigated. Conclusions: To the authors knowledge this is the first qualitative study exploring the experiences of stakeholders who work in partnerships with CP projects. The analysis highlighted the important benefits of CP projects on the wider systems they partner with (e.g., skill sharing, improved confidence, increasing knowledge, strengthening teams, managing risk and complexity). This led to important recommendations for serious youth violence provision, key best practices to support partnership working, and ideas on how to engage this cohort of and support staff working in this area. Research implications are also offered