Welcome

 
In his recent interview with Holyrood magazine, Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Michael Matheson MSP, described the Whole System Approach (working with young people aged 8-18 who are involved in offending behaviours) as “effective and successful” before suggesting that this might be extended to the adult population. This is the subject of our latest paper by Fiona Dyer and Kevin Carter (West Lothian Council) which makes a strong case for extending the support offered through the WSA up to at least 21 years. Read it here.

The Institute for Inspiring Children’s Futures, which we partnered with last November, has announced that its inaugural lecture will take place on March 13. Professor Sonia Ospina, from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, will discuss how increasing relational leadership - the process of bringing people together to attempt to make a change for the common good - could be applied to children’s services across Scotland. This is an excellent opportunity to hear Professor Ospina speak in the UK, and also to learn more about this progressive new Institute and its vision for helping every child to reach their full potential. Find out more and sign up here.

At least 75% of people leaving prison will not have paid employment to go to upon release. That’s why it’s so important that those working with young people in this situation are aware of Universal Credit (UC) rolling out across Scotland, set to be the most significant change to the welfare state in years. In this month’s Info Sheet, Pamela Morrison provides a useful summary of UC, including details, implications and timescales.

No matter how well-meaning we try to be as youth justice professionals, it’s perhaps inevitable that our attitudes and ‘hidden prejudices’ will sometimes shape how we work with young people. This is the subject of our first CYCJ Associates seminar on April 6, bringing together Max Rutherford and Dr Fernando Fernandes to discuss stigmatising practise in the justice system, trialling young adult courts and much more. Find out more and book your place.

Our national youth justice conference is now open for registration. We’ll have the usual high profile speakers, relevant topics and stimulating workshops – and because this is the tenth year, we’re really pulling out all the stops to make it (even more) wonderful, so don’t miss out on applying.

Inspired by the decision to raise the age of criminal responsibility, our partnership with the Institute for Inspiring Children’s Futures, and the Children’s Parliament recent call for ‘unfearties’, I wrote a blog about the importance of standing up for change. And if you haven’t already lent your support to the fabulous unfeartie campaign - there’s still time!

Finally, this month we bid a (temporary) farewell and good luck to our Deputy Director Fiona Dyer, who’s off on maternity leave - and has just given birth to a baby girl.  Please contact cycj@strath.ac.uk or call 0141 444 8622 if you have anything that you’d like the team to help you with in Fiona’s absence.

Happy reading and as always – get in touch with your news, views and stories.

Revisiting 'a rock and a hard place'

In October 2016 CYCJ published research into responses to offending behaviour in residential childcare. To support the implementation of these findings, we’re joining up with Staf (Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum) to undertake a two year project which aims to:

• Improve local, multi-agency data collection regarding the numbers of looked after children being criminalised and work to reduce these numbers;
• Improve the support available locally to residential staff in decision-making and in managing the multiple tensions faced when responding to offending behaviour;
• Increase opportunities for building relationships between police and residential staff and with young people;
• Increase the availability of information to professionals and young people about the differences between, and the implications of offences dealt with, via the Children’s Hearings System and adult court.

To achieve this we are seeking three to five organisations or local authorities to work with to:

• Reflect on the research findings and how these apply within their organisation;
• Explore how good practice can be built upon and/or what change is required at a policy and practice level;
• To support implementation of these changes and evaluation

This work will be combined with a range of national organisations including Police Scotland; the Care Inspectorate; SCRA; Scottish Court System; Disclosure Scotland; and the Howard League.

If this sounds like something you or your agency would like to be involved in, please contact deborah.nolan@strath.ac.uk or kristina.moodie@strath.ac.uk.

Keeping you informed of the figures

We have been publishing monthly averages of the number of young people in secure care and custody since December 2015. The average number of young people in custody in January 2017 was:
 

Date	Under 16	Untried under 16	Convicted Male U18	Convicted Female U18	Untried Male U18	Untried Female U18	Convicted Awaiting Sentence U18	Total average
January 2017	0	0	27	0	18	1	6	52
December 2016	0	0	28	0	14	1	8	51

 
During January there were on average 78 young people in secure care, an average of seven of whom were sentenced. This compares with 77 and seven respectively during December 2016. For more details, please contact deborah.nolan@strath.ac.uk.

News from our Implementation Groups

The Implementation Groups were set up as part of the Scottish Government’s Youth Justice Strategy. Project managed by CYCJ and governed by the Youth Justice Improvement Board, they are on the themes of: Improving Life Chances; Advancing the Whole System Approach; Developing Capacity and Improvement.

The Improving Life Chances Implementation Group is currently focusing on: finalising the health and wellbeing document; commenting on the inquiry into prisoner healthcare; engaging with the LAC nurses forum; and starting to develop the schedule of external drivers and relationships papers. Contact deborah.nolan@strath.ac.uk.

The Advancing the Whole System Approach Implementation Group will next meet on March 1. Focus points for consideration will be:

• Update on the work of the Bail Sub-group; progress on the completion of the literature review; and information gathering from various services and local authorities.
• Consideration of initial findings from the Lived Experience Focus Groups with under 18s in HMYOI Polmont
• Update on Place of Safety Sub-group
• Update on provision of EEI information following the Supreme Court ruling, which highlights key messages for implementation and importance of continuation of existing EEI schemes 
• Links with the Secure Care Project

Contact donna.mcewan@strath.ac.uk. 

The Developing Capacity and Improvement (DCI) Implementation Group
The Data Implementation Group has been working hard to draft the Youth Justice Outcomes, Performance and Improvement Framework in support of the implementation of the national Youth Justice Strategy. This work was presented at the February meeting of the group where there was agreement with the proposed direction of travel. Further development of the framework will be undertaken and presented at the Youth Justice Improvement Board for consideration in March. Contact carole.murphy.100@strath.ac.uk.
 

Events and training

National Youth Justice Conference - open for registration
The biggest event of the youth justice calendar will take place on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 June at the Stirling Court Hotel (based on the Stirling University campus). This year's theme will be ‘Youth Justice - past, present and future’. Find out more and apply. Please note the closing date for all applications is Thursday, April 13.

Institute for Inspiring Children’s Futures: Inaugural Lecture, March 13
Global expert in public management and policy, Professor Sonia Ospina, will speak at this landmark lecture. Find out more and register.

Asset training: March 21
CYCJ will be offering training in Asset on Tuesday, March 21 (10am to 4.30pm, Room LH104, Lord Hope Building at Strathclyde University).

Asset is a structured risk assessment tool for use in working with young people who engage in general offending behaviour. It examines the young person’s offence history and identifies factors or circumstances that may have contributed to the behaviour in order to inform intervention needs and allow for the measuring of progress over time. To book a place on this training, email cycj@strath.ac.uk.

The Price of Prejudice: April 6
In the first CYCJ Associates seminar, Max Rutherford (Criminal Justice Programme Manager at Barrow Cadbury Trust) and Dr Fernando Fernandes (University of Dundee) will present on challenging stigmatising practise in the justice system, a young adult court pilot scheme in England and Wales, and why youth justice interventions should be extended to young people in their mid-twenties. Find out more and register.

The Cost of Youth Justice: May 3
While youth offending in Scotland has declined, the costs to those involved are significant.  But what do we know about young people involved in offending?  Are they really either a victim or a perpetrator?  What are the costs involved in stopping offending?  These questions - and more - will be discussed at our free event as part of Engage with Strathclyde Week on May 3 at 5.30pm. Sign up here.

START - AV training: May 12
CYCJ is offering training in START - AV (Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability - Adolescent Version). This will take place on Friday, May 12, 2017 (Room 218, Lord Hope Building at Strathclyde University). Register via our one stop shop.

Talking Restorative Justice
A series of events on Restorative Justice, facilitated as open, constructive dialogues or conversations, will be running from February to October 2017. The aim of this project, funded by the Scottish Universities Insight Institute, is to bring together people with a range of experiences, views and questions, including the critical and sceptical, to get involved in the conversations. Find out more. Please note that the first dialogue takes place on March 13.

Events elsewhere
Children and Young People with Harmful Sexual Behaviours – Working with New Technologies and Practice Challenges: Friday, March 10 at SPS College Polmont. Find out more.

TalkLinks are offering Glasgow workshops in connecting & communicating with offenders, and young people with ADHD in March.  Find out more.

The NOTA Scotland annual conference takes place on April 24 and 25 at Stirling Court Hotel. Find out more and register.

News and views

Enrolment is now open for the award winning CELCIS MOOC (massive open online course) on Caring for Vulnerable Children. To date, the MOOC has had 48,000 participants from more than 145 countries, and has inspired many to enter the childcare profession.  Find out more.
 
What does tertiary education look like when you've done time? We partnered up with Recruit with Conviction to produce this report, which presents on findings from the Study With Conviction project.
 
The Principles of Good Transitions 3, developed by the Scottish Transitions Forum and ARC Scotland provides a framework to inform, structure and encourage the continual improvement of support for young people with additional needs making the transition to young adult life. Download it here.
 

You said, we did

Following feedback on the uncertainty surrounding changes to the benefit system, and the importance of practitioners being able to support young people in navigating this, our February Info Sheet is on Universal Credit.
 

Stakeholder spotlight

Children’s Parliament

Children’s Parliament builds relationships that allow children the opportunity to voice their ideas, thoughts and feelings, so that their concerns and opinions can be listened to and included in our social and political landscape.

This is done in two ways.  Firstly, by working directly with children through projects and consultations and secondly, by educating and equipping adults with knowledge and skills in order that they can replicate Children’s Parliament’s rights-based approach in their own locations.

At the root of all Children’s Parliament work is a commitment to increasing children’s and adults’ knowledge and understanding of children’s human rights with the aim of ensuring that the confident voices of children – and the good listening skills of adults –  help to keep children healthy, happy and safe.

The wealth of experience and creative techniques Children’s Parliament offers allows the child’s voice to develop.  Gaining a clearer understanding of children’s ideas and thoughts is beneficial for life at home, at school and in the wider community and the Children’s Parliament approach allows for more natural and honest reactions and feedback from children.

Find out more. Follow them on Twitter @creative_voices