Healthy relationships make the biggest difference

For much of my career in education, I have worked in special schools with children experiencing severe social, emotional and mental health difficulties. I’ve seen first-hand how being in a physically and psychologically safe environment supported them to grow and achieve positive outcomes in life.

I believe that to understand a child’s behaviour we must appreciate how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect brain development. In a youth justice context, we need this understanding to support 123 we advise practitioners on ways to develop trusted, quality relationships with the children they work with. This is because when children feel safe and supported, they develop those all-important neural connections in the brain. Basically, they learn to regulate their emotions and manage their responses, which the brain can’t do when in a state of stress.

How this affects practice

Building a trusting relationship may not be easy and will require time and perseverance. It is also likely to require self-reflection on the part of the practitioner and understanding as to why a child might respond in a particular way. The Youth Justice Resource Hub contains materials to assist in developing relationship-based practice. Trust will include setting and maintaining appropriate boundaries, not promising confidentiality if the child confides concerning information, responding to their concerns and taking them seriously. Practitioners may also benefit from utilising a 123 to the Association of Youth Justice Service Managers, I said that exclusion is perhaps the youth justice system’s biggest problem. Alongside suspensions and persistent absenteeism, it leads to poorer outcomes with excluded children having reduced exposure to positive relationships and having an increased risk of exploitation. The rates are highest among Black and Mixed ethnicities as well as Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children and this is a huge concern for us. A 123 will shed more light on this, including an appreciation of the barriers, such as a lack of funding.

We are also seeing an increase in children on elective home education, but it is too early to know the reasons for this, and the impact too is unknown at this point.

That is the education landscape that we are working with, but there are some encouraging developments.

What we’re doing, and what can be done

One thing we must always do is listen to the voice of the child. Our Youth Advisory Network, made up of children and young adults who are experts by experience, recently produced this animation to reflect their views on engaging with professionals. The importance of safe, trusted places comes across loud and clear, which, as outlined above, is vital for children to move forward from trauma. We also see the importance they place on positive relational interactions with suggestions of ways this can be enhanced. For example, more services could host support sessions run by young adults with experience, more professionals receiving cultural and behavioural training and for services to look at alternative ways to reach and engage with families. For example, swindon/" title="Swindon" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Swindon Youth Justice Service has a parent-led 1 intervention called ‘Village Circle’. It comes into its own if there is a crisis or difficult situation, for example when a child appears in court. The parenting officer would attend court and speak directly to the parents or carers offering support, often in the form of ‘meeting for a coffee’. They take a non-judgemental supportive approach which helps the families to move forward.

At the YJB we have been working with the Association of Colleges (AoC) to raise and maintain awareness of older children being denied college courses due to YJS involvement. We have delivered presentations to colleges leaders and the AoC leadership has given its backing to this initiative.

In 1, we have worked alongside colleagues in the MOPAC London Accommodation & Resettlement Partnership and AoC to facilitate workshops involving colleges and YJSs to develop a pan-London protocol. This protocol is designed to improve access and reduce exclusions.

We also continue to develop our trauma-informed 1. This includes evaluating the enhanced case management pathfinder in the South West, with plans to share learning towards embedding that approach as business as usual.

With the youth justice workforce in mind, we also launched an Effective Practice Award in trauma informed practice in July 2020, which was developed by Unitas, a specialist provider of youth justice courses. Since its launch, the YJB has sponsored 370 places, all of which have now completed. Other resources and training materials are also available on the Youth Justice Resource Hub.

What you can do

As with many of the pertinent issues in youth justice, partnership working is essential if we are to achieve progress. We must continue to build strong relationships with local schools and colleges. This may involve sharing information or using the evidence to challenge decisions.

We must also work closely with the voluntary and community sector and youth services, who play such an important role in providing the spaces and people for children to grow.

We recommend development of local safeguarding / assessment meetings between education and YJSs to ensure accurate information sharing. There should also be a suitably senior person, preferably a ‘Head’ of education or above that attends YJS management boards. These boards are key in the escalation and resolution of local issues.

We must also ensure that children with SEND with or without an EHCP receive full suitable provision. This could include YJSs and boards ensuring that they keep accurate data on attendance, exclusions and disparity. The new youth justice key performance indicators also have an increased focus on education and SEND.

As the members of the YAN mentioned, families are also important, and YJSs should keep in close contact with parents/carers whose children are at risk of exclusion.

We may not have all of the answers, but by working in a connected way, we can be part of the solution. Let’s venture through this together and support children to be the best they can be.