Preventing the Unnecessary Criminalisation of Children in Care and Care Leavers

Preventing the Unnecessary Criminalisation of Children in Care and Care Leavers

A new article has been published today in the journal Youth Justice led by Dr Katie Hunter (Manchester Metropolitan University) and co-authored by Dr Claire Fitzpatrick (CfJ leadership team, Lancaster University) with Dr Jo Staines (University of Bristol) and Dr Julie Shaw (Liverpool John Moores University).

Drawing on wider research funded by the Nuffield Foundation and led by Lancaster, the article highlights some of the challenges of ensuring that local protocols aimed at preventing the unnecessary criminalisation of those who have spent time in the care system lead to meaningful change in practice.

Noting the need for protocols to move beyond a ‘one size fits all’ approach in order to ensure that the distinct needs of individual children are met, the research team argue that the prevention of unnecessary criminalisation in care must now become a statutory duty.

Read the full article, ‘A Difficult Balance: Challenges and Possibilities for Local Protocols to Reduce Unnecessary Criminalisation of Children in Care and Care-Leavers’ here.