Youth justice experts warn about pandemic fallout
By Gemma Raw
The Alliance for Youth Justice (AYJ) has called for urgent action to support disadvantaged children, many of whom are at increased risk of being drawn into the justice system following the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent policy briefing, the AYJ suggests that the full effects of the pandemic on the social, emotional and mental health needs of vulnerable children are yet to be seen, with many being 'increasingly disenfranchised, disengaged and dealing with trauma as a result of their experiences'.
The AYJ is calling for urgent action to re-engage children in education, foster supportive school environments, stop school exclusions and improve support for children with SEND and those outside mainstream education. Research indicates a strong link between poor educational engagement and children's involvement in crime, violence and gang culture. In the years before the pandemic hit, school exclusions and suspensions were already on the increase, and the Children’s Commissioner and Head of Ofsted have raised concerns about thousands of children who have been persistently absent from school since the pandemic began.
One senior civil servant summed up the challenge: “We’re already seeing signs that attendance for some vulnerable children is not going back, and we need to have a real concerted effort, focusing in on making sure children are in the classroom, are ready to learn and that we don’t have children who are potential honeypots for gangs.”
The AYJ believes that there's a need for a coordinated strategy across government departments and policy areas to prevent an influx of children into the youth justice system. This should include 'a particular focus on educational engagement and inclusion, early help, mental health support, adolescent safeguarding, and positive opportunities'.
Pandemic effect on youth justice services
Separate research by the AYJ and the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies (MCYS) is focusing on the unprecedented implications that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the youth justice system, those who work in youth justice jobs and the vulnerable children they work with. The recently published Research Paper 4 incorporates the findings of a national online survey of Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) in England and Wales, which was aimed at gauging the views and experiences of youth justice practitioners about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their practice and service delivery.
Over half of YOT staff said that their YOT had responded very well to the pandemic. However, 71% of respondents reported changes in children's offending behaviours. While ONS figures suggested an overall decrease in violent crime, YOT staff reported increases in incidences of domestic violence, drug use and child criminal exploitation. Researchers found that the biggest challenges for YOTs in a post-COVID world are the balance between remote and office working, children's mental health and staff support. As part of the Youth Justice System's response to the research, youth justice practitioners have been sharing their experiences of the pandemic and how it has affected their work.
"The key learning for us was that children's risks, lives, challenges, and needs for services didn't go away," commented youth justice consultant Michael O'Connor. "We learnt very quickly from the first lockdown that all children’s services were essential, and we needed to be present where and when children needed us most."
