Child First
Key findings
- Children are different to adults and should be treated according to their age and particular circumstances, with a focus on addressing unmet needs and creating opportunities to help them realise their potential.
- A focus is required on shifting potentially ‘pro-offending’ identities to those which are ‘pro-social’. Positive relationships with children are crucial for reaffirming their individual strengths, with activities needing to be constructive and future-focused to help children move forward.
- Children are more likely to engage where they feel as though they are part of the process. Youth justice responses should thus work with children rather than doing to them, with children having a voice and supported to invest in the process and the potential benefits.
- Diversion from formal criminal justice processes can help to minimise stigmatisation or labelling effects. Crucially, diversion requires other substantive services to be available locally, with a range of options in place to address unmet needs and welfare concerns, and promote social inclusion.
Background
A Child First approach means putting children at the heart of service provision and seeing the whole child, identifying/tackling the influences on offending and identifying/promoting the influences that help them to move to pro-social, positive behaviour.
Summary of the evidence
Seeing children as children
Child First recognises that children are different to adults – they have different needs and vulnerabilities, and they should not be treated in the same way. Furthermore, children should be treated according to their age, development, maturity and abilities. A focus is required on addressing children’s unmet needs, overcoming any barriers, and identifying their strengths and creating opportunities for them to realise their potential.
Developing pro-social identity
Adolescence is an intensive period for identity development, containing a number of important social transitions, and Child First promotes a focus on shifting potentially ‘pro-offending’ identities to those which are ‘pro-social’. Developing a pro-social identity means helping children to see themselves in ways that encourage positive behaviours. Positive relationships with children are crucial for reaffirming their individual strengths and teaching them that they belong, while activities should be constructive and future-focused to help children move forward rather than underlining an offender identity.
A ‘Constructive Working’ framework has been developed with the specific objective of developing pro-social identity. There are three elements within this framework, as set out in the figure below.
The video below provides further information about identify awareness, highlighting the need to consider both the messages from the child about their identity and the messages given to the child. The importance of positive language is highlighted, alongside the following three building blocks:
- activities that allow children to explore a more positive identity
- interactions that foster and affirm positive identity
- roles – either activity-related or personal that can reinforce positive identity.
Disclaimer: an external platform has been used to host this video. Recommendations for further viewing may appear at the end of the video and are beyond our control.
Collaborating with children
Research evidence tells us that children are more likely to engage where they feel as though they are part of the process. Child First thus promotes youth justice responses that work with children rather than doing to them. Children should have a voice, feel invested in the process, be part of the solution and believe that justice has taken place.
Spaces for collaboration need to be created, with children feeling that engaging with the process will be relevant to their needs, identities, interests and their future, with the potential of bringing real benefits for them. When diversion is used, children should have a clear understanding and expectations – one approach is to establish diversion agreements.
A broad range of participatory practices have been identified.
Promoting diversion
There is evidence that diversion programmes can reduce offending compared to formal criminal justice processes and can be cost-effective. Child First thus promotes diversion from the formal justice system, with a focus on minimising stigmatisation or labelling effects which can lead to further anti-social and criminal behaviours.
What ‘diversion’ means in practice can vary, with diversionary approaches and programmes taking differing forms and producing varying results. A focus needs to be maintained upon enhancing the wellbeing of children and promoting their social inclusion. Crucially, diversion requires other substantive services to be available locally, with a range of options in place to address unmet needs and welfare concerns, including through youth work, community activities, and educational interventions. More generally, the research evidence reinforces the importance of working across policy portfolios, e.g. health, education and housing, with a focus on promoting social inclusion, building family resilience, and ensuring access to universal services and facilities.
Case, S. and Browning, A. (2021). Child First Justice: The research evidence-base. Loughborough: Loughborough University.
Hazel, N., Drummond, C., Welsh, M. and Joseph, K. (2020). Using an identity lens: Constructive working with children in the criminal justice system. London: Nacro.
McAra, L. and McVie, S. (2022). Causes and Impacts of Offending and Criminal Justice Pathways: Follow-up of the Edinburgh Study Cohort at Age 35. Edinburgh: The University of Edinburgh.
Peer Power (2021). Co-creation and Participation in the Youth Justice System. London: Peer Power.
Youth Justice Board (2022). A Guide to Child First. London: Youth Justice Board.
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Last updated: 10 March 2023
