Raising Youth Justice
Welcome to the official CYCJ blog – a space for discussing, questioning and generally pondering all matters youth justice. Anything goes – political, societal or academic. In addition to our team sharing their thoughts and experiences, we welcome guest blogs – so email cycj@strath.ac.uk if you’ve got something to say. We hope that you enjoy reading what […]
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From the Arctic Circle to the Centre of Glasgow: how young people are claiming power in the face of injustice
Read our latest blog from Participation, Engagement and Policy Advisor, Julia Swann, who shares her experiences from attending the Arctic Youth Research Conference in Tromsø earlier this month. If you are familiar with Tromsø you might know it as a hot spot for catching the Northern Lights, or perhaps for its ‘midnight sun’, a period […]
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Children Care and Justice Act – the journey continues
Two years since the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024 received Royal Assent, Debbie Nolan reflects on the journey of implementation so far and the learning needed for full commencement. In April 2024, CYCJ published a series of three blogs describing the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act as a chance to “deliver momentous […]
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“Once You’ve Got a Reputation, That’s It”: What Young People Told Me About School Exclusion, Inequality, and Belonging
Read our latest blog from Dr Haley Sneed, CYCJ Participation Advisor, who reflects on her work with children and young people and the patterns which emerged from conversations during group work, and the unexpected topics and themes that connected different groups. Over the last six months, I’ve facilitated participation and engagement work with around 150 […]
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What is going on? Reflections from the School Exclusion and Anti-Social Behaviour Project
Read our latest blog from Craig Houston, who recently completed a three month research internship with CYCJ, examining the existing literature on school exclusion and antisocial behaviour. Craig is a PhD candidate at the University of Glasgow, where he is currently exploring the meaning of, and how, places impact feelings of social connectivity for care-experienced children and young people […]
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A project with lived experience at all levels
Read our latest blog from Participation, Engagement and Policy Advisor, Julia Swann, who explains how a new project aims to empower children and young people living in secure care to research, access and lead their recovery from substance misuse, supported by youth led grant making. On Tuesday 10th March, the Scottish Government and COSLA […]
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Celebrating 13 years of CYCJ
In this blog from CYCJ director Professor Fiona Dyer, she reflects on what has changed for children and young people in the 13 years since CYCJ was established a centre at the University of Strathclyde, and what lies ahead for our work in 2026 and beyond. This spring has marked some important anniversaries in the […]
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Making the case for embedding restorative justice in human rights
Lauren Emmerson has been reflecting this RJ week on how children’s rights, access to justice, and human rights intersect when using restorative justice to heal when harm has been caused by a child or young person. For many of us working in the fields of rights-respecting justice, and those supporting individuals harmed by the behaviour of others, it may seem […]
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Building Psychological Safety for Justice-Involved Youth: Why It Matters
About our blogger: Dr Kristen Gurdak is an Assistant Professor at Florida Atlantic University whose research focuses on social inclusion among marginalised groups. Her work explores how culture and context shape identity, resilience, and social inclusion across diverse settings. She conducts cross-cultural comparative studies that inform policy, guide practice, and advance inclusive narratives for society. […]
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Language, Learning and Listening: key themes from 2025’s National Youth Justice Conference
In this blog, CYCJ’s Communications and Engagement Advisor Katya Allcott explores the key themes that emerged from this year’s Youth Justice conference. Delivered in partnership with National Youth Justice Advisory Group (NYJAG) and the Scottish Government it hosted over 200 practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and youth justice experts. This year’s theme was Childhood, Safeguarding and the […]
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