A paper that could help improve the life chances of children and young people who are involved in offending behaviour has been published by the Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice (CYCJ).
‘Improving the life chances of children who offend: A summary of common factors’ aims to support all practitioners, managers and policy makers involved in improving the life chances of children.
It was produced by the Improving Life Chances Implementation Group on behalf of the Youth Justice Improvement Board, which is responsible for supporting the Scottish Government’s youth justice strategy Preventing Offending: Getting it right for children and young people. The group focuses on six key themes, around which the paper is based:
- School inclusion
- Strengthening relationships and engagement
- Victims and community confidence
- Improving health and wellbeing
- Opportunities for all
- Transitions
Drawing on the experiences of members of the Implementation Group and subgroups, research and feedback from policy and practice, the paper details key factors emerging from the above themes that can contribute to improved life chances and outcomes for children involved in/at risk of involvement in offending behaviour.
The paper consists of two parts: a brief summary of the commonly identified factors; and more detailed exploration of these factors, the outcomes that can be achieved and challenges under each of the six themes.
Suggested purposes include to share information and stimulate discussion; inform continuous professional development; a basis for training; provision of a reference point to help provide confidence in your own practice; and supporting services to reflect on how they are, or could be, contributing to improved life chances.
To discuss the content of the paper and any issues arising from this, please contact pamela.i.morrison@strath.ac.uk.