To achieve its vision and outcomes, CYCJ focuses on three broad areas of work:
- Practice Development: Working with practitioners and policy-makers to undertake, support and coordinate activities to improve
- Research: Undertaking, supporting and coordinating research
- Knowledge exchange: Sharing and disseminating knowledge
Practice development
This area of work is supported by social work practitioners, who are on secondment from various social services and third sector agencies and organisations, and clinical psychologists. They work together to develop and support collaborations to improve youth justice in Scotland.
Focuses include the Champions Groups and managing networking events; the IVY project; restorative justice and social capital.
Members also speak throughout the UK at events and conferences, and deliver lectures at Glasgow’s universities.
Research
At CYCJ, research into youth justice topics and issues is part of our commitment to make sure that everything we do is informed by the best knowledge and evidence.
Research projects have included Pathways into Polmont; the bereavement experiences of young offenders; youth offending trends and the media and safer lives training.
Knowledge exchange
CYCJ’s specialists in knowledge exchange and practice improvement bring together, support and share the effective use of different forms of knowledge produced by CYCJ.
This includes external and internal communications, digital media, brand management and events organisation.