Working with Young People Affected by the Criminal Justice System

Overview

Children and young people who become involved with the criminal justice system are often experiencing circumstances that extend far beyond offending behaviour. Experiences of care, trauma, exploitation, discrimination, disrupted relationships and wider social circumstances can all influence pathways into offending and criminalisation.

📅 Date & Time: 23rd October, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
📍 Live Online via Teams
📢 Early Bird Price: £54 (VAT included) – Register 2+ weeks before
🎟️ Standard Price: £74 (VAT included) – Group Discount available for groups of 5+

This seminar explores these pathways and encourages professionals to look beyond presenting behaviour to understand the experiences and circumstances affecting individual young people.

Participants will consider the particular experiences of care-experienced young people, including the importance of avoiding unnecessary criminalisation, alongside trauma-informed, strengths-based and restorative approaches to practice.

The seminar will also introduce practical considerations around proportionate risk management, safeguarding and effective multi-agency working, with a focus on balancing safety and accountability with relationships, strengths and opportunities for positive change.

Course Content

The seminar will explore the different pathways through which young people may become involved in offending and the criminal justice system, recognising that offending behaviour rarely occurs in isolation. Participants will consider the influence of experiences of care, adversity, trauma, exploitation, discrimination, disrupted relationships and wider social circumstances, and how these factors can shape behaviour, decision-making and vulnerability.

Particular attention will be given to the experiences of care-experienced young people and the importance of understanding offending within the wider context of a young person’s life. The seminar will consider how professional and organisational responses can sometimes contribute to unnecessary criminalisation and how practitioners can respond to concerning behaviour while maintaining a focus on safeguarding, relationships and positive change.

Participants will explore trauma-informed, strengths-based and restorative approaches to working with young people affected by offending and criminal justice involvement. This will include considering how professionals can support accountability without defining a young person by their behaviour, recognise strengths and opportunities for change, and help young people develop more positive identities and aspirations.

The seminar will also introduce practical considerations around risk management, safeguarding and multi-agency working. Through examples, participants will consider proportionate responses to risk and the importance of effective communication and collaboration between social care, youth justice, police and other professionals involved in supporting the young person.

Practice Application

Throughout the course, participants will be encouraged to look beyond the immediate behaviour and consider what may be happening in the young person’s wider life.

Practical discussion and scenarios will explore how professionals can respond to offending and risk-taking behaviour without allowing the behaviour to define the young person.

Participants will consider how to maintain meaningful professional relationships while setting appropriate boundaries, managing risk and supporting accountability.

The course will explore responses to incidents within residential and supported settings, including decision-making around police involvement, safeguarding responses, information sharing and communication with other professionals.

Participants will also consider how direct work and key working can help young people explore consequences, relationships, decision-making, peer influence, exploitation, aspirations and alternative futures.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the seminar, participants should be able to:

• Identify key pathways into offending and criminal justice involvement, including the potential influence of care experience, exploitation, adversity and discrimination.
• Recognise how trauma, relationships and wider social circumstances can influence offending and risk-taking behaviour.
• Understand the particular experiences of care-experienced young people, including how professional responses can contribute to or help prevent unnecessary criminalisation.
• Consider how trauma-informed, strengths-based and restorative approaches can support engagement, accountability and positive change.
• Recognise key considerations in proportionate risk management, safeguarding and multi-agency working when supporting young people affected by the criminal justice system.

Intended Audience

This course is suitable for professionals working with children and young people who are involved with, at risk of becoming involved with, or affected by the criminal justice system. This includes residential childcare practitioners, children’s home managers and deputy managers, supported accommodation practitioners and managers, foster carers and fostering professionals, social workers, personal advisers, key workers and other professionals working with adolescents across children’s social care.

Course Facilitator

Silvia Lopez Quijada is an experienced practitioner, academic and trainer with specialist knowledge across youth justice, criminal justice, victimology, restorative justice and domestic abuse.

Her professional and academic interests include understanding offending and victimisation within their wider social and relational contexts and exploring evidence-informed approaches that promote accountability, rehabilitation and positive change.

Silvia brings a strong combination of academic knowledge and practice-focused learning to her training. Her approach encourages participants to look beyond labels and presenting behaviour, consider the experiences and circumstances influencing young people’s involvement with the criminal justice system, and develop responses that balance safeguarding, accountability, relationships and opportunities for change.

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