Young person sat with an adult

Understanding preventative intervention in youth justice – London event

The findings of new research, focussed on the Child First approach to youth justice, will be discussed at an event at the Loughborough University London campus on November 23.

The research is part of a growing body of work by the University’s criminologists, which calls for young people that come into contact with the youth justice system to be treated as ‘children’ and not ‘offenders’.

Advocates for Child First Justice argue that taking this approach can enhance lives, reduce offending, promote safer communities and lead to fewer victims.

The ‘Understanding preventative intervention in youth justice: Context, Mechanisms and Outcomes’ study has been led by Loughborough’s Professor Steve Case and colleagues from the University’s Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy division, working with academics from the Universities of Birmingham and Leeds.

The research, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, has reviewed preventative interventions in the youth justice system, in a bid to understand not only the circumstances in which some reoffending programmes work for children, but how and why they work.

Its findings and a series of recommendations will be discussed at an in-person event at the Loughborough University London campus on Wednesday 23 November, from 1-5pm.

Aimed at professionals working with children across a range of areas, such as youth justice, social work, health, and education, the event will feature representatives from the Youth Justice Board, Youth Offending Teams, and the Youth Custody Service, alongside academic experts.

Speaking about the event, Professor Case said: “We are excited to share the findings from our latest research with those directly involved in youth justice and discuss how together we can continue to improve the outcomes for children entering the justice system.”

Information on attending the London event can be found here.

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: PR 22/197

Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2022 QS World University Rankings – the sixth year running – and University of the Year for Sport by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2022.

Loughborough is ranked 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2023, 10th in the Guardian University League Table 2023 and 11th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.

Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’, and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 over 90% of its research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes

The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

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