A note from our Interim CEO - Celebrating 2 years of the AYJ!
This month marks 2 years since we launched as the Alliance for Youth Justice (AYJ)! Our Interim CEO Saqib Deshmukh reflects on our achievements over the past year.
We continue to build on the legacy and work of the Standing Committee for Youth Justice, which was rebranded as the AYJ 2 years ago. Our new 3-year strategy was launched in December 2022, and we have released our new policy influencing priorities for this strategic period, guided by the priorities and expertise of our members.
This year we’ve seen big changes in our team, and our commitment to our goals remains strong and demonstrable. Our membership continues to be the bedrock of the organisation, and we have continued to develop member voice and offer opportunities to influence policy at the highest level. We utilise the skills and expertise of our members as much as possible, and continue working to build a network representative of those most impacted by the youth justice system.
Our main piece of work this year was the ‘Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Justice’ research project, conducted in partnership between the AYJ and the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies (MCYS) at Manchester Metropolitan University, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. We carried out extensive research and developed recommendations for change across the youth justice system, which we continue to push for today. This culminated in an event in Parliament in June.
Key highlights from the last year include:
The Young Advocates’ first peer-research report, which was co-produced by children and young people with lived experience of the youth justice system. The Young Advocates engaged with over 120 young people across England and Wales, on their three priority topics of stereotypes, education and warning signs, and jail (custody).
The Young Women’s Justice Project, in partnership with Agenda, the alliance for women and girls, culminated with its final report and a Parliamentary Reception. Funding has now been extended by Lloyds Bank Foundation to embed change.
On Monday 20th June, the AYJ hosted a parliamentary event to explore the best means of weathering the ‘perfect storm’ post-pandemic that risks an increase in the number of vulnerable children in the youth justice system. The event marked the end of the Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Justice project - which saw us publish three policy briefings this year:
We have worked with the Children’s Rights Alliance for England’s (CRAE) to inform the civil society response to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, as part of its examination of the UK’s adherence to its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). We gave written and oral evidence and sit on the expert reference group. The civil society report to the UN is published in February 2023.
We launched the Young people in Transition in the Criminal Justice system project - a 3 year programme funded by Barrow Cadbury Trust, examining the experiences of children turning 18 while in contact with the justice system. The project will have three thematic focuses - custody, racial disparity, and safeguarding. We look forward to working with our members, wider stakeholders, and children and young people throughout this project, to develop research and evidence; harness practitioner expertise; centre youth voice; and influence positive change for young people in transition in the criminal justice system.
We held 4 quarterly Members’ Meetings, with key speakers and panel sessions. At the meetings we welcomed Claudia Sturt, Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board, in April 2022; Director of Youth Justice at the Ministry of Justice Alan Webster in July 2022; a panel discussion on the harms posed to children by stop and search, with an emphasis on strip searching, in October 2022; and Rachel De Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, in January 2023.
We launched our new Instagram Account, which will be a critical tool for us to engage with new audiences and become more accessible in line with our new strategy priorities.
The AYJ team and the Young Advocates met with Change Factory. Representatives from Change Factory were visiting London, and other countries, to build an international network for youth justice. Change Factory is an organisation based in Norway, with the goal of sharing knowledge from children with politicians, educators and the wider public.
The AYJ hosted a meeting between the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and AYJ members, to inform the MoJ’s response to recommendations made in the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care. A parallel meeting between the MoJ and the Young Advocates also took place, to ensure that the MoJ were taking into consideration both the expertise and insight of our members, and of children and young people with lived experience of the youth justice system.
To ensure that we're engaging with our members in the ways that suit them, and putting on meetings and events they would like to see, we will be launching a members survey in coming weeks.
We acknowledge the tremendous support of our members, stakeholders and partners, and also from our funders with whom we work to drive positive change in youth justice in England and Wales. We look forward to our continued collaborative work in the years ahead.
Saqib Deshmukh, Interim CEO