Disproportionality Project, Evaluation Report – Islington and Haringey youth justice services (October 2020)
Summary:
Youth justice services have produced an evaluation for a programme designed to tackle key issues in regards to disproportionality of ethnic minority (including White minority) children in the Criminal Justice System in Islington and Haringey services.
Description:
The Disproportionality Project: Addressing issues relating to the disproportionately high representation of Islington and Haringey BAME young people in the Criminal Justice System is concerned with evaluating a programme in Islington and Haringey. The programme was designed to tackle key issues and outcomes relating to the disproportionate representation of ethnic minority (including White minority) children in the Criminal Justice System and beyond.
The project sought to improve awareness and the capacity of staff working with children from ethnic minority communities, through training for staff working with those children and a capacity building and engagement programme to parents and carers in local communities from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The training project had four main outcomes:
1. To provide training around Adverse Childhood Experiences within ethnic minority communities.
2. Setting up an initiative whereby parents from ethnic minority backgrounds have a safe space to discuss the pressures associated with their children- involvement in ASB and/or offending behaviour and the structural and societal pressures they face.
3. To better support children and their families from the poor outcomes and lack of opportunity which unfortunately, is more prevalent in ethnic minority individuals and families due to a variety of societal factors including institutionalised racism.
4. This intervention ultimately is about strengthening communities who have been marginalized by analysing disproportionality at a local level. Supporting the community from a cultural approach, where experiences are shared, will strengthen the community. It will also influence Islington and Haringey to shape and improve the services provided, so that children and their families are supported to (improve outcomes and opportunities so they can) live their best life’.
A number of recommendations were proposed within the evaluation report, which should support Islington and Haringey (as well as any youth justice service around the country) in improving practice and outcomes for children and families.
The training course for staff, parent and children- workshop and the consequent research and evaluation were funded through YJB Pathfinder and Centre for City Criminology: City, University of London.
Contact:
| Youth justice service: | Haringey Youth Justice Service and Islington Youth Justice Service |
| Name: | Matthew Knights and Curtis Ashton |
| Email: | matthew.knights@haringey.gov.uk and curtis.ashton@islington.gov.uk |
| Partner organisation: | info@aimhighproject.co.uk |