Archives: Justice News

Inside Out (a project supported by Youth Justice Voices and Barnardo’s Scotland: Outside In HMP&YOI Polmont) has been recognised as a Scottish Charity Awards finalist in the Pioneering Project category, recognising the unique project which works with care experienced young boys and men in HMP&YOI Polmont to amplify their voices and bring about system, policy and practice change.

Inside Out have also been nominated in the People’s Choice Award category. To help them win, please click here – and encourage others to do the same. 

Ruth Kerracher, Youth Justice Participation Lead (Staf/CYCJ) Youth Justice Voices said: “I am absolutely delighted that Inside Out have shortlisted for the Pioneering Project Award. We’ve worked hard over the past three years to ensure that our projects at Youth Justice Voices are led by the needs, interests and aspirations of care and justice experienced young people. Thanks to our partnership with Barnardo’s youth work team we have been able to provide both a safe space and platform for young people to have their voices heard and acted on within and outwith HMPYOI Polmont.

“We are incredibly proud of the boys and young men who make Inside Out what it is. They have worked really hard as a group to come up with unique ideas to support their peers during lockdown, to learn about their rights and to influence policy and practice.  I have no doubt that they will continue to speak out about issues within the care and justice systems for children and young people.”

Find out more.

STARR, Scotland’s only curated space for secure care experienced children, young people and adults, has won a Sunday Mail Young Scot Community Award.

Formed in 2018, STARR aims to help inform, advise, challenge and change the pathways into, during, and after, secure care. Members use their own experiences help inform, advise, challenge and change how we do secure care in Scotland, and ensure children’s rights are upheld for all.

The annual Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards recognises the outstanding achievements of 11-26 year olds from across Scotland and the extraordinary work they do to improve their local communities and the lives of others.  The winners were announced by BBC Radio 1 DJ, Gemma Cairney, at an awards ceremony at Edinburgh’s International Conference Centre on April 27.

STARR Chair and Founder Beth-Anne Logan said:

“Being nominated for a Young Scot award, then being finalists – and then winning – is something I never actually thought would happen! We campaign for change from a place so pure in our hearts that the thought we are now being recognised for this is amazing.

“I’m proud to be the chair of STARR and I’m proud of each and every member past and present. Without everyone’s input we wouldn’t be where we are today and we certainly wouldn’t have made the changes we are now seeing.

“STARR brings a sense of belonging, of community and of hope. And my biggest hope is that we continue to grow and flourish into the changemakers I know we are all capable of being.”

Find out more.

STARR is always open to new members. If you would like to get involved with STARR, or know someone who might be interested, please email ruby.whitelaw@strath.ac.uk.

The Children’s Care and Justice Bill – Consultation is open for response until June 22. This invites views from people on issues including the Children’s Hearings System; the criminal justice system; secure care; and Scotland’s age of criminal responsibility.

It is very important that children and young people get to have their say on this consultation. To help this happen, CYCJ and the Scottish Government are holding two sessions open to anyone under the age of 26. You will have the chance to say what you think, and raise any worries you might have about this Bill, and what it will mean for you.

You can choose from an event on May 31 (2-4pm), or June 8 (6pm-8pm). Click on the link to register. Please share with anyone you think might be interested.

Children feel that justice should create an opportunity to learn from mistakes, get access to support, and lead to everyone having a second chance, according to new research by the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ).

‘Thinking About Justice’, which explored children’s understanding, experiences of, and aspirations for, justice in Scotland, found that children often felt powerless and judged in their own experiences of justice – and highlighted the important role adults play in creating both just and unjust experiences.

The research, which was commissioned and funded by the Scottish Government, also reports that children’s aspirations for justice include the voices of all children and young people being heard, increasing access to support and services, and ensuring equal and better treatment for everyone.

Thirty-two children took part in online and face-to-face youth-led workshops, with an open approach that encouraged the children to raise the issues that were important to them, using a variety of innovative and arts-based methods.

Findings from this research are available in a variety of formats, including a full report, a summary animation and a child-friendly version which was illustrated by a young person.

Workshop resources will also be available for groups who may want to continue to help CYCJ build an understanding of children and young people’s thoughts, experiences and aspirations for justice.

Find out more.

The Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board is undertaking a survey to help it better engage with children and young people aged 12 -25.

The findings from this survey will play an important part in improving mental health and wellbeing support and information for children and young people in Scotland.

Please take a moment to complete it – or encourage the young people you know to do so. Your views really matter.

The Scottish Government would like your views on how we can protect and support children. This is especially those in conflict with the law.

The law says that the Scottish Government has to ask people their views before important changes are made.

When the Scottish Government asks people for their views it is called a Consultation.

The Scottish Government would like your views on how we can protect and support children. This is especially those in conflict with the law.

We want to make sure all children get the right support. Your views will help inform changes to the law.

The responses should be made by June 22, 2022.

Click here to get started.

The new 11-18s website offers information and guidance which is appropriate and relevant to the experiences of young people aged 11-18.

It also includes advice and signposts clear ways young people can access help and support across 7 key categories:

1. Relationships
2. Socialising online
3. Nudes
4. Sex and sexual content online
5. Sexual abuse
6. Support
7. Online safety

Check it out here.

The Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ) is developing a Collaborative Network of organisations who are working with 12-16 year olds who have experience of the justice system.

This network will include organisations that provide services like advocacy, throughcare and aftercare support, and youth work.

We hope that the Collaborative Network will be an opportunity for children and young people to contribute to policy development, access new participation opportunities, and get involved with improving experiences of the justice system.

If you are aged 12-16 and have experience of the justice system, we’re keen to hear from you about how you think this network might be able to help you and others who have similar experiences. To help you do this, we have created an online survey where you can share your views.

This survey is designed to give you an opportunity to share how you think the Collaborative Network could help you.  You can ask an adult to read through the survey with you and help you decide if you’d like to complete it.

Click here to complete the survey.

If you’d like more information, please contact julia.swann@strath.ac.uk

Community Justice Scotland have launched two new resources to help conversations around community justice.

A free, framing toolkit is now available to support people and organisations shape how they speak, write and communicate about community justice in ways that have the potential to increase public awareness and confidence in it as a sentencing option.

This is accompanied by a new national image library with real-life photographs of community justice. The new resources are designed to help everyone working in the sector talk about community justice in a consistent, easy to understand way that gets across its benefits and value to all.

A new National Child Online Safety Campaign was launched on 8 February to correspond with Safer Internet Day.

The campaign aims to increase awareness of the importance of online safety to parents and carers of children aged 8-11 year olds, and reassure and inform them that the skills they apply offline to help keep their children safe can be used to help protect them online too.

It provides practical advice for parents and guardians on how to check and monitor their child’s online activity by speaking regularly about online safety and taking an interest in what they do online; discussing and agreeing boundaries; setting safety measures. The campaign also provides clear signposting for parents and children towards additional support.

This supporting Hub is packed with practical ideas and advice for parents to feel more confident and informed on the steps they can take to keep their children safer online.