The Youth Justice Conference 2025: Implementing a Child First Approach
Past and Present Supporters Include:
Overview:
The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales has set out a strategy for 2024–2027, placing the safety and wellbeing at the heart of youth justice reform. Key priorities include tackling racial disproportionality and adultification, ending the use of custody for girls, and improving support for those with complex needs. It is essential that multi-agency partnerships are leveraged effectively to reduce rates of offending and provide the best outcomes for those within the youth justice system.
Agenda
Registration
Chair’s Opening Remarks
Dr Sean Creaney, Senior Lecturer in Criminal Justice School of Law and Criminal Justice, Edge Hill University (CONFIRMED)
Keynote: Using a Child-First Approach
- Outlining the Youth Justice Board strategic priorities and best course for implementation from 2024-2027
- Understanding the complex challenges and disadvantages that children within the YJS may face
- Using the lived experience of children to shape service delivery and improve outcomes for children
- Strategies for building pro-social identities that empower children to make positive contributions to society
Martin Pratt CBE, Board Member, Youth Justice Board (CONFIRMED)
Keynote: Rethinking custody for girls: exposing invisible harms and developing girl-wise justice
- Provide a critical overview of the neglect of girls in youth justice, exposing how custody functions as a site of intersecting institutionalised and gendered violence.
- Explore the overlapping harms across welfare and justice systems, highlighting the lack of safe and suitable provision.
- Outline a ‘girl-wise’ penology to help think about long-term solutions
Samantha Burns, Youth Justice Researcher and Co-Chair at The National Association of Youth Justice (CONFIRMED)
Questions & Answers
Comfort Break
Case Study: Evidence-based Youth Justice and Child-First Alignment
- An overview of the Youth Endowment Fund’s evidence-based approaches to reducing youth violence, including a brief summary of our toolkit
- Evidence in action: How YEF is using a Whole Area Model to work with police force areas and their aligned Youth Justice Service’s to enhance evidence-based approaches to diversion
- An exploration of how YEF work’s connects to the Child-First tenants
Hannah Blower, Change Lead – Diversion, Youth Endowment Fund (CONFIRMED)
Keynote: Embedding Restorative Approaches across the Youth Justice System
- The power of restorative practice in improving emotional closure and satisfaction for victims
- How victims benefit from having their voice and questions acknowledged in a safe, supported space
- Supporting children to develop victim empathy and personal accountability, without shame – embedding child first principles
- When and how to use direct vs. indirect restorative processes
- Remaining authentic yet neutral when facilitating difficult conversations
- How restorative justice creates relational, not just procedural, justice
Chloe Ives, Senior Restorative Justice Practitioner, London Borough of Newham (CONFIRMED)
Questions & Answers
Lunch Break
Case Study: Safeguarding and Child Criminal Exploitation
- Identifying individuals who may be vulnerable to child criminal exploitation and understanding how to spot the signs that a child is being exploited
- Ensuring understanding and empathy towards the experiences of children in the YJS due to child criminal exploitation
- Strategies for breaking down exploitative relationships between children and adults
- Collaborating with parents and schools to provide the best possible outcomes for victims of child criminal exploitation
Shauneen Lambe, Director, Youth Justice Legal Centre (CONFIRMED)
Case Study: Disrupting the School to Prison Pipeline
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Educators’ self-perceptions – How educators’ cultural identities and biases shape classroom dynamics
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Intersectional challenges – How multiple aspects of identity (race, gender, socioeconomic status, SEND) influence student experiences
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Cultural humility in action – Assessing the role of self-awareness, listening, and allyship in reducing educational inequality
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Laying the groundwork for future intervention – While this research does not produce a direct intervention, it provides the foundational understanding needed for Paradigm Project and Mindset Matters UK to collaboratively develop a cultural humility toolkit. This future resource will support schools and educators to embed cultural humility practices in a way that is reflective, strategic, and grounded in lived experience
Joel Dunn, Founder & CEO, The Paradigm Project (CONFIRMED)
Jade Ecobichon-Gray, Social Wellness and EDI Consultant, Mindset Matters UK (CONFIRMED)
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Questions & Answers
Breakout Networking: Working Collaboratively to Improve Outcomes for Children and Young People in the Youth Justice System
This session will provide you with the opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities involved in supporting children and young people affected by the youth justice system. Share your experiences and approaches with colleagues from across youth services, local authorities, education, health, and the voluntary sector. Explore strategies to ensure a trauma-informed, child-centred approach to justice and safeguarding.
Comfort Break
Case Study: A Multi-Agency Perspective: Challenges and Opportunities in Supporting and Engaging Child Victims of CCE
- Understanding multi-agency response to CCE that can contribute to a “postcode lottery” of support.
- Prioritising a safeguarding-first approach by shifting the focus from criminalizing children to providing them with essential care and support.
- Improving the accessibility of support for child victims of CCE, particularly by addressing the barriers of service thresholds.
- Building trusted relationships with children by aligning practitioner and parental perspectives on the best way to engage with children who have been exploited.
Shelley Cathers, PhD Student / Residential Adviser, Department of Psychology, Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool (CONFIRMED)
Case Study: Healing in Hostile Spaces: How Occupational Therapy creates change in gang affiliated prison environments
Tara Hennessy, Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist, Offender Healthcare Services (CONFIRMED)
Questions & Answers
Chair’s Closing Remarks
Conference Close
Get in Touch
Previous Speakers
Susannah Hancock
Board Member
Youth Justice Board
Angus Mulready-Jones
Team Leader-Children and Young Adults
HM Inspectorate of Prisons
Alison Sabaroche
Head of Service
Hammersmith and Fulham Youth Justice Service
Dr Stevie-Jade Hardy
Head of Change for Policing and Youth Justice
Youth Endowment Fund
Testimonials
A fantastic insight into the innovative practice covered by a number of country-wide Youth Justice Teams
Excellent skills and practice development opportunity. Invaluable to hear about practices that challenge and address discriminatory practices within the YJS
Great day with really knowledgeable and passionate speakers who really understand the needs of young people and how having their voices heard has to be at the heart of our roles
Really great online event, informative, engaging and motivating
Why You Should Attend
Why Attend:
✓High-level keynotes from leading policymakers and practitioners improving outcomes for those in the youth justice system
✓Hear the latest national updates and evidence-based approaches to tackling reoffending and safeguarding vulnerable children
✓ Gain practical tools and strategies to embed culturally competent, trauma-informed, and child-centred practices
✓Networking opportunities with speakers and senior colleagues across the youth justice sector
✓8 hours of CPD points towards your yearly quota
Who Should Attend?
| Job Title Examples | Organisation Examples |
| Police Officer | Police Force |
| Service Leads | NHS |
| Counsellor | Schools |
| Youth Justice Worker | Charities |
| Safeguarding Lead | Youth Justice Service |
Pricing Options
PUBLIC SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
VOLUNTARY SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
PRIVATE SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
Sponsorship
Raise your Profile, Showcase Your Solutions, Generate New Business
If your products, services, and solutions can support our audiences in their roles, and you want to make connections and generate new business with key stakeholders, decision makers, and influencers, then please contact us using the enquiry form below.
IMPORTANT: There are only a small number of sponsorship opportunities available to ensure maximum exposure and ROI – contact us today to secure your place.
Virtual vs F2F
Whilst F2F provide better options for networking, there are many distinct advantages of sponsoring our online conferences including:
- Wider geographical reach of delegates and a different audience who prefer online to f2f
- Lower sponsorship package costs
- No travel/accommodation
- Less time out of the office
- No stand materials required (lower costs)
- 1 of only 2 sponsors involved – less competition on the day
- Prime speaking slot in the morning of the conference including Q&A – less distractions and easier for delegates to hear/absorb information
- Receive all delegate data after the conference to follow-up directly with those who attend and don’t attend (small % but still key stakeholders)
- Ongoing exposure via OnDemand access (coming soon)
To find out more and discuss your specific objectives, please contact us below:
