Too many children in care end up in the criminal justice system – we need to do better – Family Law

an article by Laura Cooper for the Family Law blog
"This article was originally published on the Just For Kids Law website and WAS reproduced with permission."

Laura Cooper writes about the crucial role that youth justice lawyers have to play in reducing the criminalisation of looked after children at the police station.




Imagine this scenario: A teenager gets into an argument with their parents. Voices are raised and the child refuses to follow mum and dad’s instructions. The parents call the police, who arrive to take the child into custody.

This might sound unlikely, because it is. Most parents understand that calling the police to intervene in a disagreement with their children is a last resort that should only be taken in extreme circumstances. Unfortunately, the same is not true for children in care. Recent research from the Howard League for Penal Reform revealed that children’s homes in some parts of England are calling the police as many as 200 times a year. [Link is only to a press release not to a report on the research.] Repeated contact with the criminal justice system puts children at risk of criminalisation, as they end up being pulled into a strong current of crime from which it is difficult to escape.

The children we are concerned about are some of society’s most vulnerable. Looked after children are likely to have experienced multiple disadvantage, trauma and abuse which can contribute to challenging behaviour and other difficulties. They may have also been affected by problems inherent to the care system which are known to adversely impact on support, well-being and behaviour, such as instability in terms of placement and social worker. And whilst some children’s homes and foster carers are excellent and provide specialist care which ensures challenging behaviour is addressed and supported, too many looked after children find themselves in placements where they don’t get the support they need, and the police get called unnecessarily. These factors all contribute to a situation where children in care are 10 times more likely to be criminalised than other children.

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Who cares? Exploring economic inactivity among young women in the NEET group across England

an article by Sue Maguire (University of Bath, UK) published in Journal of Education and Work Volume 31 Issue 7-8 (2018)

Abstract

This paper explores what it means to be defined as NEET and economically inactive (EI).

It draws on research conducted in England in 2016 and 2017 to examine the lives of young women who carry this label.

While the term ‘NEET’ has been extended in recent years to cover a much wider age cohort of young people across the UK (and internationally), this has failed to be accompanied by an expansion in understanding about the wider group of young people it now embraces. The division within the NEET group between young people who are defined as economically active (EA), i.e. unemployed, and economically inactive (EI) triggers significant differences in the type of welfare entitlement and associated levels of support received.

The paper explores why there are many young women who become NEET and EI and remain so for long periods of time. It presents evidence which highlights that young women often find themselves isolated and disconnected, despite their abilities and aspirations.

The existing evidence would suggest the wider categorisation of NEET status and, crucially, associated policy interventions are failing to meet the needs of many young people, both those classified as NEET EA and those classified as NEET EI.

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My Generation, Baby: The Politics of Age in Brexit Britain

a post by Laura Gardiner and Torsten Bell for the Resolution Foundation blog

Generational politics is nothing new, but the extent of the profound generational cleavage that has emerged in British electoral politics is novel. The Brexit vote and the 2017 general election put generational politics centre‐stage, eclipsing in some ways the traditionally dominant role of class. Our two main parties now rely on age‐based coalitions of support—on the votes of the young in the case of Labour and the old in the case of the Conservatives. Both are severely constrained in their ability to spread their support to other age groups and, partly as a result, to form a government with a significant majority. This matters for understanding the cut and thrust of British politics today, but its importance only grows when we look ahead.

Both sides may be tempted to view this as an equilibrium they can live with, as Labour believes it has the voters of the future and the Conservatives rely on the age groups most likely to actually vote. But the risk is that this ‘generational lock’ on our politics blocks a much‐needed progressive governing shift for post‐Brexit Britain—a shift to address two crucial, but generationally charged, economic challenges.

First, the need to support young people’s living standards, because the expectation of each generation doing significantly better than their predecessors is not being met for younger cohorts today.

And second, delivering and, crucially, paying for the health and care that a growing older population will need as the large baby boomer generation retires. Such a governing agenda will involve trade‐offs that a generationally polarised politics hinders at best, and blocks at worst.

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Contextualizing connectivity: how internet connection type and parental factors influence technology use among lower-income children

an article by Vikki S. Katz and Katherine Ognyanova (Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA) and Meghan B. Moran (Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA) published in Information, Communication & Society Volume 22 Issue 3 (2019)

Abstract

This project links research on digital inequality, which focuses on connection quality and its outcomes for under-connected individuals, and parental mediation, which focuses on the influence of parents on children’s technology experiences.

We examine the internet connection type used by families, the technology experiences of lower-income parents, and their perceptions of opportunities that technology use offers their children. We then determine how these factors influence the frequency and scope of their school-age children’s technology use.

Findings show that contextualizing children’s connectivity to account for infrastructural, socio-demographic, and relational influences provides new insights into the technology experiences of lower-income children. One set of findings suggests that direct benefit from increased connectivity is most evident for lower-income parents – those with the lowest household incomes, lowest levels of education, and whose dominant language is not English.

These effects remain after controlling for other socio-demographic factors. The second set of results shows that greater connectivity increases how frequently both children and parents use the internet, but is associated only with a greater scope of internet activities for parents.

Parents’ online activity scope is important for their children’s online experiences, directly predicting the scope of their online activities. High-scope parents were also significantly more likely to see digital opportunities in their children’s internet use, which in turn also predicted more frequent and broader internet use by their children. We conclude by considering the practical implications of these findings for digital equity initiatives targeting lower-income families.

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Young people’s experiences of political membership: from political parties to Facebook groups

an article by Mats Ekström and Malin Sveningsson (University of Gothenburg, Sweden) published in Information, Communication & Society Volume 22 Issue 2 (2019)

Abstract

In contemporary democracies, citizens’ political memberships are undergoing significant changes. Particularly young people are described as being less interested in long-term commitments in conventional political collectives, instead preferring to engage in cause-oriented activism in loosely organised groups, often sustained by online media.

However, behind these general trends, there is a diversity of collective activities, where people are typically part of several ones.

The shifting forms of memberships have rarely been investigated as such from the perspective of young citizens.

Using a qualitative multi-method approach, this article investigates how young people with an interest in civic and political issues experience and reflect upon their involvements in various collectives.

The analysis focuses on two aspects: the explorations that characterise the participants’ political memberships, and the meanings and motives of joining political collectives.

On the whole, the participants’ involvement can be described as shifting and tentative. This can be related to the idea of adolescence as a formative period of life, where explorations of memberships constitute important processes in young people’s development of values, beliefs and identities.

As for meanings and motives, three themes were found to be central: perceived efficacy, self-identity and peer relationships.

The study suggests that political membership is multidimensional and usefully analysed as a process rather than a dichotomous category. As such, it involves explorations and changes over time. The study highlights the reflexive dimensions of membership, where affiliations to collectives is something that youth try out, work on, account for and reconsider in relation to their self-identities.

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Technology need not be the enemy in the fight for better mental health

an article by Emily Reynolds published in the Guardian

New digital technology is being touted as a quick, cost-effective way to deliver therapy. But it mustn’t become the only option


‘Digital interventions are a useful tool, but are not sufficient on their own – they’re simply one weapon in what should be an arsenal of options for young people.’ Photograph: Christopher Thomond

Effective treatment for children with mental illnesses is a pressing issue – so much so, in fact, that a huge chunk of the recent NHS long-term plan was dedicated to it. It’s long overdue: child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are suffering from both lack of funding and under resourcing, with young people subsequently forced to wait months or even years for treatment.

The plan has numerous suggestions: more money pumped into services, for one, an overhaul of crisis care, early intervention. But, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), there could be another way to combat the issue: apps. They’re recommending that the NHS administer cognitive behavioural therapy via phones and computers – therapy specifically designed to help five- to eight-year-olds.

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Anywhere, anytime: children’s exposure to alcohol marketing

a post by Tim Chambers and Louise Signal for OUP blog

People cheering at a party by Yutacar. Public domain via Unsplash

“Marketing plays a critical role in the globalization of patterns of alcohol use among young people, and reflects the revolution that is occurring in marketing in general”
—The World Health Organization (WHO)

Alcohol is linked to over 200 medical conditions, causes a number of cancers and a raft of social issues that collectively place a major burden on society. Children are particularly susceptible to the harms from alcohol consumption due to their developing brains and inexperience regarding consumption risks. For example, early onset drinking is linked with various adverse psychological, physical, and social outcomes, such as alcohol dependence, neurological dysfunction, and risky/unwanted sexual interactions. Despite the harm alcohol can cause, there are currently little to no legislative regulations in place on alcohol marketing in many countries.

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Meet the 18-Year-Old Using Video Games To Improve Your Mental Health

a post by Jem Collins in the RightsInfo blog



She’s just 18, but Emily Mitchell has already made a strong start on smashing taboos and stereotypes. Hailing from Watford, the young woman is the creator of Fractured Minds, a video game which addresses and educates its players on the challenges faced by people suffering from mental health issues.

“It’s a short game,” explains Emily, “and it explores the challenges and struggles of people suffering with mental health issues.” It’s also a simple game, reminiscent of early 00s online games such as Escape From the Red Room. However, there’s more to Emily’s game than just escaping.

“Each room represents a different aspect of mental illness and how it affects people’s daily lives,” says Emily. “I wanted the player to be able to use their own experiences of mental health to interpret the meaning of the game, so that they could get a sense of what each level means to them personally. I really wanted the game to mean something to people, to be more than just a game you play and forget about.”

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The identity curation game: digital inequality, identity work, and emotion management

an article by Laura Robinson (Santa Clara University, USA) published in Information, Communication & Society Volume 21 Issue 5 (May 2018)

Abstract

The research examines an understudied facet of digital inequality: how digital inequality impacts identity work and emotion management.

The analysis reveals how unequal access to digital resources shapes how well youths are able to play what I call the identity curation game.

Digital resources determine youths’ ability to succeed in this game that is governed by three implicit rules:

1. constantly update or be sidelined,
2. engage in constant reciprocated identity-affirming interactions, and
3. maintain a strategy of vigilance to remove traces of failed identity performances.

This article draws on Symbolic Interactionism and pays particular attention to Hochschild’s theory of emotion management.

Drawing on these frameworks, the findings reveal how under-resourced youths experience connectivity gaps that disrupt their ability to play the identity curation game, as well as the resulting emotional consequences. Under-resourced youths manage distinctive negative emotions arising from connectivity gaps that hinder their digital identity work, as well as engaging in distinct kinds of suppressive work to police their own emotions including longing, envy, shame, frustration, and stigmatization.

In making these linkages, the research reveals the cascading effects of digital inequality among youths where constant connectivity is the sine qua non of social inclusion.

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Reproducing low-wage labour: capital accumulation, labour markets and young workers

an article by Edward Yates (University of Leicester, UK) published in Industrial Relations Journal Volume 48 Issue 5-6 (November 2017)

Abstract

Drawing on evidence from Greater Manchester, this article examines how structural changes in capital accumulation have created particular labour market outcomes, which have led to young people becoming a source of cheap labour for the growing low-wage service economy.

Greater Manchester has been selected as a case study because of the sectoral composition of its labour market and because levels of low pay for young workers are above the national low-pay average of 40 per cent.

The research reveals that it is necessary to move beyond sociological explanations that concentrate on the ‘essential youthfulness’ of young people and instead draw on analytical categories from political economy in order to understand the structural causes of young people's material circumstances.

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Researchers to study school records for clues on suicide and self-harm

an article by Haroon Siddique published in the Guardian

Project aims to identify risk factors by comparing school and health records, paving the way for early intervention


School pupils in a playground. There were 98 suicides among 10- to 14-year-olds in the UK between 2005 to 2014. Photograph: Vesa Moilanen/Rex Features

Researchers are embarking on an ambitious project to see whether a child’s school record can provide vital clues as to whether they are at risk of suicide or self-harm.

Nearly one in 10 young people self-harm or have suicidal thoughts but understanding of the causes is limited, making prevention difficult.

By analysing anonymised school data for 180,000 10- to 17-year-olds in south London, including on attendance and performance, and linking it to their health and hospital records, researchers hope to identify the most important risk factors, paving the way for early intervention.

The lead researcher, Rina Dutta, a senior clinical lecturer in the psychological medicine department at King’s College London, said young people felt under more pressure than in the past, which had led to self-harm becoming almost normalised.

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I must be cynical. It is all very well identifying the young people at risk but who is available to support them through their trauma?

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Racial projections: cyberspace, public space, and the digital divide

an article by Genevieve G. Carpio (University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA) published in Information, Communication & Society Volume 21 Issue 2 (2018)

Abstract

Scholars of critical race studies, urban history, and information and communications technologies (ICTs) share an interest in the relationship between spatial and racial disparities, including the quality of basic infrastructure, degrees of connectivity, and participatory culture.

However, contemporary research on the digital divide struggles to link historical legacies of uneven development, as well as social justice strategies, with digital participation in urban spaces. By examining contemporary digital art that critiques the spatial inequalities encountered by U.S. racial minorities, this article illustrates how public intellectuals use ICTs in ways that draw upon past strategies to territorialize space for political ends.

It focuses on digital pop-ups, open-air installations that cast images onto public space using projectors. Historicizing these new efforts illustrates a continuity of tactics engaged by communities of color in response to socio-spatial inequalities in the urban United States, such as the 1970s mural movement’s efforts to re-politicize spaces of exclusion.

While existing literature finds that digital inequality results in differential digital human capital, this research indicates that place-based claims, such as digital pop-ups, are important sites for combatting racial injustice and creating more inclusionary spaces, especially among youth adults.

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ASU graduate creates website aimed at online safety for teenagers

via ResearchBuzz Firehose: Nicole Greason for Arizona State University news

In spring 2016, Jessica Swarner, then an Arizona State University junior majoring in political science and journalism, saw an alarming story about a young girl’s use of a messaging app.

According to the story, a 13-year-old girl from Virginia was killed by an 18-year-old man she had met on Kik, a mobile instant messaging app. Her parents had been unaware of their daughter’s use of the app and the dangers that could lurk there.

“It really scared me because I had a younger sister in high school at the time who was using Kik,” said Swarner, who graduated in May 2017 with a bachelor's degree and honors from Barrett, The Honors College at ASU.

Swarner already was doing research on cyberpsychology in a lab at ASU focusing on people’s attachment to their mobile phones, online communities, and cyber security, but when she saw this story, it really hit home. She decided to take her research into the realm of parental supervision of minor children’s Internet use, the safety of mobile apps, and online security.

What she found out is that many parents have little or no knowledge of what their children are doing online. In fact, according to a 2016 National Cyber Security Alliance study, 30 percent of teens said their parents were not aware at all or not very aware of their online activities. The same study showed that 57 percent of parents said they were unaware of what their children were doing online.

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Why intergenerational fairness is rising up the agenda, in 10 charts

a blog post by Laura Gardiner for the Resolution Foundation

The prospects of today’s younger generation is a topic that graces newspaper headlines and politician’s speeches with increasing regularity. In the middle of party conference season, here’s a 10-chart guide to where the concern is coming from and what those seeking to address the challenge should be focusing on.

Continue reading and see the charts for yourself:

• Jobs and pay
• Housing
• Incomes
• Consumption
• Wealth
• Public concern

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What can be done to help low-achieving teenagers?

This article (CentrePiece Spring 2017) summarises ‘Adjusting Your Dreams? High School Plans and Dropout Behaviour’ by Dominique Goux, Marc Gurgand and Eric Maurin, which is forthcoming in the Economic Journal

Dominique Goux is at CREST, Paris. Marc Gurgand and Eric Maurin are at the Paris School of Economics. Maurin is also an international research associate in CEP’s education and skills programme and an expert adviser to the Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) at LSE. He presented these findings as a keynote address at CVER’s annual conference in September 2016.

Abstract

Young people who drop out of school are far more likely to experience unemployment and poverty than their peers. Experimental research by Eric Maurin and colleagues in deprived neighbourhoods of Paris shows the effectiveness of low-cost interventions that clarify educational options for low-achievers and dramatically reduce the number of dropouts.

Full text (PDF)

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Whose choice? Young people, career choices and reflexivity re-examined

an article by Jacqueline Laughland-Booÿ and Zlatko Skrbiš (Monash University, Australia) and Margery Mayall (The University of Queensland, Australia) published in Current Sociology Volume 63 Number 4 (July 2015)

Abstract

Young people making future career choices are doing so in an environment that often highlights the benefits supposedly wrought by individualisation and reflexive choice. It is argued that those who demonstrate reflexivity in their decision-making would have an advantage in the negotiation of future risks.

The authors of this article agree with theorists who note that career choices are still strongly influenced by a person’s location in the class structure. However, unlike some writers who suggest youth from more privileged socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to evaluate risk and demonstrate reflexivity, the authors suggest the opposite.

Interviews were conducted with young people aged 16–17 who are participating in an ongoing project designed to follow a cohort of young Australians from adolescence into later life. Our findings suggest that while a more privileged location may afford young people security from many potential risks and problems, this may in fact encourage a non-reflexive perspective and they may choose careers based on social norms rather than ability.

Instead, we argue that it is young people from less privileged backgrounds who tend to demonstrate reflexivity in their career planning.

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Shaped by place? Young people’s aspirations in disadvantaged neighbourhoods

an article by Keith Kintrea (Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK), Ralf St Clair (Faculty of Education, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada) and Muir Houston (School of Education, University of Glasgow, UK) published in Journal of Youth Studies Volume 18 Issue 5 (2015)

Abstract

This paper aims to better understand the relationship between young people’s aspirations towards education and jobs, and the context in which they are formed, especially to understand better the role of disadvantaged places in shaping young people’s aspirations.

Policy makers maintain that disadvantaged areas are associated with low aspirations and there is support for this position from academic work on neighbourhood effects and local labour markets, but evidence is slim.

Using a two-stage survey of young people in disadvantaged settings in three British cities, the paper provides new data on the nature of young peoples’ aspirations, how they change during the teenage years, and how they relate to the places where they are growing up.

The findings are that aspirations are very high and, overall, they do not appear to be depressed in relation to the jobs available in the labour market either by the neighbourhood context or by young people’s perceptions of local labour markets. However, there are significant differences between the pattern of aspirations and how they change over time in the three locations.

The paper then challenges assumptions in policy and in the literature that disadvantaged places equal low aspirations and suggests that understanding how aspirations are formed requires a nuanced approach to the nexus of class, ethnicity and institutional influences within local areas.

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The relational self and the political engagements of young adults

an article by Nathan Manning (University of Bradford) published in Journal of Sociology Volume 50 Number 4 (December 2014)

Abstract

This article explores the recent concern over young people’s apathy and disengagement from politics. It critically addresses this, first, by examining and contesting some of the literature addressing this alleged apathy and dissociation, revealing a particular, narrow and regulatory model of politics and an accompanying liberal notion of self. In contrast, a relational model of self is posited as more sociologically robust and suited to contemporary social life.

Second, the article describes a qualitative Australian study of young people aged 18–30 years, recruited from across the political spectrum.

In contrast to the key liberal principles, participants highlight interconnectedness, permeable public/private divides and the important role of friends and family in fostering and sustaining their political engagements. It is argued that the relational interconnected model of self presented by the participants reflects the conditions of contemporary social life.

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Condition of Britain briefing 2: Growing up and becoming an adult

an IPPR paper by Kayte Lawton (published November 2013)

This second briefing paper to be published as part of IPPR’ s Condition of Britain programme focusses on young people in their teens and early twenties. This phase of life has become, for many, more difficult and insecure in recent decades, and in this paper we consider the societal shifts that have made today’s young people less able to rely on support from stable families, clear routes into work, and opportunities to put down roots by buying a home of their own.

While Britain’s young people are, on the whole, optimistic, resourceful and ambitious, their path to adulthood has grown both longer and more insecure. Changes in family life have made it more difficult for young people to develop the character and emotional resilience they need to become happy and productive adults. The labour market and the education and benefits systems are failing a large number of young people who need more meaningful qualifications and greater assistance with securing decent jobs. What’s more, all young people deserve to benefit from a sustainable and affordable homeownership, and a better and more secure rental market.

Among the questions this paper asks are:

1. How can we strengthen local institutions that are capable of developing young people’s character, maturity and resilience?
2. How can we reform our benefits, job support and training to make sure every young person is learning or earning, and establish stable and coherent vocational options for those not pursuing an academic path?
3. What would be sustainable means of helping young people to realise their aspirations to own their own homes?

Presenting evidence and testimonies from a variety of sources and stakeholders, and this briefing paper offers an overview of the issues facing Britain’s young people, and outlines how we need to rethink both what society expects of young people, and what young people should expect of society.

The five briefing papers in this series are brought together with a new introduction by Nick Pearce, Graeme Cooke and Kayte Lawton in the Condition of Britain interim report, published in December 2013.

Full text (PDF 14pp) http://www.ippr.org/images/media/files/publication/2013/11/Condition-of-Britain-brief02-Growing-up_Nov2013_11487.pdf

The employment equation: why our young people need more maths for today’s jobs

a research report by Jeremy Hodgen and Rachel Marks (King’s College, London) published by The Sutton Trust (July 2013)

Summary

1. This report reviews over 50 research studies to consider the level and type of mathematical skills needed by employers in today’s economy. It considers five key questions:
   • What mathematics (level and content) is required in the workplace today?
   • How and why have the mathematical needs of the workplace changed over time?
   • In what ways is mathematics used in today’s workplace?
   • To what extent do specific workplaces have specific mathematical demands?
   • What are the implications of mathematics use in the workplace for post-16 education?
2. This report looks in detail at the application of mathematics by those without numerate degrees in six key sectors: Health (predominantly nursing); Engineering; Construction and Manufacturing; Transportation; Retail; Finance.
3. Mathematics participation levels in England are recognised internationally to be low. While over half of young people gain at least a C grade at GCSE maths, only 20% continue to study any maths post-16, whereas across the OECD, the majority of young people in all other developed countries outside the UK continue to study maths until age 18.
4. The level of mathematics used by people in the workplace and required by employers for all but the most highly numerate and technical jobs is “simple mathematics in complex settings”. The academic level of the mathematics required lies almost wholly within the GCSE curriculum.
5. However, although the mathematical content may be at GCSE level, it is embedded within complex settings and the transfer of mathematical skill to the workplace is not always straightforward. Many workplace settings require the sophisticated use of these basic mathematical skills, particularly when people in the workplace are faced with modelling scenarios. Increasingly, and particularly in combination with the use of technology such as Computer Aided Design and modelling software, employees work in collaboration to reach joint understandings.
6. All the evidence suggests that workplaces are now technology-rich environments. Many people in the workplace are engaged in ICT, particularly in using spreadsheets and graphical outputs. However, this study finds many examples of people in the workplace using a ‘black-box’ approach to some mathematical techniques, where they lack the mathematical knowledge to understand fully the techniques they are using, to control the technology, and to understand and use the outputs.

Full text (PDF 29pp)

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