Can We Safeguard Better by Keeping More Children Out of Custody?
This week, the Youth Justice Board published encouraging early findings from an independent evaluation of the London Accommodation Pathfinder (LAP), a trauma-informed community alternative to custody for 16 and 17-year-old Black and Mixed heritage boys. The early evidence suggests the programme may reduce reoffending, lower arrests and convictions, reduce time spent in custody and improve outcomes for children, while maintaining public safety. The report is clear that these findings are based on a small sample and should be treated with caution, but they are nevertheless encouraging.
For me, this isn't simply a youth justice story, it's a safeguarding story.
Behind every offence is a child
Too often, society defines children by the worst decision they have made. Safeguarding asks a different question.
What happened to this child before they offended?
Many children entering the youth justice system have experienced significant adversity.
Trauma.
Abuse.
Neglect.
Domestic abuse.
Exploitation.
School exclusion.
Poor mental health.
Substance misuse.
Unstable housing.
These experiences don't excuse harmful behaviour but they do help us understand it and understanding risk is where safeguarding begins.
Trauma-informed practice changes the conversation
One of the most striking aspects of the London Accommodation Pathfinder is its therapeutic, psychologically informed approach.
Rather than focusing solely on punishment, the programme supports children through education, training, mental health support, employability and coordinated multi-agency intervention. That reflects something safeguarding professionals have long understood. Children who have experienced trauma often need stability before they can make positive change. If we ignore trauma, we risk responding only to behaviour. If we understand trauma, we have a better chance of changing outcomes.
Safeguarding and youth justice should never be separate
Sometimes safeguarding and criminal justice are discussed as though they are different systems.
In reality, they are deeply connected.
Many children involved in offending are also victims.
Victims of exploitation.
Victims of violence.
Victims of abuse.
Victims of neglect.
Many have unmet needs that have never been fully recognised.
That is why effective youth justice must also be effective safeguarding.
This is also about disproportionality
The London Accommodation Pathfinder was established to address the over-representation of Black and Mixed heritage children in custody and on remand.
That makes this more than a rehabilitation programme. It is also an opportunity to examine fairness, equity and whether our systems are meeting the needs of all children. Safeguarding means recognising where inequalities exist and asking what we can do differently.
Questions for safeguarding leaders
This evaluation should encourage us to reflect:
Are we identifying risk and susceptibility early enough?
Are we responding to trauma as well as behaviour?
Are agencies working together around the child?
Are we creating opportunities for children to succeed rather than simply managing risk?
Are we listening to children and understanding the experiences behind their actions?
Every child deserves the chance to change
The evaluation rightly advises caution until more evidence is available but it also reminds us of something fundamental. Children are still developing and their lives are not defined by one moment. With the right relationships, support and opportunities, many can move away from offending and towards brighter futures.
Safeguarding is about protecting children from harm. Sometimes that means protecting them from the long-term consequences of unnecessary custody, while never losing sight of the needs of victims and the importance of public safety.
Because the best safeguarding doesn't just respond to harm. It helps prevent it.
Further Reading
London Accommodation Pathfinder 2nd Evaluation
Ethnic disproportionality in remand and sentencing in the youth justice system