The spirit of the Youth Justice Conference
When I first took this job at CYCJ, I learnt that one of my duties would be the organisation of something called the National Youth Justice Conference, held jointly with the National Youth Justice Advisory Group (NYJAG) and the Scottish Government. Despite knowing precisely nothing about youth justice, I figured ‘how hard can it be?’ […]
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A space to be heard
What happens when a global pandemic gets in the way of youth participation work? Kevin Lafferty, participation consultant at Staf, talks us through the work he has been involved in with Staf and CYCJ’s Youth Justice Voices project during lockdown. Just as our Artivism project was about to end and our steering group Youth Just […]
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Keeping The Promise
In February 2020, Scotland’s Independent Care Review shared its findings. At its heart was The Promise, a commitment towards building the care system on a foundation of stable, nurturing and loving relationships. In the first of a four part blog series, CYCJ’s Ross Gibson considers what must happen next to ensure The Promise becomes a […]
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Home sweet home?
Can you imagine having the place you call home pulled away from you without any notice? That’s often been the experience of young people involved in the justice systems, many of whom have lived in multiple places during childhood. In this blog, Charlie McKenzie-Nash explores their feelings around home, and how this brought them into […]
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Still haven’t found what you’re looking for?
In 2019, CYCJ created a Youth Justice in Scotland page on Knowledge Hub, to help practitioners better access, share and discuss resources. Creator Donna McEwan explains why there was a need for it, the benefits of information sharing – and why we’re all in it together. Here at CYCJ, we’re often asked by practitioners working […]
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If you make sure you’re connected…
Youth Justice Voices, CYCJ and Staf’s creative participation project for care and justice experienced young people, is exploring how to keep young people connected and engaged during the COVID-19 UK lockdown. Ruth Kerracher updates us on new possibilities, digital dilemmas and the importance of participation. Digital youth work is not a new phenomenon but suddenly […]
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Silver linings of lockdown
The Coronavirus and UK lockdown are impacting upon young people’s day to day lives – but it’s not all negative. Our guest blogger Simone shares the positives she’s experiencing during this time, and the hope they’re giving her for the future. There has been a lot of talk recently on the current crisis situation of […]
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Inside The Nest
SPOILER ALERT – the following contains plot reveals for BBC drama The Nest. What’s it like to be a plot consultant on one of the most controversial and popular shows to hit our screens in 2020? CYCJ’s Ross Gibson was asked to give input on The Nest from a social work perspective – here he […]
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Reflections on Diversion
With the newly revised Diversion from Prosecution Standards soon to be launched, our guest blogger Kenny looks back at the intervention that ultimately helped him chart a path away from crime. At 13 I started getting involved in some behaviour in my community that people said was “anti-social”. I was just hanging around with my […]
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