Children are being pulled into the youth justice system because their early health, education and care needs are not being addressed, according to a new Child of the North report.
The authors call for urgent action as new analysis shows both the number of children in the justice system and reoffending rates are rising together for the first time in a decade.
Published as part of the Child of the North #ChildrenFirst campaign, the Childhood Vulnerability, Crime and Justice Update highlights new evidence showing how educational disengagement, safeguarding concerns, and structural inequalities related to ethnicity influence children's contact with the justice system.
The authors call for national infrastructure and guidance to support data linkage across public services, demonstrating how linking routinely collected information can help identify vulnerable children earlier and inform more timely, targeted support.
Child of the North is calling for an unrelenting focus on addressing the crisis impacting millions of children throughout the UK – a crisis which is resulting in too many vulnerable children being criminalised.
The report highlights recent research conducted by researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Hull which uses nationwide linked Department for Education and Ministry of Justice records to show that children who are permanently excluded from school face double the risk of serious violence in the year that follows.
Crucially, this risk is already heightened before exclusion, underscoring the need for earlier, preventative action. These findings also strengthen the case for school exclusion to trigger robust multi-agency safeguarding responses.
The report also draws on studies conducted in Bradford by the ESRC Vulnerability and Policing Futures Research Centre which identify two distinct pathways through which young people become disengaged from education, employment, or training.
The research shows that a uniform approach cannot meet the needs of all disengaged children, whose circumstances differ greatly. For example, a child disengaging due to caring responsibilities and a child excluded for behavioural issues currently receive the same generic support, despite requiring completely different interventions. The findings underline the urgent need for tailored interventions that reflects these diverse needs of children.
Further research from the centre shows that 10% of looked-after children who go missing account for half of all missing episodes. These children evidence a pattern of acute vulnerability that creates significant safeguarding demand for police and public service partners, underscoring the need for intensive support.
The analysis reveals important insights into the risk factors and timing of missing episodes, which often coincide with the underlying needs of a child and, in some cases, can be an early indicator of criminal exploitation.
Crisis impacting children
Report co-author Professor Dan Birks from the University of Leeds said: "Child of the North is calling for an unrelenting focus on addressing the crisis impacting millions of children throughout the UK – a crisis which is resulting in too many vulnerable children being criminalised.
"We urgently need stronger, evidence-led support for the most vulnerable children. Without it, problems such as unmet special educational needs, family stress, or trauma increase the risk of escalating into unnecessary contact with the justice system, placing additional strain on already overstretched public services and exposing children to further harm.
"Reducing these upstream risks and minimising contact with the justice system are essential steps in preventing victimisation, reducing offending, and improving outcomes across the life course.
"A whole-system preventative approach is the only sustainable path forward, but it must be guided by evidence. Harnessing the data public services routinely collect allows us to map how vulnerabilities cluster and rigorously evaluate our response. This ensures support is not only coordinated but targeted exactly where it will deliver the greatest benefit."
#ChildrenFirst campaign
The #ChildrenFirst campaign was launched at the National Opportunity Summit hosted in Leeds on Monday 8 September, where Minister Josh MacAlister pledged his support towards building a country that works for all children on his first day as Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the Department for Education.
#ChildrenFirst builds on a major series of reports produced last year on key topics identified by Northern child health leaders as major issues of concern, including poverty, special educational needs, school attendance and mental health. The reports included evidence-based plans and recommendations for policymakers to help address these issues.
The #ChildrenFirst campaign also includes the launch of toolkits designed to help schools, child health workers and local authorities take practical steps to improve the health and wellbeing issues faced by the children and young people in their care.
The practitioner toolkits have been published alongside updates to the 'A country that works for all children and young people' report series, produced jointly by Child of the North – a collaboration between the N8 Research Partnership and Health Equity North – and the Centre for Young Lives think tank.
The toolkits provide evidence and suggestions about how all parties can work together to build a country that works for all children and young people. The goal is to ensure alignment between practitioners on the ground and government's work on the Opportunity Mission to make certain that every child has the best possible start in life.
Encouraging signs
Baroness Anne Longfield, Founder of the Centre for Young Lives, said: "Too many vulnerable children fall through gaps in the education, care, and family support systems because of repeated failures to intervene and provide support earlier in their lives. Some children become at much greater risk of exploitation, crime, and harm as a result.
"There are encouraging signs that those local areas taking an evidence-driven, targeted approach that brings together services, schools, charities, and others - and supports children and families before crisis hits - are beginning to see positive results.
"Child of the North is not only shining a light on the dangers facing some vulnerable children but is also putting forward workable solutions and best practice. The Government's Young Futures programme and Best Start Family Hubs provide fresh opportunities to spread this good work and prevent more vulnerable children from entering the criminal justice system or becoming victims of violence and crime."
Each of the 12 reports is based on in-depth research carried out by academic experts in children and young people's health and wellbeing from universities across the North of England and beyond, including N8 Research Partnership members Leeds, Manchester, Durham, York, Lancaster, Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle, the University of Bradford, and others.
The policy recommendations made in the reports have helped to shape the Government's Opportunity Mission - the goal of which is to break down the link between a person's background and their future success, and give children the best start in life.
Professor Mark Mon-Williams from the University of Leeds' School of Psychology, who edited the report series, said: "These findings make it unmistakably clear that our youth justice system is bearing the weight of societal inequalities that begin long before a young person enters the justice system.
"If we want meaningful change, we must shift our focus upstream and prioritise prevention, early support, and the creation of environments in which children can flourish. We can reduce the number of young people being drawn into the justice system if we address the root causes of vulnerability. The time has come to build a fairer, more compassionate society that enables every child to realise their potential."
The report update, the original report, toolkits and last year's webinar are all available on the N8 Research Partnership website.
