Healthy relationships make the biggest difference
By Sharon Gray, YJB Board Member, Education Consultant at Wholehearted Learning and former Head Teacher of special and mainstream schools.
Sharon Gray
For much of my career in education, I have worked in special schools with children experiencing severe social, emotional and mental health difficulties. I’ve seen first-hand how being in a physically and psychologically safe environment supported them to grow and achieve positive outcomes in life.
I believe that to understand a child’s behaviour we must appreciate how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect brain development. In a youth justice context, we need this understanding to support children to meet their needs, manage their behaviour and ultimately to reduce crime, leading to fewer victims and safer communities.
How neuroscience boosts our understanding and how this links to the youth justice system
So, why is it that children with ACEs are more likely to struggle when it comes to regulating their behaviour? I can best explain this through neuroscience. Neuroscience is the study of how the brain and nervous system develops and its impact on behaviour and cognitive functions.
We know that exposure to ACEs and trauma in early life can affect the structure and function of a child’s developing brain and nervous system. In fact, scans show that the part of the brain called the amygdala is more active in children who have experienced these stresses, leading to an exaggerated fear response. This means that if they find themselves in an uncomfortable situation or place, their survival response is more likely to be triggered, propelling them into fight, flight or freeze.
The fight-flight-freeze response is a type of stress response that helps the body to react to real or perceived threats, like an oncoming car or a growling dog. ‘Freezing’ is fight-or-flight on hold. It’s also called reactive immobility or attentive immobility. It involves similar physiological changes, but instead, the child may stay completely still and get ready for the next move. For example, they might: daydream, hide under a table, refuse to come into a space or classroom, or refuse to move. When a child can’t fight or run from perceived danger, this may incite a panic response, making them numb or immobile in the face of the stressor. For a child, trauma can be one of the most common causes of panic and fear.
Once in this state, children will find it harder to think. They are surviving the best way they can. Essentially their brain becomes like a trigger-happy alarm system, wired to fire at any sensory stimulus that reminds them of an earlier threatening situation. This could be a tone of voice, a sudden movement or even a smell that triggers unconscious memories. Children who have experienced trauma, like those in contact with the youth justice system, need extra support to develop ways to regulate their emotions and feelings, to stop, think and then choose an appropriate response.
Adult regulation/co-regulation
For children to recover from trauma and thrive it is crucial that they form healthy relationships in a trusted and safe place. In our case management guidance we advise practitioners on ways to develop trusted, quality relationships with the children they work with. This is because when children feel safe and supported, they develop those all-important neural connections in the brain. Basically, they learn to regulate their emotions and manage their responses, which the brain can’t do when in a state of stress.
How this affects practice
Building a trusting relationship may not be easy and will require time and perseverance. It is also likely to require self-reflection on the part of the practitioner and understanding as to why a child might respond in a particular way. The Youth Justice Resource Hub contains materials to assist in developing relationship-based practice. Trust will include setting and maintaining appropriate boundaries, not promising confidentiality if the child confides concerning information, responding to their concerns and taking them seriously. Practitioners may also benefit from utilising a relationship-based practice framework, such as the one developed by The Youth Justice Institute. It is an evidence-based model designed to promote desistance with children, including, promoting trust and problem solving.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
As well as relationships, the physical environment is crucial and trusted spaces will vary child by child. While settings such as a classroom can be a consistent source of positive human interaction, this is not for everyone. We must always prioritise the best interests of children and recognise their particular needs, capacities, rights and potential. Nevertheless, the evidence is clear that for children in contact with the youth justice system, education is very important.
The education landscape
In a recent speech to the Association of Youth Justice Service Managers, I said that exclusion is perhaps the youth justice system’s biggest problem. Alongside suspensions and persistent absenteeism, it leads to poorer outcomes with excluded children having reduced exposure to positive relationships and having an increased risk of exploitation. The rates are highest among Black and Mixed ethnicities as well as Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children and this is a huge concern for us. A report by Just for Kids Law, revealed that children outside of mainstream education are more vulnerable to exploitation and, conversely, those who have experienced exploitation are more vulnerable to school exclusion.
These are also issues for older children attending college. Anecdotal reports from the sector indicate that in some instances children are being barred and removed from college courses due to involvement with the youth justice service (YJS). Post-16 establishments are independent and often obtain information for safeguarding purposes, which is acceptable, but should be used for the support not the detriment of the individual.
Issues also extend for children with special educational needs and disability (SEND). Many children on an education, health and care plan (EHCP) are not receiving full provision. Support is often patchy and the same can be said for children with speech, learning and communication needs (SLCN), where some YJSs still lack access to specialist services. We hope that the evidence that we get from our new key performance indicators will shed more light on this, including an appreciation of the barriers, such as a lack of funding.
We are also seeing an increase in children on elective home education, but it is too early to know the reasons for this, and the impact too is unknown at this point.
That is the education landscape that we are working with, but there are some encouraging developments.
What we’re doing, and what can be done
One thing we must always do is listen to the voice of the child. Our Youth Advisory Network, made up of children and young adults who are experts by experience, recently produced this animation to reflect their views on engaging with professionals. The importance of safe, trusted places comes across loud and clear, which, as outlined above, is vital for children to move forward from trauma. We also see the importance they place on positive relational interactions with suggestions of ways this can be enhanced. For example, more services could host support sessions run by young adults with experience, more professionals receiving cultural and behavioural training and for services to look at alternative ways to reach and engage with families. For example, Swindon Youth Justice Service has a parent-led parenting intervention called ‘Village Circle’. It comes into its own if there is a crisis or difficult situation, for example when a child appears in court. The parenting officer would attend court and speak directly to the parents or carers offering support, often in the form of ‘meeting for a coffee’. They take a non-judgemental supportive approach which helps the families to move forward.
At the YJB we have been working with the Association of Colleges (AoC) to raise and maintain awareness of older children being denied college courses due to YJS involvement. We have delivered presentations to colleges leaders and the AoC leadership has given its backing to this initiative.
In London, we have worked alongside colleagues in the MOPAC London Accommodation & Resettlement Partnership and AoC to facilitate workshops involving colleges and YJSs to develop a pan-London protocol. This protocol is designed to improve access and reduce exclusions.
We also continue to develop our trauma-informed work. This includes evaluating the enhanced case management pathfinder in the South West, with plans to share learning towards embedding that approach as business as usual.
With the youth justice workforce in mind, we also launched an Effective Practice Award in trauma informed practice in July 2020, which was developed by Unitas, a specialist provider of youth justice courses. Since its launch, the YJB has sponsored 370 places, all of which have now completed. Other resources and training materials are also available on the Youth Justice Resource Hub.
What you can do
As with many of the pertinent issues in youth justice, partnership working is essential if we are to achieve progress. We must continue to build strong relationships with local schools and colleges. This may involve sharing information or using the evidence to challenge decisions.
We must also work closely with the voluntary and community sector and youth services, who play such an important role in providing the spaces and people for children to grow.
We recommend development of local safeguarding / assessment meetings between education and YJSs to ensure accurate information sharing. There should also be a suitably senior person, preferably a ‘Head’ of education or above that attends YJS management boards. These boards are key in the escalation and resolution of local issues.
We must also ensure that children with SEND with or without an EHCP receive full suitable provision. This could include YJSs and boards ensuring that they keep accurate data on attendance, exclusions and disparity. The new youth justice key performance indicators also have an increased focus on education and SEND.
As the members of the YAN mentioned, families are also important, and YJSs should keep in close contact with parents/carers whose children are at risk of exclusion.
We may not have all of the answers, but by working in a connected way, we can be part of the solution. Let’s venture through this together and support children to be the best they can be.