This reflective account through the lens of a seasoned youth justice practitioner, rhetorically asks: ‘who’s in charge of children’s equality?’ A question intended to stimulate thinking towards a standalone model of children’s justice that is wholly separate from the shackles of the adult criminal justice model, which this author considers should enhance children’s participation in their youth justice system. The concept termed “preferential credence” is initially introduced, which within the context of children’s participation in their youth justice, concerns the child’s struggle to be heard whilst adults and professionals unwittingly undervalue and subtly subvert the voice of the child through prescribed structures and frameworks. The conclusion appreciates the sovereignty of a child justice system that is inclusive and see’s it gathering pace through Child First and Participatory Youth Practice, although vigilance of “preferential credences” that inhibit children’s self-determination, impacting upon identity and affecting desistence is advocated as a cautionary forewarning.