Background

The primary focus of this ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK) Research Fellowship is to understand the links between care experience (i.e. having been in foster care, children’s homes and/or kinship care), ethnicity and involvement with the youth justice system in England. The Fellowship is supported by a project partner, Barnardo’s, who have undertaken complementary qualitative research with Black care-experienced young people in prison in England. This project began at Lancaster University and will be completed at Manchester Metropolitan University in December 2023. It is supported by two mentors, Professor Brian Francis and Dr Claire Fitzpatrick, both at Lancaster University. The project involves analysis of new linked datasets from Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and Department for Education (DfE) formed under the Data First initiative. The analysis is being carried out in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service. The analysis utilises DfE data taken from the National Pupil Database containing demographic information and Children Looked After (CLA) datasets detailing children’s social care involvement in England. The analysis also utilises MoJ data from the Police National Computer, which includes information about proven offences and sentencing outcomes in England.

Outcomes

Blog post, Data Explained, Policy Briefing, Joint Launch Event with Barnardo’s, Parliamentary Roundtable with Barnardo’s, Joint Animation with Barnardo’s

Relevant Links

ADR UK project page: https://www.adruk.org/our-work/browse-all-projects/adr-uk-research-fellows-ministry-of-justice-and-the-department-for-education-linked-datasets-fellowships-509/

ADR UK blog post: https://www.adruk.org/news-publications/news-blogs/exploring-ethnicity-care-experience-and-justice-systems-involvement/

ADR UK Data Explained: https://www.adruk.org/fileadmin/uploads/adruk/Documents/Data_Explained/Data-Explained-MoJ-DfE-Katie-Hunter.pdf

ADR UK policy briefing: https://www.adruk.org/news-publications/publications-reports/policy-briefing-care-experience-ethnicity-and-youth-justice-involvement-key-trends-and-policy-implications/

Project partner (Barnardo’s) page for their research report: https://www.barnardos.org.uk/news/double-discrimination-barnardos-calls-change-report-highlights-young-black-people-who-have

Joint Animation

This hard-hitting animation, created by Popla Media, was commissioned to mark the launch of two landmark reports from Barnardo’s and ADR UK that highlight the prevalence of young people from care who get caught up in the criminal justice system. The Barnardo’s report “Double Discrimination” looks specifically at the experiences of Black children and offers a number of solutions to support them. The animation visualises what a life of increased racism, discrimination, exclusion and over policing can feel like. It was premiered at the launch of both reports, in front of an invited audience at the Museum of Liverpool.