Collaborative Family Work in Youth Justice

In our latest Academic Insights paper, Professor Chris Trotter highlights (i) the links between family relationships and criminal behaviour; and (ii) the research evidence on the effectiveness of family interventions for children in the criminal justice system. The paper focuses upon the Collaborative Family Work approach, designed to be undertaken in the family home by youth justice workers either individually or with the support of another worker. A collaborative problem-solving approach is employed with a number of strength-based activities and deliberate reinforcement of pro-social comments and actions.

"Much has been written about the value of core practice skills and evidence-based interventions in justice settings, and a number of authors lament the shortcomings in their implementation. Family work is one intervention that has been shown to be effective and there are good reasons to support both its wider implementation in youth justice and the expansion of research in this area."

The paper can be accessed via the link below.