Children’s Rights and Participation in Youth Justice Systems: An International Perspective

Join the Youth Justice Research Collaboration at the University of Sydney and the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University at this free webinar. It will provide an opportunity for academics and professionals to detail and discuss the upholding of children’s rights and participation in the English and Australian Youth Justice Systems. There will be plenty of opportunities for interactive discussions about the enablers and barriers to meaningful participation in youth justice systems. Youth justice systems have been the focus of considerable scrutiny and review in many jurisdictions in recent years and many of these systems are grappling with how to better involve young people in shaping these systems. Practitioners and academics from England and New South Wales will talk about their work and research. The Forum will bring together key stakeholders working to prevent youth crime and to administer the various aspects of youth justice. Presenters will discuss latest trends, research and policies in these areas and will showcase some of the relevant work across the University of Sydney.

About the Speakers

 

Professor Hannah Smithson– Professor of Criminology and Youth Justice, Manchester Centre for Youth Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom

Dr Hannah Smithson has worked within the field of criminology for over 20 years and she specialises in the area of youth justice. Hannah is the Director of the world-leading Manchester Centre for Youth Studies. Hannah is co-convenor of the award-winning Greater Manchester Youth Justice Partnership – a partnership between Man Met and each of the 10 Greater Manchester youth justice services. The partnership has led to the creation of a transformative new framework: Participatory Youth Practice (PYP). PYP is the first framework to be co-created with justice-involved children based on their lived experiences. PYP has had an impact on youth justice practice, on national and international youth justice strategies, and, most importantly, on justice-involved children themselves. Hannah works collaboratively with a variety of local, national and international communities and stakeholders, including professionals, activists and third sector organisations. Her research has been instrumental in shaping agendas in research and policy across the interconnected areas of youth justice, serious youth violence and child criminal exploitation. She has written extensively on the problematic reductionism of SYV to involvement in gangs. Her most recent publications explore the benefits and challenges of participatory practice with justice-involved children. Her output can be found here.

 

Associate Professor Garner Clancey– The University of Sydney Law School, Australia

Dr Garner Clancey is an Associate Professor in Criminology. Before joining the University of Sydney Law School in 2011, Garner worked in criminal justice agencies (including Juvenile Justice NSW and the NSW Police Force) between 1992-2002 and worked as a crime prevention consultant between 2002-2010. Garner also taught crime prevention, policing, juvenile justice, security and criminology courses at five other Australian universities between 2000 and 2011. Garner’s work focuses on the intersection between research, policy and practice. Currently, Garner is working to develop a whole-of-university approach to youth justice and youth crime issues. Garner is working closely with industry partners and colleagues from across the University of Sydney to tackle various practical and systemic challenges impacting the youth justice system. This work has resulted in the establishment of the University of Sydney’s Youth Justice Collaboration.

Garner is a member of various research centres including the Sydney Institute of Criminology, the Matilda Centre, the Technology Addiction Team (Brain and Mind Centre), and an affiliate of the Wellbeing Health and Youth Centre of Research Excellence in Adolescent Health.

His most recent article considers long term positive trends in youth justice detention. He co-authored Crime Prevention: Principles, Perspectives, Practices which was published by Cambridge University Press in 2021.

 

Dr Lisa Ewenson– Research Associate, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW, Australia

Dr Lisa Ewenson is a social worker and lawyer who has worked for over 15 years in both the youth justice detention and immigration detention centre contexts. Lisa completed her doctoral thesis in 2022, which explores the lived experiences of youth justice detention in New South Wales, Australia, and is now a research associate at UNSW.  Her thesis, Children Must be Heard When They Cannot be Seen, analysed youth justice detention in contemporary Australia considering external oversight mechanisms, children’s rights and the capabilities approach. Relevantly, her work published in the Australian Journal of Human Rights, outlines the legal background to monitoring requirements in youth justice detention and makes practical recommendations for monitoring bodies to be effective in protecting rights and preventing harm to people in detention. It can be accessed here.

Ms Annika Ross– Youth Justice NSW, Australia

Ms Annika Ross has spent her career supporting and engaging with young people at risk. Her university studies focused on grass roots programs for young people through community arts and recreation. This was strengthened through master’s studies in Social Science. Annika has spent the last 17 years working with young people who offend, both in NSW and the UK. Annika has worked for Youth Justice NSW since 2006, in various operational roles and has been most recently managing the Strategic Projects Unit. This role handles a diverse portfolio of policy and project work for the agency including leading the Child Safe Framework, the Disability Action Plan, The Domestic and Family Violence Strategy and diversity, inclusion and wellbeing work for staff and young people.

Mr Thomas Lang– Head of Services, Manchester Youth Justice, Children’s and Education Directorate, United Kingdom

About the Discussant

 

Ms Anne Longfield CBE

Ms Anne Longfield CBE is Chair of the Commission on Young Lives.

From March 2015 to February 2021, Anne was the Children’s Commissioner for England.

Anne has spent the last three decades working to improve the life chances of children, particularly the most vulnerable. She previously led a national children’s charity and has also worked on the delivery of the Sure Start programme in the Cabinet Office. Anne is a passionate champion for children, influencing and shaping the national debate and policy agenda for children and their families. She spent many years campaigning for better childcare, often at a time when many saw the issue as obscure or niche. As Children’s Commissioner, Anne spent six years championing the rights and interests of children with those in power who make decisions about children’s lives, acting as children’s ‘eyes and ears’ in the corridors of power in Whitehall and Westminster. Anne is also Special Advisor to the Lords Public Services Committee on their inquiry into public services and vulnerable children and is the Independent Chair of the NHS Children and Young People Learning Disability and Autism Board.

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Wednesday, 25 October 2023

Cost: Free
Time:  7- 8.30pm AEST
Location: Online (please note, an in-person offering is not available)

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Capacity is extremely limited. If your availability changes, we ask that you promptly update your registration accordingly so we can allocate your space to another participant.

 

Contact

General enquiries may be directed to: law.events@sydney.edu.au

Research related enquiries may be directed to:  garner.clancey@sydney.edu.au or h.l.smithson@mmu.ac.uk