Children in police custody: piloting a ‘Child First’ approach 

This project will identify and pilot a set of Child First measures for use in police custody.

Why this research is important

Child First is now the guiding principle for the youth justice system. It means treating children in contact with that system first and foremost as children rather than as offenders, empowering them to engage in the process and working with them to reduce the adverse effects of that contact on their lives and achieve positive outcomes for them.  

Building on previous Nuffield-funded research

Dr Vicky Kemp’s previous Nuffield funded project examined the impact of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) protections on the police detention and questioning of children.

The research found that children are often treated as ‘offenders first’ in police custody and processes are largely not adapted to accommodate their youth and developing capacities. In addition, many arrested children spent lengthy periods in police custody, even though no further action was taken against the majority.

As well as the children finding this a punitive and distressing experience, the researchers argue that the process has a negative effect on children’s trust in the police and wider youth justice system.  

Project objectives

The new research will build on the previous project and work with the police to test new approaches, adopting an action research approach to address five key objectives: 

1. Identifying how the police can be enabled to make Child First decisions in the investigative phases of their work. 
2. Identifying how police can work with external partners to better enable diversion and support for the child. 
3. Identifying how a Child First approach can be implemented in police custody.  
4. Producing materials for the national adoption of a Child First approach in investigative decision-making and police custody.  
5. Engaging with policymakers to advance a Child First agenda and providing the tools to do so.  

How the research will be carried out

The research will begin with an initial scoping phase, which will include observations of police interactions with children, semi-structured interviews with police officers and statutory and external agencies, and a roundtable to report on the findings.

Using the initial findings, the research team will develop training and toolkits to support the piloting of a Child First approach in two areas. In addition to an iterative process of evaluation and reflection between cases, the pilots will be staggered to allow the second pilot to be informed by the evaluation of the first.

At the end of both pilots, a mixed-methods approach will further evaluate and refine the approach for use on a national scale. Lastly, the researchers will engage with national stakeholders, policymakers, and Parliamentarians to formulate a plan for national implementation.  

How this research will make a difference

Outputs from the project will include:

• a publicly available report with recommendations for policy and practice
• an evaluation report delivered to local agencies
• an action-plan for national implementation
• materials to assist in the adoption of a Child First approach in police custody
• and articles published in international peer-reviewed journals.