Effective communication

Research highlights the communication demands participation in the youth justice system places on children, with “considerable proficiency in language” required and children having to “navigate a succession of challenging verbal interactions”.¹  A lack of understanding on the part of children was a key theme in our research on both diversion (e.g. “Not sure what I got.”; “I don’t know how long I have left.”)² and youth courts (e.g. “I didn’t have a clue.”; “they use words that I don’t understand, posh words”; “I’m trying not to give a bad impression, so I keep quiet.”).³ Such struggles are likely to be especially pronounced for those with communication needs and, as the statistics outlined below show, these needs are prevalent among the youth justice cohort. The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists lists articulation, perception, listening skills, recall, expression, and interaction – all important in navigating the criminal justice system – as key competencies children with communication difficulties may need support around.⁴ 

According to the national statistics published by the Ministry of Justice and the Youth Justice Board, 71% of children sentenced in the year to March 2020 had identified speech, language and communication needs.⁵ Given the prevalence of communication needs in the youth justice cohort, the Communication Trust, the Dyslexia SpLD Trust and the Autism Education Trust advise practitioners to “assume that any young person you are working with has communication needs until it is proven otherwise.” ⁶ 

Research suggests that, in the absence of professional curiosity, communication difficulties may be misinterpreted by practitioners as attitudinal or behavioural issues, affecting criminal justice outcomes. Snow & Powell note that such difficulties may result in “monosyllabic, poorly elaborated and non-specific responses” together with “poor eye-contact and occasional shrugs of the shoulders.”⁷ They suggest that “[s]uch responses are likely to have a confirmatory effect on the biased impressions that many authority figures already hold about marginalised young people”, with attempts at engagement misconstrued as “deliberate rudeness and wilful non-compliance”.⁸   

Effective communication overcomes what Case et al criticise as the “adult-centric practitioner bias”, which can unhelpfully frame children’s communication difficulties or attitudes as the main factors driving disengagement.⁹ Effective communication strategies on the part of practitioners ensure that, rather than children being made solely responsible for engaging, the impetus is placed on practitioners to work thoughtfully and effectively with them to foster engagement and meet them where they are. 

The literature points to some effective practice in communicating with children in the justice system. For example, in ‘Sentence Trouble’, the Communication Trust, the Dyslexia SpLD Trust and the Autism Education Trust outline a number of effective communication practices for criminal justice practitioners to support children with communication needs. These include:  

• using simple language;  
• speaking a little slower than you would normally;  
• asking the child to repeat back in their own words what you have said;  
• giving an overview first; giving extra time for the child to listen and process; using visual aids to support understanding;  
• giving reminders of appointments; asking them what would help them; and  
• making written materials simple and clear.¹⁰  

Considering the prevalence of communication needs among the youth justice cohort, practitioners are also advised to ‘assume that any young person you are working with has communication needs until it is proven otherwise.’¹¹ 

Exploring the Responsiveness of Youth Diversion to Children with SEND– In this literature review, as well flagging the high rate of communication needs among the youth justice cohort, we highlight communication and (mis)interpretation as a potential bar to diversion access. 

These discussions are furthered in our full research report, How is youth diversion working for children with special educational needs and disabilities? . Which recommended, for example, co-location of speech and language therapists in youth justice services.

Young people’s voices on youth court- a prelude to our main report linked below, this briefing centres on the experiences of children and young people in their own words. The briefing is framed around the components of procedural fairness, each of which relies on effective communication, but especially voice and understanding.

Time to get it right: Enhancing problem-solving practice in the Youth Court- in this report, co-authored by the Institute of Crime & Justice Policy Research, we make recommendations to enable effective communication in youth courts, including developing magistrates’ communication skills. 

Voice of the Child Practice Briefing- This NPCC Vulnerability Knowledge & Practice Programme briefing provides the police with strategies and tools to build confidence and support them in engaging with children appropriately. 

The role of communication in developing relationships and encouraging disclosure- While not specific to children, this College of Policing resource contains useful tips on building rapport and active listening. 

Talking to young children- what I’ve learned- This College of Policing article contains useful tips for talking to children who have witnessed a crime. 

YourPolice.UK- Digital Youth Engagement is an NPCC programme which runs the YourPolice.UK Instagram channel for children and young people.  Among its aims are to: provide children and young people with an opportunity to voice concerns about the police; build trust and confidence; provide specialist advice and support to policing on delivering effective communications strategies for children and young people; and offer access to a repository of information to support local, regional and national engagement with children and young people

60% - Giving them a voice: Speech, language and communication needs in the youth justice system- This report was published in 2023 by the Welsh Parliament’s Equality and Social Justice Committee. Its section on policing highlights the importance of police co-location with other services, and of the benefits of speech and language therapists working alongside officers in custody suites.

Big up the Bill- This report from the Children’s Society is part of the young people-led Big Up The Bill campaign, which aims to highlight good examples of police work and encourage police staff to develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours that will make them better at working with children, especially those who are vulnerable. One of the top tips from the young people to police is to “communicate well”.

Mind Your Words Training- This RCSLT training improves your understanding of children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs and speech, language and communication needs.

‘No Comment’ Pathway 

The ‘No Comment’ Pathway is a collaborative initiative between Merseyside’s’ Police, Youth Justice Services (YJSs) and Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP). The purpose is to afford children another opportunity to be diverted from court and engage with YJSs across Merseyside. Additional consideration is given to children disproportionality represented in the youth justice system, including those with special educational needs. Removing the necessity of an admission of guilt or acceptance of responsibility for an offence means that children who might give no comment at interview, or who struggle during police interview, can have an opportunity to receive support and intervention. 

Communication passports

Several youth justice services have developed communication passports. These are short, child-centred documents explaining how a child communicates, what they need to effectively express themselves, and how they can be supported. It brings together key information in the child’s own words or with their input, enabling practitioners to engage with consistency and respect. 

Talking Mats 

A Talking Mat is a visual communication framework which supports people with communication difficulties to express their feelings and views. Talking Mats can be carried out physically or in a digital space e.g. on a tablet or laptop. A tailored youth justice resource was developed with Greater Manchester Youth Justice Service to help enable conversations with children in the youth justice system.  

Communication passport- this is a short, child-centred document explaining how a child communicates, what they need to effectively express themselves, and how they can be supported. It brings together key information in the child’s own words or with their input, enabling practitioners to engage with consistency and respect. The YJB Resource Hub hosts a number of templates from different youth justice services.

Communication friendly environments checklist- This simple checklist from I Can (a children’s communication charity) and The Communication Trust can be used to reflect on how your environment supports children’s communication.