‘Talk to me with respect. . .speak to us on the level and we’ll listen too’: Child First collaboration across youth justice agencies

Child First, the youth justice approach championed in England/Wales by the Youth Justice Board, comprises four tenets, the third being ‘collaboration with children’. Using a study exploring this, we investigate how collaboration is understood and experienced by justice-involved children across a variety of agencies. Findings show that collaboration is experienced very inconsistently across the agencies of youth justice (YOTs, custody, police, courts), complicated by unequal power dynamics maintained by intimidating environments and unwilling attitudes. We conclude with recommendations for developing effective ‘collaboration with children’ across all concerned agencies, crucial to facilitating a fully Child First system.