Abstract
The Child First Participation agenda in England marks a paradigm shift in youth justice. This solidifies a commitment to democratising decision-making
processes with children. Drawing on interviews with children and professionals, this paper explores the enablers and constraints to Child First participation in youth justice services, including how risk-oriented practices, managerialism and neoliberal mechanisms constrain positive relationships with children. In this paper, Bourdieu’s concept of ‘symbolic violence’ is used to explore systemic problems when engaging children in co-producing youth justice interventions. The paper suggests how participatory practices can provide freedom from symbolic violence for both children and practitioners.
processes with children. Drawing on interviews with children and professionals, this paper explores the enablers and constraints to Child First participation in youth justice services, including how risk-oriented practices, managerialism and neoliberal mechanisms constrain positive relationships with children. In this paper, Bourdieu’s concept of ‘symbolic violence’ is used to explore systemic problems when engaging children in co-producing youth justice interventions. The paper suggests how participatory practices can provide freedom from symbolic violence for both children and practitioners.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-43 |
| Journal | Youth Justice |
| Early online date | 11 Mar 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 11 Mar 2023 |
Keywords
- Bourdieu
- child first
- habitus
- participation
- risk
- symbolic violence
- youth justice
