KESS2 Scholarship: The rights and voice of children in pre-court criminal proceedings

Here is an exciting opportunity to study children’s rights and voices in pre-court proceedings which could lead to entirely new processes and services.

The selected candidate will apply their research skills and ambition to a piece of action research which will be co-produced with professionals and children. This research project will allow the student to develop transferable knowledge and skills, through the fieldwork, spending at least one month a year with partner agencies and KESS’ Postgraduate Skills Development course, in this most exciting field of social research.

This Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS) project will be held in the Centre for Criminology in the Faculty of Business and Society at the University of South Wales. KESS is a programme funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) awarded by the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) in the Welsh Government. The PhD will be associated with Youth Justice Board (YJB) Cymru, National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) and other strategic partners. The project will focus on whether children’s rights are being protected and children’s voices are heard when they are dealt with through the informal route. Hence, this will project will full this knowledge gap in order to improve the services and processes for dealing with children. The Welsh Government Youth Justice Blueprint for Wales aims to further develop diversionary practices and a more co-ordinated approach to establish consistent rights-based practice across Wales. This project will support the partner agency YJB Cymru (and other stakeholders) to move the Welsh Government Blueprint forward in these areas.
The project is backed by YJB Cymru, which is a non-departmental public body responsible for overseeing the youth justice system in Wales.

Programme of research
Wales has been the vanguard in diverting children from court and is committed to the delivery of children’s rights, notably through the Rights of the Children and Young People (Wales) Measure 2011 and of supporting practitioners across a wide range of disciplines to understand and implement the delivery of rights in practice. The proportion of cases dealt with outside the formal arrest/interview/charge procedures (including the use of voluntary interviews and community resolutions away from the police station) is increasing. Whilst there have been some evaluations of out of court disposals, none have yet focused on the rights and voices of the children involved. The use of out of court disposals has a long history with their oft-cited advantages being avoiding labelling/stigma and the other harmful effects of the criminal justice system, reducing the chances of reoffending and dealing with service users more quickly and cheaply. Despite the disadvantages of formal processing through the criminal justice system, its strengths are the application of due process, transparency and the protection of rights. It is unclear whether children’s rights are being protected through the informal route.
The project will explore the use of voluntary interviews and out of court disposals (including street disposals) across different parts of Wales. Specifically, it will examine how information is presented and received by children, how they feel about participating in voluntary interviews and/or to admit to offences in relation to out of court disposals and their access to legal advice, as well as how practices can be improved in these areas.

Application Process
To download an application package, please visit: specific funded studentships. You are required to complete an application form PLUS a brief research proposal - of no more than 1,500 words (including research context, aims and proposed methods).
For any queries on eligibility, please contact: KESS Team at Research and Innovation Services, University of South Wales: [Email Address Removed] Tel: 01443 482578

For informal enquiries or further programme information, please contact: Dr Harriet Pierpoint ([Email Address Removed])

Closing date for applications: midnight Wednesday 20th November 2019
Interviews will be held Tuesday 26th November 2019 at USW Treforest Campus