Sentence Trouble - New resources launched to help improve communication with young people in the youth justice system

Sentence Trouble, a new guide for the youth justice workforce to help them communicate more effectively with young people, particularly those with communication needs has been launched by the Communication Trust, in partnership with the AET.

It is estimated that 60% of young people who offend have undetected communication needs, including autism and dyslexia, and struggle to understand written or spoken language.

Sentence Trouble is a detailed resource including practical advice on how to tell if a young person has communication needs and how to help them understand and be understood. It also contains real life examples of how a young person’s journey through the youth justice system is reliant on their ability to understand what is being said to them and to get their message across. It is written for everyone that works or volunteers in Youth Offending Teams, Secure Children’s Homes, Secure Training Centres and Young Offenders Institutions.

Very few staff who work in the youth justice system currently have the skills to adapt their own approach to communication. This means that that many young people don’t get the specialist help and support they need to help them communicate effectively, meaning they are more likely to end up in custody and re-offending. Funded by the DCSF, the project will also provide much needed training to youth justice workers across England on the issues of communication needs.

The AET has worked with the Communications Trust to provide information on the communication needs of those on the autistic spectrum. Sentence Trouble has been produced in partnership by The Communication Trust, The Dyslexia SpLD Trust and the Autism Education Trust, with the support of the Royal College of Speech, Language Therapists, the Association of Youth Offending Managers and the Youth Justice Board.

See the Sentence Trouble website for full information or download the Sentence Trouble booklet below.

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