The Role of Higher Education in Youth Justice: A ‘Child-First’ Approach to Diversion

This article examines the perspectives of justice-involved children regarding the obstacles to accessing higher education (HE). It outlines the regulatory approach of the Office for Students (OfS) aimed at ensuring the sector aids disadvantaged children in ‘raising attainment’ through outreach activities to enhance the equality of opportunity. The analysis incorporates both desistance theory and ecological systems theory to understand children’s viewpoints on how being outside mainstream education affects their transition from specialised programs to further learning beyond secondary school. This approach is anchored in the ‘Child-First’ principle, a core aspect of the Youth Justice Board’s strategic plan for 2021–2024, emphasising the importance of children’s voices in efforts to divert them from the youth justice system, thereby reducing victimisation and fostering safer communities. The findings indicate that justice-involved children not in mainstream education who have supportive micro- and mesosystems are more likely to develop an identity aligned with continuing education post secondary school, through positive encouragement and relational environments that promote educational pathways. Thus, higher education can contribute to raising attainment for justice-involved children not in mainstream education by focusing on the broader ecological system surrounding the child, which can encourage a pro-social and pro-educational identity.