📽️ Last year, we hosted an Expert Voices event exploring the toolkit and the practice of judges writing to children, bringing together perspectives from across the system.
Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTDK...
This updated version reflects feedback from judges, children and young people, and professionals across the family justice system.
💡 The toolkit supports family judges in communicating directly with children involved in proceedings, helping to ensure that children feel heard, understand decisions that affect them, and are better engaged in the process.
We welcome the publication of the updated Writing to Children: A Toolkit for Judges by the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane.
🔗 www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/u...
Great to see @policinginsight.bsky.social cover our evidence practice briefing! It offers strategies to bolster effective collaboration & partnership working between police forces & women's centres to improve outcomes for women in contact with the justice system.
👉 Read in full ow.ly/Sm1H50YH0N6
Improving collaboration between police and women's centres
@cjinnovation.bsky.social Innovation evidence and practice looks at cultural barriers and how to overcome them
www.russellwebster.com/improving-co...
Join us on the 26th February from 12.15-13.15 for our next Expert Voices event exploring the realities of retail crime & what works to reduce it.
ow.ly/PFoy50Y5sGs
💡But what is actually driving these trends- and how can the justice system respond in a way that is both fair and effective?
This event will explore what is happening behind the headlines. Find out more and sign up here: ow.ly/PFoy50Y5sGs
🚨 Retail crime has risen up the public & political agenda, attracting media attention that is driving the idea of a growing “crime wave”. The headlines suggest that theft goes unpunished, while the Government is pursuing longer sentence lengths for shoplifting via the Crime and Policing Bill.
Join us on the 26th February from 12.15-13.15 for our next Expert Voices event exploring the realities of retail crime & what works to reduce it.
ow.ly/PFoy50Y5sGs
💡Our new evaluation briefing summarises both this evaluation and one undertaken by Wilkinson Evaluation.
👉https://ow.ly/wNxp50Y4M8g
💡In our new evaluation report, we spoke to stakeholders from the judiciary and the courts service & analysed available data to understand the problems the service seeks to address, how it supports its clients, and the impact it is having.
👉https://ow.ly/25Wx50Y4M3g
💡 @cassplus.bsky.social, a service based in Devon and Cornwall, has been working to advise and support litigants in person through funding from the Ministry of Justice 'Improving Outcomes Through Legal Support Fund', distributed by the Access to Justice Foundation
🚨Since 2011, people in private family law cases have no automatic right to legal aid.
This means a growing number of people are unable to afford a solicitor and instead represent themselves as ‘litigants in person’.
📢New research on how @cassplus.bsky.social supports those representing themselves in the family courts
🤝We found that the support CASS+ provides is having a positive impact, both for clients & the courts.
🧵Find out more and see the full research below⬇️
🚨Sign up for our next Expert Voices event tomorrow from 12.30-13.30!
💡Drawing on our new research, we'll explore the barriers facing litigants in person, their impact on the individuals involved & the wider system, and how @cassplus.bsky.social has sought to support them.
ow.ly/OXQM50Y3CFn
They conduct research on important areas of justice reform including out of court resolutions, the family justice system, smarter sentencing and more - contributing to a fairer and more effective justice system.
Find out more: justiceinnovation.org
🎉 Back in November, @cjinnovation.bsky.social was awarded Outstanding Large Organisation at the #CJAAwards2025 for their work to promote evidence-based, innovative justice policy reforms.
The briefing:
💡Clarifies FDAC eligibility criteria- summarising the evidence base
💡Provides practical guidance for eligibility decisions
💡Provides clinical guidance & support to ensure consistency
💡Explores how factors- e.g. trauma, implicit biases & structural inequalities- may affect decisions
🔔New research on Family Drug & Alcohol Courts!
💡Our new evidence & practice briefing by Dr Sheena Webb aims to support FDAC practitioners & local authority colleagues in decision-making about which families are deemed eligible for & should be referred to FDAC.
Access here: ow.ly/WO0m50XX9jf
🔔Come and work with us!
👀We are recruiting for a creative + pragmatic policy professional to help us advocate for evidence-based reform to UK criminal & family justice systems.
Find out more about our Policy Officer role & apply here by the 12th January👇
app.beapplied.com/apply/deoluy...
Amongst those being particularly encouraged to apply are organisations involved in bids for new Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs).
Find out more in the link above👆
💡 The Women’s Risk Needs Assessment (WRNA) is a gender-informed and trauma-responsive assessment tool for women in the justice system. This new programme aims roll out the WRNA to as many Women’s Centres and women’s specialist services as possible throughout England and Wales.
🔔 Exciting update from The JABBS Foundation for Women and Girls on the extension of the Effective Women's Centres Partnership and the next phase of this work, the Women’s Risk Needs Assessment (WRNA) Expansion Programme.
ow.ly/ACRz50XKRiC
Police protection: best evidence and practice
@cjinnovation.bsky.social Innovation briefing finds a wide variation across forces in how police protection is used
www.russellwebster.com/police-prote...
💡 'Paying for for justice: How our court fines system tips the scales' draws together our research over 3 years, explaining how the current fines system is failing & what can be done to make it fairer, more proportionate & more effective. ow.ly/UZ5a50XtZUe
💡'Justice in arrears: Policy options beyond the court fine' looks at the use of alternative punishments when people are unable to pay, proposing solutions more likely to result in reduced crime, greater victim satisfaction & less cost to the taxpayer. ow.ly/3FPi50XtZOG
💡'A fairer and more effective system for fines and financial orders in magistrates’ courts' looks at ways of improving the court & payment processes, proposing 6 key changes to the system of fines & financial orders in magistrates’ courts. ow.ly/bjlR50XtZIS
🚨Drawing together three years of research, our new reports launched this week explore what can be done to make our court fines system fairer, more proportionate and more effective.🚨
Criminal court fines are the most commonly given out sentence- they represented 75% of all sentences last year. Yet there is limited data or research on their use.
On Monday, we launch 2 new reports pulling together 3 years of research on court fines. There is still time to sign up to join us 👇