Criminalisation and Exploitation of Children in Care

Julie Shaw is Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Liverpool John Moores University. Julie is an experienced researcher, with research interests including: the care system, criminal/youth justice and practitioner responses; child sexual and criminal exploitation and transitional justice. In addition, Julie is a former probation officer who worked both for a Youth Offending Team and with adults who were the subject of community and custodial sentences. In these roles, she worked with care-experienced children and adults, along with a variety of practitioners from the care, criminal and youth justice systems. Sarah Greenhow is Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Liverpool John Moores University. Sarah is an experienced researcher, with research interests including: the care system; youth justice and social work responses; vulnerable young people's use of communication technologies; and child sexual and criminal exploitation. She has also worked in various roles supporting young people who have experienced the care system, including in youth groups and residential activity schools.

"It is ironic to say the least that local authority care, which is intended to offer vulnerable young people care and protection, too often instead has served to propel them into the criminal justice system. This book offers a lucid account of how the exploitation and criminalisation of young people in care can occur, together with the challenges for multi-agency working and recommendations for more effective approaches. Anyone working in the care and justice sectors will benefit from reading it."David Berridge, Emeritus Professor of Child and Family Welfare, University of Bristol, School for Policy Studies"The phrase 'out of care, into custody' is one well used to denote one of the ways in which many young people find themselves on the road to crime and victimisation. Little work tackles the 'what can be done about this' question. In this original and ground breaking work Shaw and Greenhow chart ways of both understanding and influencing the ways in which multi-agency partnerships can make a difference to the lives of these young people. Focused on recommendations for action, it a book that must be read by practitioners and academics alike."Professor Sandra Walklate, Eleanor Rathbone Chair of Sociology, Liverpool University"The Criminalisation and Exploitation of Children in Care addresses a major concern for those responsible for the safety and security of children and young people in residential and foster care. It draws on original research with practitioners from various agencies involved in the care and protection of young people to highlight the complex and multi-layered nature of the risks, and the need for more effective, multi-agency responses. This is a significant, evidence-based contribution to the field, which details important lessons for policy and practice in safeguarding children and young people in care."Andrew Kendrick, Professor Emeritus, School of Social Work and Social Policy, University of Strathclyde

• Introduction; Chapter 1: Setting the Scene; Chapter 2: Advantages and challenges of multi-agency working; Chapter 3: Theory and Methodology; Chapter 4: Criminalisation; Chapter 5: Exploitation; Chapter 6: Perspectives of MASH Team working: approaching a ‘community of practice’?; Chapter Seven: Conclusion and Final Thoughts