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The Action Research Project is a collaboration between the REPPP project and the Department of Justice to provide guidelines for how to develop professional relationships between youth justice workers s and young people participating in Youth Diversion Projects.
The Action Research Project utilised the findings of a Systematic Evidence Synthesis, 'Exploring the ‘black box’ of the frontline professional and young person relationship in youth justice settings' The synthesis describes the research evidence on the benefits and outcomes of relationships between the frontline professional and the young person.
Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative research that explores young people’s and practitioners’ views and experiences of the worker – young person relationship within different settings (e.g., youth justice/probation, youth work, and social work), the review places the lens on the features considered important for professional relationships and the ways on which such relationships are supported or enabled.
The review process followed a modified version of the EMMIE protocol to describe the evidence on effectiveness (E), as well as the mechanisms (M) and moderators (M) important for implementation (I). The review also sought evidence on the economic cost (E) of providing such services.
16 Youth Diversion Projects engaged in an evidence informed Action Research Project. The systematic evidence synthesis was used as a starting point for potential reform and involved co-designing with practitioners, guidance on relationship building between youth justice workers and young people participating in Youth Diversion Projects. As an added innovation, the DoJ and the School of Law in UL arranged bursaries for 16 youth justice workers to undertake a Masters in Human Rights and Criminal Justice. A part of their master’s dissertation the youth justice workers would track the implementation of the Action Research Project.