Interdisciplinary methodological innovations for enhancing co-production with professionals and children in secure settings

It is imperative that those who are involved in Youth Justice are given a voice. This includes stakeholders involved in the youth justice system and child services and the young people themselves. Not only is there a moral responsibility to include the voice of the child, but the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for children to have their views heard and taken into account during decision-making. To reach underrepresented and vulnerable groups, such as those within the youth justice system, and stakeholders invested in their care, it is necessary to engage in interdisciplinary research, adopting novel methodologies which are bespoke to those at the heart of the research. Impact in these areas cannot be achieved without flexibility in methodological approach and continuous reflexivity. The authors of this chapter are founders of the Children’s Residential Care Research Network (CRCRN), who conduct interdisciplinary research into Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs). Our research has focused on several aspects of SCHs, including design and build, workforce issues, health and well-being, education and stepdown provisions for transitions back to the community. Adopting the Methodology for Interdisciplinary Research (MIR) framework, we explore the roles and opinions of different stakeholders associated with SCHs. The multi-disciplinary research team have adopted methods from a variety of fields to collect and analyse data in this regard. This has been done through stakeholder events, involving those working in SCHs, policy-makers, third-sector organisations, education, youth justice, social care and academics. The aim of the chapter is to illustrate the importance and practice of using innovative methodological approaches to engage with adult stakeholders of secure care which can then be adapted to enable co-creation with children. This chapter prompts consideration about what co-production means in youth justice and child welfare settings, which includes involving and empowering professionals in the research process to improve collaboration with children through a range of creative methodologies. The chapter demonstrates why the methods adopted were ideal for the research and how they successfully fostered the co-production of data.