Lennox, C., Smith, L., Hefferman-Clarke, R. et al. (5 more authors) (2025) Brief summary of a realist process evaluation of liaison and diversion services for children and young people. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology. ISSN: 1478-9949
Abstract
Liaison & Diversion (L&D) helps people, at the point of arrest, to access health or social care services. L&D services run across England, for anyone aged 10 and over (all-age model). Some research has shown that L&D is helpful, but the evidence is mixed and much of the research has not focused on children. Here, we present a summary of the research and the recommendations presented to NHS England. The study aimed to look at how L&D was delivered for children. Part one was a Rapid Realist Review (RRR) of the literature and undertaking realist interviews with people involved in developing and evaluating L&D. Part two consisted of mixed-methods data collection from six providers of L&D in England to see how L&D works. The RRR identified within the literature seven programme theories (procedural justice, child-centred approach, trauma informed approach, non-labelling, trained workforce, coordinated response and partnership working). The process evaluation showed that delivery was variable and limited by resources, which contributed to gaps in provision and the L&D model was not always working for children and in particular some children, e.g. those already known to services. A series of short- and long-term recommendations were highlighted.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. |
Keywords: | Liaison & Diversion; arrest; police custody; youth justice; children and young people; mental health |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Sociological Studies (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE NIHR203821 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 20 Aug 2025 11:58 |
Last Modified: | 20 Aug 2025 11:58 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Informa UK Limited |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/14789949.2025.2536259 |
Related URLs: | |
Sustainable Development Goals: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:230564 |