The Mayor of London’s Tackling Ethnic Disproportionality in Youth Justice Action Plan included a commitment from the MPS, the MoJ and the Law Society to discuss how to better present the option to obtain legal advice for children.
Today, the MPS operates on the presumption that every child coming into custody will want legal representation. With that in place, it is important that the advice these children receive is appropriate to their needs and opportunities, and that options for diversion are considered at every stage.
Lawyers, Custody Sergeants, Appropriate Adults, Youth Justice Services, and children’s services all have a part to play in making sure this happens. It is important that training is available to these people to give them the knowledge and confidence to give appropriate advice, advocate for diversion options, communicate effectively with children and better identify welfare concerns.
An Advisory Group has been set up to develop and oversee a new pilot to provide this training. The Group includes representatives from MOPAC, the MPS, the London Boroughs of Haringey, Enfield and Lambeth, the Youth Justice Legal Centre, Youth Practitioners Association, London Criminal Court Solicitors Association and Child Rights Youth Justice CIC. Academics from University of Greenwich, University of Nottingham and Kings College London also sit on the Advisory Group.
The pilot is taking place in the London Boroughs of Haringey (Wood Green Police Station) and Lambeth (Brixton Police Station) from mid November 2024 – mid March 2025.
A list of ChiRP trained lawyers and agents can be found below.
ChiRP Trained Lawyers (Freelance - available to be instructed as an agent)
ChiRP Trained Lawyers
