Episode 20: Craig Houston

In this episode, Communications and Engagement Advisor Katya Allcott-Amjad sits down with three members of CYCJ's Practice Development team, Carole Murphy, Pamela Morrison and Joanne Lee to discuss the workforce development opportunities provided by CYCJ. Carole Murphy, Practice Development Advisor at CYCJ where her role is largely focused on workforce development. She is the Course Lead for CYCJ's Postgraduate Certificate on Children and Young People in Conflict with the Law and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Carole has an interest in data and measuring outcomes for children and young people and is a member of the Youth Justice Improvement Board's Data subgroup. Pamela Morrison is Practice Development Advisor at CYCJ, where she supports the delivery of Scotland's Restorative Justice Action Plan, with a focus on ensuring the rights and needs of children and young people are upheld. She also leads CYCJ's work on children in police custody, working with partners across Scotland to reduce and prevent the use of police custody for children. Joanne Lee, who is a Practice Development Advisor and takes a lead on Learning and Development. Joanne's role focuses on developing CYCJ's strategy for learning and development of our key stakeholders including supporting practitioners with key legislative and policy developments in youth justice practice, whilst contributing to the wider work of the centre's core training objectives. Joanne has completed the Post Graduate Certificate which we will be discussing throughout the course of this episode. Resources mentioned in this episode:  Post graduate certificate in children and young people in conflict with the law - applications open now!  CYCJ's eLearning modules Developmental Wellbeing Approach  

In this episode, Communications and Engagement Advisor, Katya Allcott-Amjad was joined by Craig Houston, CYCJ Research Intern and Dr Kayleigh Charlton, CYCJ Research Associate to discuss the Craig's research into antisocial behaviour and school exclusion.  Craig Houston is a PhD candidate at the University of Glasgow, where he is currently exploring the meaning of, and how, places impact feelings of social connectivity for care-experienced children and young people in Scotland. He joined CYCJ in January 2026 for a 3-month internship, organised through the Scottish Graduate School of Social Sciences. Dr Kayleigh Charlton is a Research Associate at CYCJ. She joined CYCJ on the Nuffield-funded project 'Challenging Justice Inequalities: Co-producing Change with Children in Conflict with the Law'. The project will run from 2024-2026 and aims to explore how intersecting inequalities affect children's experiences of (in)justice. Kayleigh completed her PhD at the University of Bath titled 'The Imaginary Queer Prison: The Possibilities and Limitations of Queering the Prison'. This was an interdisciplinary thesis that explored conceptualisations of queer spaces, uses and meanings of 'queer', LGBTQ+ pains of imprisonment and the use of speculative fiction to (re)imagine responses to the social and economic inequalities faced by LGBTQ+ communities.  To read a blog from Craig where he reflects on the experiences of his internship, click here.

In this episode, Communications and Engagement Advisor, Katya Allcott-Amjad was joined by Professor Carlene Firmin and CYCJ Director Professor Fiona Dyer.   On the day we recorded this episode, our guest Professor Carlene Firmin gave the 23rd Kilbrandon lecture, which CYCJ plays a key role in organising, along with our colleagues at CELCIS and the department of Social Work and Social Policy here at the University of Strathclyde.    Professor Firmin is Professor of Social Work and Director of the Global Centre for Contextual Safeguarding at Durham University. She is also Co-Editor in Chief of the British Journal of Social Work, co-convener of a special interest group on Social Work and Adolescents for the European Social Work Research Association, a Global Ashoka Fellow, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a member of the Churchill Fellowship Advisory Council.  Carlene is also a member of CYCJ's Associates scheme.   Professor Fiona Dyer is Director at the Children and Young People's Centre for Justice.  As Director, Fiona leads CYCJ towards its ambition of ensuring that Scotland's approach to children and young people in conflict with the law is rights-respecting, contributing to better outcomes for children, young people and communities.   Resources mentioned in this episode: Kilbrandon Lectures - https://www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/socialworksocialpolicy/thekilbrandonlectures/  Global Centre for Contextual Safeguarding - https://www.contextualsafeguarding.org.uk/  Criminal Exploitation of Children Framework for Practice - https://www.cycj.org.uk/resource/criminal-exploitation-of-children-cec-framework-for-practice/ 

In this episode, Communications and Engagement Advisor, Katya Allcott was joined by Fiona Dyer and CYCJ Associate Cedric Foussard to discuss the 5th World Congress on Justice with Children and advancing children's rights in Scotland and internationally. Resources mentioned in this episode: CYCJ's world congress satellite event: https://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CYCJ-Satellite-event-note.pdf  Article for the Law Gazette: https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/practice-points/the-three-pillars-of-child-centred-justice/5124589.article  Music by Coma-Media from Pixabay

In this episode of Creative Conversations, Ranald McTaggart, Deputy Director of CYCJ, and Karen Suszek, Practice Development Advisor, sit down with Professor Clare Allely and Criminal Defence Attorney Elizabeth Kelly. Together, they delve into key issues surrounding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the criminal justice sector. This episode was recorded at The University of Strathclyde on Wednesday 20th November, 2024. Music by Coma-Media from Pixabay

In this episode of Creative Conversations with CYCJ our focus is on Inclusion as Prevention (known as IAP). IAP is a partnership project between CYCJ,  Dartington Service Design Lab, Action for Children and South Lanarkshire Council.  Across 5 years the project has explored what happens when children and young people are involved in the design and delivery of services, alongside local authority partners, community groups and third sector organisations.  For this epsiode Rollo was joined by the following members of the project team: Project Mananger Janet Adams (South Lanarkshire Council), Engagement Coordinator Kiera Irvine (Action for Children) and Improvement Coordinator Nate Sheach (Dartington Service Design Lab). We also get the chance to hear from IAP participants Sarah and Niomi.  For more information on the work of Inclusion as Prevention head to https://inclusionasprevention.org.uk/ or https://www.cycj.org.uk/inclusion-as-prevention/ Music by Coma-Media from Pixabay

In this episode, we are joined by three incredible guests: Dr Grace Robinson, Founder and CEO of Black Box Research & Consultancy, Jack Pippard, a Doctoral Researcher and Black Box employee, and Shelly Cathers, a Trainee Expert Witness with Black Box and PhD Researcher. Grace, Jack, and Shelly delivered a lecture at the University of Strathclyde, focusing on the critical topic of Child Criminal Exploitation. During the lecture, attendees were invited to submit their questions, and in this podcast, we continue the conversation by addressing those questions and exploring the complex realities of exploitation that children and young people face. Hosted by Donna McEwan, Practice Development Advisor at CYCJ, this episode offers valuable insights from leading experts and explores practical ways to tackle child criminal exploitation. Music by Coma-Media from Pixabay  

In this episode, we are joined by Graeme Armstrong – a Times bestselling, multi-award-winning author from Airdrie.  Graeme's teenage years were spent within Scotland's 'young team' gang culture. But since then, he has studied English as an undergraduate at the University of Stirling, completed a Masters in Creative Writing, and is currently a PhD doctoral researcher at the University of Strathclyde.  His debut novel, 'The Young Team', was published in 2020 and is now being adapted for screen. It's fair to say that Graeme is a rising star, having written and presented documentaries for the BBC, being named one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists – a once-in-a-decade literary honour, and even appearing in British Vogue.  However, Graeme is still focused on using his past to fight for positive change – representing as he describes 'unrepresented voices'. Across Scotland and beyond, Graeme runs anti-violence outreach events in the community with young people and in the prison estate, he is an ambassador for The Hope Collective and an honorary lecturer at New College Lanarkshire.  Recently, Graeme delivered the Keynote at our National Youth Justice Conference, and he has just joined the CYCJ on our Associates Scheme.  In this episode, Graeme sits down with CYCJ Director, Fiona Dyer for a conversation about his lived experience of gang life, his thoughts on criminal justice, and what life is like for him now and what's next.   Please enjoy Music by Coma-Media from Pixabay

In this episode of Creative Conversations with CYCJ we were joined by Diana Johns, Associate Professor and Chair of Criminology in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne.  One of the newest members of the CYCJ Associates scheme, Diana's research is concerned with the experiences of marginalised or hard-to-reach groups, including young people who've been criminalised and/or imprisoned. Topics that we covered across this inspiring discusson include:  - The tension between idealism and pragmatism in the push to raise the Age of Criminal Responsibility in both Australia and Scotland. - What's meant by 'the abolitionist horizon of youth detention'. - What Diana has learned from her work with marginalised groups in Australia, including African Australian mothers and the Strong Grandmothers of the Central Desert - Urie Bronfenbrenner and the benefits of a social ecological approach to youth justice NB: Unfortunately we encountered some technical difficulties briefly towards the end of this interview, with one of the microphones cuttiing out. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.  Relevant Links: Johns, D, Williams, K & Haines, K (2017) Ecological Youth Justice: Understanding the social ecology of young people's prolific offending, Youth Justice, 17(1): 3-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473225416665611 Local Time by Sanne Oostermeijer and Matt Dwyer (2019) - a design guide for small-scale, local, community-embedded, therapeutic youth justice facilities: https://localtime264843868.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/localtime_designguide_v1-2.pdf  2 recent papers co-authored by Diana Johns about the Dutch model of small-scale local YJ facilities, which are based on relational security: Oostermeijer, S, Souverein, F, Ross, S, Johns, D, van Domburgh, L, Popma, A, & Mulder, E (2023) The case for small-scale, community-integrated, therapeutic facilities: Utility and feasibility for policy transfer from the Dutch to the Victorian Youth Justice System. Journal of Criminology. https://doi.org/10.1177/26338076231193503  Souverein F, Oostermeijer S, Johns D, Ross S, van Domburgh L, Popma A & Mulder, E (2023) Small-scale community-integrated youth justice facilities: Lessons from Dutch reforms and recommendations for cross-jurisdictional implementation. The Prison Journal, 103(5): 679-701. https://doi.org/10.1177/00328855231200638    Sydney Morning Herald on The Strong Grandmomthers of the Central Desert: https://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2021/grandmas/   Empowering African Mothers: Ubuntu in Practice: https://www.crimeprevention.vic.gov.au/in-your-community-0/featured-projects/ubuntu-empowering-mothers-project CYCJ Evaluation of Edinburgh Cotextual Safeguarding Pilot (Action for Children and City of Edniburgh Council): https://www.cycj.org.uk/news/cycj-publish-evaluation-of-edinburghs-contextual-safeguarding-pilot/ Music by Coma-Media from Pixabay

In this episode, Donna McEwan, Practice Development Advisor at CYCJ was joined by Stuart Allardyce, director of the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.  Together they explore some of the complexities surrounding harmful sexual behaviour, delving into nuanced discussions about how we can understand what drives this, adaptations to existing risk assessments and addressing harmful sexual behaviour contextually. Resources mentioned in this episode:  Shore website: https://shorespace.org.uk/ Stop it now helpline: https://www.stopitnow.org.uk/helpline/ Music by Coma-Media from Pixabay