'Crossover' Children in the Youth Justice and Child Protection Systems

"This book provides stories and experiences of ‘crossover children’ and the systems that have not given them the care they need. Unfortunately these stories are far from rare. By providing an analysis that highlights systemic failures, the book is a call to action – we need to ‘disrupt the pipeline’ from child protection and out-of-home care to youth justice." —Julie Edwards, CEO of Jesuit Social Services, Australia

"This research provides an unflinching account of the criminalisation of childhood abuse and trauma, detailing the overlap of children in the youth justice and child protection systems. Attention to these children is long overdue; this research provides a vital and unprecedented picture of their experiences and their pathways into and beyond the youth justice system. It is research that absolutely must be used to inform the major improvements needed to ensure children get the support they deserve and need." —Liana Buchanan, Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People, Victoria, Australia

"Children who are in both the youth justice and care and protection systems usually have the most complex cases and worst prognosis of all who come before the court. Many pass through with little or nothing happening to change their trajectories toward adult offending. Paradoxically they are perhaps the least understood and worst catered for because we have not had the quality of information necessary to help inform effective ways to manage them.

In some courts, strategies such as crossover lists have been adopted to try and improve the way such cases are managed but, more often than not, these are ad hoc and based on anecdotal evidence only.

The type of thorough research, wide consultation and careful analysis needed to properly inform the necessary systemic change is contained in this excellent and thoughtfully compiled book. It captures the wide range of factors to be considered including the true scale of the issue and the diversity of perspectives held by the numerous professionals and agencies interested in the subject. For that reason, it should be compulsory reading for that entire audience including academics and policy makers.

It also goes beyond other research I have read by not only analysing data and looking at trends but also providing explanations for the trends and taking both a big picture and close-up look at the issues. Importantly too, it not only considers the various risk factors for these children but also reminds us that risk is not the same thing as destiny when the right opportunities are provided." —Judge Tony Fitzgerald, District and Youth Court Judge, New Zealand