The Voices of “At Risk” Young People About Services They Received: A Systematic Literature Review

ABSTRACT

In Australia young people who are at risk of offending have attracted much media and policy attention. In recent times, policy reform has seen increased funding for social services delivery to support young people at risk of entering, or are currently in, the juvenile justice system. However, there is limited literature that explores how young people experience services delivered to them. This article reports on a systematic literature review exploring the voices of children and youth on social service delivery for young people who have offended or are at risk of offending. The review aimed to identify English language publications in the fifteen-year period from 2004 to 2018, critique their methodological quality, and analyse and describe the findings of identified studies. Through a search of electronic social sciences databases twelve (n = 12) eligible publications were identified, including six qualitative studies, one quantitative study and five reports. The review highlighted a scarcity of research on this topic but provided evidence about how young people who are at risk of offending experienced social services, and their recommendations for effective service delivery.

IMPLICATIONS

• Practitioners need to create supportive, caring, and respectful environments that facilitate young people’s agency and self-determination.

• Young people need information and clarification but may not always ask for it.

• Experiences of racism need to be acknowledged and racist attitudes actively addressed.

KEYWORDS:

• Youth
• At-risk Young People
• Criminal Justice
• Offending
• Service Delivery
• Service Environments
• Racism

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).