Children and young people

"Our children have lived through unprecedented times in recent years making their lives more complex with unique challenges. In parallel a legacy of austerity has seen the children’s workforce reduce and demand for support couldn’t be higher.

"All areas of policing have the potential to touch children’s lives. Our priorities are to see the child, advocate for the child and share the voice of the child. We must ensure we understanding the impact of every interaction we have, and being professionally curious to deliver a service which protects the vulnerable and is child centred at its heart.

"Childhood is a fundamental and unique time of life to learn and develop. We will come across young people who have pushed the boundaries too far or who got it very wrong. In these moments we need to consider what’s right for the child, what’s right for the victim and the community. Restorative work and diversionary practice give the child an opportunity to receive support and learn from mistakes. Victims feel heard and the wider community benefits.

"In Sussex we will continue with our child centred mandate and look to engage young people and create better relationships and understanding with them."

- Chief Superintendent Katy Woolford, Equality Champion for Children  Young People

Our work in this area

As a public service

We have identified four key priorities for Sussex Police in delivering a policing service to Children and Young People. They are:

• Stop and Search - Ensuring that our use of this power is fair and proportionate and that Children and Young People understand why and how we use it.
• Children in Care - This particularly vulnerable group of Children and Young People tend to be disproportionately represented in the Criminal Justice system and often come to the attention of the police more regularly. Our work seeks to minimise this and understand the reasons why.
• Detention, custody and criminalisation - Our work looks to reduce as far as possible young people coming into police custody by lowering their entry in the Criminal Justice system in the first place and by working with our partners to seek alternative disposals and accommodation.
• Engagement with Children and Young People - Essential in building trust and confidence within this community into the future and to understand their needs.