Colm Walsh (Criminology) was invited for a private meeting with Education Minister, Paul Givan last week to discuss his research and its implications for policy and practice around non-formal education (youth work). Minister Givan was briefed on the range of studies undertaken by Colm over the last four years as part of the Cross Executive Programme on Criminality and Organised Crime.

In particular, discussions covered the first quasi-experimental study of specialist youth work in Northern Ireland. The Education Authority for Northern Ireland (EANI) leads specialist youth work interventions, often involving challenging and complex needs among young people in areas of elevated violence and criminality and enhanced skills on the part of the professionally qualified youth workers who support them. In the context of Colm’s research, specialist youth workers were upskilled in supporting young people involved in violence and criminal networks who also had co-occurring issues (e.g. mental health and addictions). The quasi-experiment involved testing an evidence-informed intervention with a more generic youth work approach to groups of young people with similar characteristics. 

Of note, was the potential for specialist youth work models to support young people who are vulnerable to violence and criminal exploitation. Colm has worked with EANI over the four years to refine the interventions and has most recently evaluated one intervention using a quasi-experimental technique. Officials from the Department of Education (DE) attended the meeting with the Minister and will be engaging with Colm around the research insights. 

Colm’s research on violence reduction is helping to frame the DE/EANI response around preventing violence and child exploitation. Specifically, they are investing in a new iteration of the intervention (Engage +) across ten communities; using the insights for new work emerging in schools (and have employed youth workers to be embedded in schools); and have developed and adopted guidance informed by the research for youth workers around practising during periods of civil unrest. The research around child criminal exploitation (CCE) has also informed the statutory definition of this phenomenon for Northern Ireland as noted by the cross executive Task and Finish Group and then by the Implementation Group on CCE.