The Power of Relationship
- in conversation with Ed Cornmell
In2Out continues in conversation with Ed Cornmell, Executive Director for the Youth Custody Service, looking at the effects of custody on young people - and the power of relationships to help turn things around.
Children and young people come into custody because of the nature and severity of their offences and the risk posed to the public. The decreasing number of young people in custody illustrates that earlier interventions and diversions have proven effective, resulting in the most serious cases being held in custody.
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A young person coming into custody has been removed from their community and their family. Sometimes that's a good thing, with a break from negative influences, but the void it leaves needs filling with new relationships. As Ed says,
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"Sadly, family relationships can be both contributory towards why a child has ultimately offended or has got issues that have led to behavioural concerns. Sometimes those relationships break down based on the nature of the offence they've committed. Recognising that some of our children haven't got that supportive family relationship, they need the relationships from others to support them."
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Custody can provide children with the opportunity to work on developing trust and forming meaningful relationships, as Ed explains,
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"Finding somebody that I can trust, that I can have meaningful relationship with, is enduring. The power of that is exceptional. If all you've ever learnt is being let down or somebody has negative intentions towards me, you've got to break that cycle by finding a trusting relationship.
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"I see that positive relationship or that sense of connection, an identification with a positive role model - that makes a change. I see that within our staff teams, but I see it with partners as well. In2Out is a great example of that where colleagues support children for a relationship and connection.
"They need, at a very basic level, to be able to form meaningful relationships with people. Healthy relationships with others, other children, with adults, can be the objective which sets them up for the right next step."
Time in custody offers the opportunity for young people to 'reset'. This can start with the basic day-to-day experience of being in a secure environment that offers stability, where needs are provided for, health concerns can be addressed, and there is space to consider the future.
From there, there are several services helping young people prepare for their resettlement. Education is one, although, as Ed acknowledges, that may look different from the formal, classroom-based, qualification focused system we see in the community."
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Education can also include learning life skills, something that In2Out has been delivering on the Keppel Complex Needs Unit and Napier Wing at HMYOI Wetherby for especially complex and vulnerable young people. Our Foundations project helps young people develop their ability to interact with the world and navigate life back in the community.
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"The basic of actually being able to provide for yourself some basic cooking skills or some basic consideration of handling money or, I was excited to see a member of staff teaching a boy how to iron very recently on a site. These are essential things in the world that I learnt as a child with a supportive family, that unfortunately some of our children haven't experienced. We are now retrospectively helping them in those areas," says Ed.
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Custody gives the young people in its care the stabilisation of routine and security as well as the opportunity to gain basic skills whether they be social skills or life skills. Alongside this, the development of meaningful relationships, particularly in In2Out's case that will continue through the gate and out into the community, sets a foundation for the future. These things contribute to a young person's identity as pro-social - part of a community. As Ed explains in closing,
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"That identity that comes from finding productive work or a productive role in society is crucial. I think that really is a key stepping-stone for us - providing the foundation [for them] that is being ready for education, accessing education and qualifications, starting to get some of those softer skills and being in a workforce. Along with life skills, gaining some of the more vocational skills, practical tools that provide a potential career avenue or a start point - but actually getting that sense of being a member of society."