December saw the launch of a new online tool we’ve been developing for Youth Justice Practitioners to help young people understand behaviours that might lead them into trouble and make wiser choices.
Project One|80 is an approach we have initially developed for Police Officers working in Youth Justice settings, but in time will support practitioners across the youth justice landscape with resources that promote discussion and reflection. One|80 is a dialogic intervention. This means it creates a safe space where dialogue allows new understanding to emerge. Dialogic approaches contrast with didactic methods, which rely on telling rather than talking. Didactic methods are good for sharing knowledge and facts but aren’t so effective in changing behaviour. One|80 isn’t normative either; it doesn’t say, “you must do this” or “you shouldn’t do that.” Instead, it emphasises growing young people’s capabilities, so they’re more likely to make choices that lead them away from harm.7
One|80 aims to be evidence-based. It has been designed and developed collaboratively with Police Officers from Thames Valley Police, Youth Justice practitioners and with the support of the Thames Valley Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. Months of research underpin this first stage launch, which has followed a strict adherence to the best available evidence on “what works” when supporting young people to change their behaviour.
Evidence-informed design sits right at the heart of the Lime ethos. It is also a feature of the newly created National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) Science, Technology, Analysis and Research (STAR) Fund, which commissioned the project. This new unit, funded by the Home Office, will connect science and technology expertise in the UK and globally to keep policing at the forefront of best practice. It will focus on crime prevention and use emerging evidence, research and innovation, including in both data and behavioural science, to advise policing on the opportunities and risks to help reduce crime.
The resources use videos gathered from the real-life testimonies of those impacted by serious crime to introduce and develop a dialogue with young people. Subject to our feasibility testing, we already have plans for further development, including introducing a broad range of digital storytelling approaches and behavioural techniques. These offer the opportunity to make the experience of using the resources even more immersive, impactful and ultimately successful in helping some young people navigate towards a different pathway. We are privileged to be working with the NPCC on this exciting new initiative and looking forward to publishing our initial One|80 pilot findings early in 2023.
If you want to hear more or get involved with this project, please contact us here