Youth Court Solutions
Youth Court Solutions (YCS) is a UK first, delivering trauma informed psychotherapy and integrated support directly within youth court settings to everyone impacted by crime. Interventions are received at a critical moment when young people and families are most receptive to help.
Our Northamptonshire pilot demonstrated 36% reduction in youth reoffending among participants with 60% average voluntary engagement.
Our Approach
YCS provides immediate intervention in youth court receptions and waiting rooms, combining:
- Immediate trauma based psychotherapy delivered by qualified therapists.
- Navigation services connecting families virtually to specialist services across the UK enabling them to address causes of crime such as substance misuse.
- Whole family and multi generational interventions tackling systemic factors, including prevention work with younger siblings and peer networks.
- Child first, attachment informed methodology unique to court settings.
In the first four years, the model reached 642 young people and 485 adults at pivotal moments whilst waiting for their court appearance, when families are most open to engagement.
YCS insights have enabled us to:
Enhance the service: Integrated full trauma based psychotherapy into court waiting rooms. Participants and families consistently report the value of immediate, trauma informed support during typically isolating, punitive experiences.
Explore prevention alongside reoffending: Tracking youth first time criminal justice entry and areas like knife crime.
Deepen family engagement: Increasing parents and carers participating. In 2024 25, as many adults engaged as young people, enabling us to tackle multi generational trauma and crime causes.
Learn requirements for successful UK scale and transfer.
We are grateful to our project funders, Linder Foundation and two private donors.
Watch the video above to learn more about YCS
FREE and INDEPENDENT
Support on the day
Help to self help
Connectivity to thousands of UK services
Therapeutic interventions at court
Available to EVERYONE impacted by crime: defendants, witnesses, victims, family and friends.
Every Youth Court Tuesday at Wellingborough Magistrates’ Court, Northamptonshire.
FREE Information and Support:
What to expect on the day
Getting through the day
Self help
Coping with difficult emotions and feelings
Mental health
Substance use
Self harm
Eating disorders
Grief and loss
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Referrals into local services
Much more
The YCS team is in reception and waiting areas on the day.
Led and delivered by Crysalys Foundation in partnership with Northamptonshire County Youth Bench and HMCTS.