Brierley - Connecting with Young People in Trouble

Risk, Relationships and Lived Experience

The views and opinions in this book are those of the author and not necessarily shared by the publisher. Readers should draw their own conclusions concerning the possibility of alternative views, accounts, descriptions or explanations.

The author states: Although I am currently an employee of Leeds City Council, this book is a collection of my personal views and experiences combined with research readily available for public consumption. The ideas, views and perspectives are not endorsed or collaborated in by my employer in any way and therefore do not reflect Leeds City Councils objectives, values or operations.

Many people have contributed to this book, either wittingly or not. There are so many professionals that have provided me with insights into their work and knowledge and, without them, I would not have been able to learn, develop and provide these considered reflections or observations and make a hopefully positive contribution to youth justice practice. Dr Daniel Siegal, Dr Sean Creaney, Dr Nadine Burke Harris, Dr Gabor Mate, Dr Bessel Van Der Kolk, Dr Bruce Perry, Dr Karen Treisman and Lisa Cherry have been instrumental in my own personal and professional development. Also, so many Leeds professionals have supported me in one way or another after providing me with the opportunity to make a difference to the lives of young people caught up in my previous life circumstances. Thank you to Katie Wrench, Denis Lewis, Steve Walker and Trevor Woodhouse, as well as so many others because, to me, Leeds is the best city for inclusion and investing in people. Several other inspirational people have supported me throughout this journey such as James Docherty, Darren Coyne, Kevin Neary, Dr Beth Weaver and Alex ODonnell. All have shone their light on me and I cant thank them enough. Last but far from least in terms of youth justice, Andrew, Atticus and Luke (, Joint Enterprise) for their incredible insights and contributions.

I would also like to thank Martin House Hospice Care for Children and Young People to which I have donated my royalties from the first 1,000 copies of this work.

On a more personal note, I would like to thank my wife Tamara who has supported me throughout the production of this book during the Covid-19 crisis. I had wanted to write of the thoughts and reflections I have had for some time and share my practice experiences of relationship building. Writing this book has taken the most toll on Tamara and our daughter Isabelle. My mind being focused on it alongside working full-time in a childrens home while tackling the pandemic means the sacrifice has been as much theirs as it has mine. They are my rock and motivation and for the next few years, at least, no more additional work projects, he says with a smile on his face.

Andi Brierley, January 2021

Andrew (Andi) Brierley is a Youth Justice Specialist and former prisoner. He has 15 years of experience gained from working with some of the most prolific, serious, vulnerable and complex children and young people involved in offending behaviour, building trusting relationships and connections with many young people that have been identified as hard to reach. He has a track record of making a difference using his own personal experiences mixed with professional knowledge and insight. His lived experience of complex trauma and adverse childhood experiences (which unfortunately for him and others developed into his care experience, school exclusion, drug addiction, criminal exploitation and incarceration) now shape his practice and connections with children and families. He is the author of Your Honour Can I Tell You My Story? (Waterside Press, 2019), his autobiography in which he was driven to write about those experiences, and which has already made a difference for other children, young people in trouble or incarcerated and professionals working with them. Connecting With Young People in Trouble: Risk, Relationships and Experience builds on that earlier work so as to allow readers to far better understand the relational issues many such youngsters experience and how they can bounce back.

Once it is truly understood that humans are interdependent and need one another, then there become resounding consequences for service policy, provision and practice; the knowledge that we thrive on connection, attunement and resonance should be at the centre of all we do. Ultimately, this is Brierleys call to action as he takes the reader on a journey around the impact of relational poverty, the importance of the quality of the village and the consequences of toxic stress. He calls upon all those working in all aspects of criminal justice to be curious, to look beyond what is standing in front of them and to become relational activists in our approach towards the young people who need us to work towards diminishing harm rather than be part of a system that adds to it.