"Turning that ship around"
Pathways through prevention, rehabilitation and recovery, for the police- and justice-involved
From community resolutions to decarceration, 'Turning that ship around' is a one-day national conference that explores ways to improve outcomes for families involved with the police and criminal justice system.
As part of the event, will be sharing the findings from a national evaluation of Project CARA (Cautioning and Relationship Abuse). The CARA scheme was developed in 2011 as a conditional caution offered by the police to adults involved in first time offences of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) of standard or medium risk - as a way of intervening and preventing further domestic violence and abuse amongst first time offenders.
Since 2021, researchers from the University of Birmingham, University of Bristol, University of Southampton, University of Northumbria, Newcastle University, University of Leeds Beckett and University of Sheffield have been working on funded research with The Hampton Trust, Restorative Solutions and Police Forces from across the UK, on the impact of Project CARA.
The event will launch key findings from the CARA study, bringing research evidence for the first time from victim-survivors, clients and those delivering CARA.
Throughout the day we will also be hosting key speakers, and parallel workshops, that aim to promote debate and shared learning on prevention, rehabilitation and recovery for those involved with the police and criminal justice system. The conference is relevant for anyone working within the criminal justice system (CJS) but it will also have wider appeal to public health and social care organisations and professionals.
The CARA conference is also being supported by Northumbria University, the Centre for Health and Social Equity (CHASE), Newcastle City Council Combatting Drugs Partnership and representatives of Northumbia University Gendered Violence and Abuse Interdisciplinary Research Theme.
Our programme will be focused on exploring:
The role and impact of community resolutions, including out-of-court resolutions, on reducing offending behaviours and promoting life chances and health;
How successful rehabilitation and recovery can prevent the cycle of reoffending;
How we can deliver meaningful and cost-effective solutions to ensure better outcomes for victims and their families;
How we can better orientate policy and processes to support children of a police- and/or justice-involved parent.
Part of the day will be concerned with facilitating a large consultation session where you will be given the opportunity to share your ideas on policy practice and the needs of families and different family members involved in the CJS. On the day of the conference, we will also be joined by two “live artists” who will develop a mural in real time that captures the themes, learning and recommendations. Find out more about the artists here.
Schedule
| When | What | Who |
| 9:00am | Welcome and registration | |
| 9.30am | Conference introduction | Dr William McGovern and Donna Kay |
| 9.45am | Opening Speaker | Dame Vera Baird TBC |
| 10:00am | Project CARA | Chris Partridge, Emma Hazan, Dr Sara Morgan and Dr Rasiah Thayakaran |
| 11.00am | BREAK | |
| 11.30am | Breakout sessions 1) TBC 2) Outcome Study: CARA Paper Professionals 3) Gangs, serious youth violence, child criminal exploitation and Drill music: A regional perspective | Dr Steph Scott Dr Hayley Alderson Dr John Cavener |
| 12.15pm | LUNCH | |
| 1.15pm | Opening presentation: rehabilitation and reparation | Kam Stevens |
| 1.45pm | Project CARA findings: Presentation two - victim perspectives | Lydia Lochhead |
| 2.15pm | BREAK | |
| 2.35pm | Breakout sessions 1) Performing Gendered Justice: Judicial Dynamics in Problem Solving Courts for Women 2) Children Heard and Seen 3) Female Offending Caused by Coercive Control Project | Dr Sarah Waite and Dr Alexandria Bradley Sarah Burrows/James Ottley Professor Vanessa Bettinson |
| 3.15pm | Opening questions and panel | Host: Professor Monique Lhussier |
| 3.45pm | Closing remarks | Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Dr Ali Heydari (delivered virtually) Professor Rachel Armitage |
Speakers
The presentations and breakout sessions will be interactive and they will include contributions from a range of topics, subject and discipline areas.
Funding
The evaluation of Project CARA was funded by the NIHR Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) National Priority Research Consortium for Health and Care Inequalities.
Read more here.
About the venue
Our £100 million, award-winning City Campus East development houses purpose-built and versatile spaces for conferences, talks, lectures and seminars. Conference attendees will enjoy the open exhibition and networking space, catering area and inclusive spaces, such as use of a parenting room and quiet rooms. These eco-friendly buildings are now part of the dramatic city skyline and provide the perfect venue to meet.
REGISTRATION WILL OPEN SOON
More about CHASE at Northumbria University
Northumbria University is dedicated to reducing health and social inequalities, contributing to the regional and national workforce and improving social, economic and health outcomes for the most marginalised in society. Through its new Centre for Health and Social Equity, known as CHASE, researchers will be delivering world-leading health and social equity research and creating innovative, evidence-based policies and data-driven solutions to bring impactful change across the region, the UK and globally.
Within CHASE our researchers are using the latest technologies across genomics, proteomics, epigenetics and metabolomics to further our understanding of diseas, ageing, drug delivery, nutrition and health at an individual level.
