Responding to Neurodivergence in the Youth Justic

12 It is essential that information about children’s health needs should be able to follow them from their community GP into the justice system, and information about the child learned in the justice system should be able to follow them back into the community. Otherwise, children have to repeatedly answer the same questions, and knowledge about their needs cannot be properly used. Domestic data-protection regimes should be reformed to recognise and respond to the fact that under-sharing of safeguarding information is currently a much more frequent harm than over-sharing. Consideration could be given to whether the role configured as ‘Data Protection Officer’ is correctly named, or whether ‘Data Sharing Officer’ would be the more appropriate framing. 7.7 Adopt a universal-plus-specific operational model This should combine universal adaptations to make the youth justice system more accessible and navigable for all children, with specialist pathways of support for children with more significant needs. The universal offer should include environmental and procedural adaptations designed to make justice systems less rigid and complex to understand and navigate. Within the secure estate, the Youth Custody Service and establishment operators should reduce sensory overwhelm in the environment (adaptations like reducing the noise of slamming doors on a wing, for example) and improve the quality of children's sleep and nutrition. In education settings in custody, adaptations should be made to learning material to fit the level of the learner, and the environment should allow for regular breaks. The offered curriculum should be engaging and meaningful to the child, and focus initially on re- engagement (ahmed Shafi, 2018). Children should also not have their access to education limited by institutional regimes, which can restrict time out of rooms, particularly when the institution is managing low staffing levels or responding to crises. The universal adaptations also extend to how all children are communicated with across the justice process. In police custody, a child's rights should be explained carefully and clearly, using accessible language (see 7.5). In the courtroom, communication should be simplified, with checks for understanding and adjustments to questioning and testimony in line with existing vulnerable-defendant guidance. Where a child's neurodevelopmental needs may affect their participation in proceedings, the court should routinely seek expert input from psychologists, psychiatrists or neurologists to inform decisions on fitness to plead and capacity to stand trial. A specific offer for children with more significant needs should include input from specialist clinicians, educational psychologists, and where possible, children’s families. Multi-disciplinary plans should be put in place, including input from health, social care, education, and justice professionals to ensure that children’s needs are understood and