Towards Child Centred Justice as System Level Paradigm Shift

Child-centred justice represents a paradigm shift: moving beyond systems that merely adapt procedures for children, towards systems fundamentally designed around children's rights, developmental needs and lived experiences. In this webinar, speakers defined child-centred justice as a system-level approach and explore its key features, including its solution-oriented framework, emphasis on multi-agency coordination, and commitment to meaningful child participation. Drawing on Scotland's Whole System Approach as a practice-informed case study, the webinar demonstrated how child-centred justice principles can be operationalised across policing, prosecution, care and custody; offering transferable lessons for jurisdictions seeking to translate children's rights into justice practice.