The Disproportionality Leadership and Mentoring Project: Capturing the Lived Experience of Disproportionality among Children and Young People from Black, Mixed-Heritage and Minoritised Backgrounds across Four London Boroughs

This report presents the research findings and recommendations from the most recent in a continuing series of partnership projects involving London Borough of Islington (LBI) Council and criminologists at the University of Essex and City, University of London. The project extends the partnership with Islington to three other London boroughs – Camden, Hackney and Haringey – and seeks to capture the lived experience of disproportionality in the words of crime-affected children and children and young people from minoritised backgrounds (primarily Black and mixed heritage), their mentors, and their parents/carers. In depth interviews/focus groups were conducted with 20 children and young people from minoritised backgrounds (mostly Black and mixed heritage), seven mentors, five practitioners and three parents/ carers. Prioritising the voice of young mentees gave them a stake in the research with a view, alongside the intensive mentoring programme, to enhancing self-confidence, social and leadership skills by providing direct experience of involvement in a research project aimed at tackling disproportionality. The research findings form the basis of a series of co-produced recommendations aimed at addressing some of the key drivers of disproportionality and improving the lived experience of children and young people from minoritised backgrounds.