Children’s Rights Conference: Ending the School to Prison Pipeline

About this event

The Garden Court Chambers Children’s Rights Team, in collaboration with the University College London (UCL)’s Centre for Access to Justice, invites you to a half-day in-person conference on Universal Children’s Day.

The Garden Court Chambers Children’s Rights Team is at the forefront of protecting and upholding children’s rights, domestically and internationally, whether in the family courts or as a child defendant. We strive for the highest standards for children and provide training and guidance to continually improve legal knowledge and expertise on children’s rights.

The conference sessions will cover:

• Challenging Discriminatory Behaviour Policies in Schools
• Religious Freedom, Cultural Identity, Political Expression, and School Exclusions
• Understanding the School-to-Prison Pipeline – School Exclusion, Care Experience, Pupil Referral Units & Over-Criminalisation
• Police in Schools – are they ‘Safer Schools’, or Criminalising Children?
• Caring for Kids – Protecting the Rights of Care Experienced Children (including Unaccompanied Minors) in the Criminal Justice System
• Achieving a Fair Trial – Ensuring the Criminal Trial Process Meets a Child’s Needs
• How is Practice Changing Post ZA?
• A tribute to Professor Michael Freeman

Keynote speakers:

• Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons
• Mrs Justice May, Judge of the High Court of England and Wales

Panellists:

• Dr Layla Aitlhadj, Director, Prevent Watch
• Agness Agyepong, Founder & CEO, Global Black Maternal Health Institute
• Dr Shabna Begum, CEO, Runnymede Trust
• Anthony Benedict, CEO designate, Ambition Community Trust and Executive Headteacher, Tameside Pupil Referral Unit
• Acland Bryant, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
• Joanne Cecil KC, Garden Court Chambers
• Florence Cole, Solicitor, Harrow Law Centre
• Professor Alison Diduck, UCL
• Dr Jo Easton, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Unlock
• Helen Foot, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
• Dr Karen Graham, Lecturer in Criminology, City, University of London
• Victoria Hodgson, Specialist SENCO Teacher, London South East Academies Trust Outreach
• Dr Laura Janes, Consultant Solicitor & National Association of Youth Justice Trustee
• Dr Matthew Jay, Senior Research Fellow in Epidemiology, UCL Legal Epidemiology Group
• Sonia Kalsi, Associate Professor, UCL (Chair)
• Rachel Knowles, Clinical Principal Research Fellow, UCL (Chair)
• Caroline Liggins, Partner, Hodge Jones & Allen
• Audrey Cherryl Mogan, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)
• Raheel Mohammed, Director, Maslaha
• Claire Muccio, Head of Outreach, London South East Academies Trust
• Ollie Persey, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
• Grace Preston, Senior Policy Officer, Traveller Movement
• Dan Rosenburg, Partner, Simpson Millar
• Sabrina Simpson, Solicitor, Coram
• Aika Stephenson Legal Director, Founder and Co-Lead, Just for Kids Law
• Denika Swack, Solicitor, GT Stewart
• Alex Temple, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)
• Jennifer Twite, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
• Amanda Weston KC, Garden Court Chambers and Commissioner for Independent Commission on UK Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy, and Practice (Chair)

The Programme

Programme:

2.00pm – 2.30pm: Registration, Teas & Coffee

2.30pm – 2.35pm: Welcome – Kate Aubrey-Johnson, Garden Court Chambers Children’s Rights Team Convenor

2.35pm – 2.45pm: A Tribute to Professor Michael Freeman – Professor Alison Diduck, UCL

2.45pm – 3.10pm: Keynote Speech – Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons

3.15pm – 4.30pm: Workshop 1 (Choose One Session)

1a. Challenging Discriminatory Behaviour Policies in Schools

    Acland Bryant, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)
    Ollie Persey, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
    Dr Karen Graham, Lecturer in Criminology, City, University of London
    Agness Agyepong, Founder & CEO, Global Black Maternal Health Institute
    Dan Rosenburg, Partner, Simpson Millar

1b. Religious Freedom, Cultural Identity, Political Expression, and School Exclusions

    Amanda Weston KC, Garden Court Chambers and Commissioner for Independent Commission on UK Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy, and Practice (Chair)
    Raheel Mohammed, Director, Maslaha
    Dr Layla Aitlhadj, Director, Prevent Watch
    Florence Cole, Solicitor, Harrow Law Centre
    Grace Preston, Senior Policy Officer, Traveller Movement

1c. Understanding the School-to-Prison Pipeline – School Exclusion, Care Experience, Pupil Referral Units & Over-Criminalisation

    Alex Temple, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)
    Denika Swack, Solicitor, GT Stewart
    Sabrina Simpson, Solicitor, Coram
    Anthony Benedict, CEO designate, Ambition Community Trust and Executive Headteacher, Tameside Pupil Referral Unit
    Dr Matthew Jay, Senior Research Fellow in Epidemiology, UCL Legal Epidemiology Group

4.30pm – 5pm: Refreshment Break

5pm – 6.15pm: Workshop 2 (Choose One Session)

2a. Police in Schools – are they ‘Safer Schools’, or Criminalising Children?

    Audrey Cherryl Mogan, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)
    Florence Cole, Solicitor, Harrow Law Centre
    Victoria Hodgson, Specialist SENCO Teacher, London South East Academies Trust Outreach
    Claire Muccio, Head of Outreach, London South East Academies Trust
    Dr Shabna Begum, CEO, Runnymede Trust
    Dr Jo Easton, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Unlock
    Aika Stephenson Legal Director, Founder and Co-Lead, Just for Kids Law

2b. Caring for Kids – Protecting the Rights of Care Experienced Children (including Unaccompanied Minors) in the Criminal Justice System

    Rachel Knowles, Clinical Principal Research Fellow, UCL (Chair)
    Helen Foot, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
    Jennifer Twite, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
    Dr Laura Janes, Consultant Solicitor & National Association of Youth Justice Trustee

2c. Achieving a Fair Trial – Ensuring the Criminal Trial Process Meets a Child’s Needs

    Sonia Kalsi, Associate Professor, UCL (Chair)
    Joanne Cecil KC, Garden Court Chambers
    Caroline Liggins, Partner, Hodge Jones & Allen

6.15pm – 6.45pm: Feedback Session

6.45pm – 7.30pm: Plenary – How is Practice Changing Post ZA? – Mrs Justice May, Judge of the High Court of England and Wales

7.30pm Conference sessions end

How to book your place

This conference is free of charge and you can book your place via the Garden Court chambers website at:
https://gardencourtchambers.co.uk/event/childrens-rights-conference-ending-the-school-to-prison-pipeline/

Book your place