Using the Which Children resource responsibly

This resource should be useful, but we encourage you to treat it with care in a few ways:   

• Do use this resource to answer the questions in the ‘How to use the Which Children resource’ page.
• Do not use this information to make judgements about individual children. The data shows patterns across groups of children and is designed to inform strategic planning. Every child is different. Belonging to a group associated with higher levels of violence does not mean a child will become involved in violence.   
• Do not assume this resource identifies the causes of violence. The data shows how commonly different groups of children experience violence at one point in time. It does not tell us what caused that violence, or what would reduce it. For evidence on effective violence prevention approaches, see YEF’s Toolkit and Guidance. For example, the resource tells us that children who have been excluded from school are particularly in need of support, but it can’t tell us if exclusion caused involvement in violence, or if the underlying cause was different. It also can’t tell us whether exclusion happened before involvement in violence or afterwards.
• Recognise the survey’s limitations. The data in this resource comes from a large, representative self-report survey which provides valuable insight into children’s experiences. However, surveys also have limitations and some potential needs were missing from the survey. You can read more about our methods and their limitations here.  
• Use the resource alongside local data and professional judgement. This resource presents national evidence as a starting point. Consider it alongside local data and professional judgement, as every area is different.  
• Ensure a balanced violence prevention strategy. This resource helps prioritise support for the groups of children reporting the highest levels of violence engagement, but this should be one part of a balanced violence prevention strategy. Strategies should also include effective primary services for all children, early intervention to address the underlying causes of violence and prevent development of more serious vulnerabilities, and tertiary support for those who need it. See the YEF Toolkit for evidence on which primary, secondary and tertiary approaches have strong evidence of reducing violence. 
• Do not label children as ‘vulnerable’ or ‘high risk’.  Terms such as ‘vulnerability’ describe increased exposure to violence in this resource, not who a child is. We use ‘vulnerability’ to describe experiences, circumstances, needs and system-level factors that on average increase children’s exposure to violence across groups. Support should focus on strengthening protective factors and improving positive outcomes, rather than defining children by risk or vulnerability. 
• Understand and tackle racial disproportionality. Most children involved in violence are White. However, some minority ethnic groups – including Black children and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children – are disproportionately affected by violence and contact with the criminal justice system. These patterns are influenced by structural racism, disadvantage and unequal access to services. It is important to examine racial disproportionality in local needs, service access and outcomes. Ask whether local systems reduce or reproduce disproportionality. YEF’s racial disproportionality report and guidance reports outline practical steps for tackling racial disproportionality.