Home Office Criminal Justice System Strategy Analysis Fellowship
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
Department Name: Psychology and Human Development
Abstract
Each fellowship will last up to 18 months to cover:
a 3-month inception phase for set up activity
a 12-month placement with the host organisation
an impact phase lasting up to 3 months
Fellows will co-design projects and activities with their host and produce analysis to inform government decision-making across a range of policy priorities. Fellows will also engage across the host organisation, building effective working relationships and supporting wider knowledge exchange with researchers.
This will be supported through their embedded role within the host organisation, including line management support.
a 3-month inception phase for set up activity
a 12-month placement with the host organisation
an impact phase lasting up to 3 months
Fellows will co-design projects and activities with their host and produce analysis to inform government decision-making across a range of policy priorities. Fellows will also engage across the host organisation, building effective working relationships and supporting wider knowledge exchange with researchers.
This will be supported through their embedded role within the host organisation, including line management support.
Publications
Liu J
(2025)
Persistent Aggressive Behaviour From Childhood to Adolescence: The Influence of Environmental Tobacco Exposure and the Protective Role of Fish Consumption.
in Criminal behaviour and mental health : CBMH
Ttofi MM
(2025)
Anti-Social Behaviour, Mental Health and Crime Across the Life-Span: Honouring David P. Farrington's Lifetime of Contribution to Knowledge.
in Criminal behaviour and mental health : CBMH
Wong K
(2024)
Commentary: Can a modernised psychiatric unit space reduce the use of coercive measures in child and adolescent psychiatry? A commentary on Czernine et al. (2024)
in Child and Adolescent Mental Health
| Description | 1) One of the most significant achievement from this award is definitely in finding mutually beneficial ways of working together, the common ground, between academia and government. It is perhaps not surprising that some of the challenges raised by government when working with academics, are also understandable and also similar to challenges raised by academics. Throughout my fellowship, in sharing my research with colleagues and in listening to their needs, I have become much more attune to their needs and expectations and better placed now to direct higher education institutions and academic colleagues in ways of engaging with government. I see both parties as being driven to achieve the same goal (making society better) and I feel a renewed passion to discover new ways of better working between the two. 2) The main award objective of facilitating better knowledge exchange between government and academia, I think has been met. How this has happened or will be sustained beyond the fellowship is a challenge that I'm willing to explore. In just over 12 months, I believe I have now built the necessary relationships and deep understanding of how things work insid government, for me to attempt to If you can, briefly help from the outside when I return to academia full-time. This fellowship experience has forever change the way I conducte resarch, teach my students, and the way I think about impact in society. I am more of a firm believer now than ever before, that academia must work more closely with government, and government must also do the same. Both parties can be stronger, more resilient, when working hand-in-hand together. A key objective that is yet to be met is a clear output from a data project I have just embarked on since January due to the layers of access that I had to go through. Whilst the project findings will be sensitive and not publishable externally, it remains to be seen whether it can still benefit decision-making internally. 3) I believe the findings from the government-academia working relationship can be shared more widely nationally and internationally. I am currently thinking of ways to do this in terms of seminars, events, and roundtable events. As for my dat aproject and how might the findings be taken forward and by whom, this remains to be seen as these will all be internal individuals. |
| Exploitation Route | I have a few ideas about ways to disseminate my learnings but these have not been realised just yet. |
| Sectors | Education Government Democracy and Justice Security and Diplomacy |
| Description | My current fellowship, in 13-months into my 18-month fellowship has had the following impact in government in terms of the effectiveness of public services and policy, and academia in terms of the conversations and relationships generated around knowledge transfer between academia and government. First, regarding the impact in government: As a policy fellow seconded to the UK Home Office, I have led a series of research workshops to help upskill colleagues on accessing research evidence and outputs to inform their day-to-day work. From access the right academic experts to support them on research design, to new evidence sprints in knife crime and youth hubs, civil servant colleagues have benefitted from improved efficiency in completing their task. In addition to upskilling colleagues on accessing evidence and evaluation work using my own research as examples, I have observed from my time on the fellowship the need for knowledge retention in departments and sharing of research evidence within teams as being a key are of inefficiency. I addressed this concern by raising it with the Chief Scientific Officer who encouraged me to continue with pilot testing a software program internally to help improve evidence access, retention, and evaluation for teams (e.g., EPPI-Reviewer). By introducing this software to colleagues, they have now reversed the decision to extend an existing contractor and their services as this could prove to be a better solution in the long run. Additionally, I ran a session for my department during the away day on 'how can government work with academics', which led to a summary of challenges, benefits, and solutions co-created with civil servants. This will now form a document that will be used internally for Home Office colleagues, and used externally for me to better help academic colleagues understand what the challenges are in working with government. I believe this document will provide an impetus for deeper conversations across sectors to actively consider better ways of working with each other and in leverage this important relationship. **SENSITIVE** I am currently working on some secondary data analysis that is sensitive and cannot be shared. The outcome of my analyses will inform internal decisions and meetings related to the current government mission. The impact in academia has just begun. My experience of being inside government has had a huge impact on the way in which I conduct research, teach my students, and relate to government. I have become a knowledge broker facilitating collaborations between government colleagues (e.g., MoJ, Home Office), senior politicians, and UCL academics and professional service staff through panel events, data sharing roadshow events, festivals, and Away Days. My role as a fellow inside government has allowed me to move between spaces and circles and help connect people even within government teams, which was unexpected and welcomed. In addition to events and connections, I hope to contribute to a collated series of 'lived experiences' from my cohort and to able to this project as editor - as I think many more people across sectors would benefit from our experiences inside government. In terms of societal and economical impacts, I hope this edited volume will be a conversation starter on 'how governments can work with academics and vice versa'. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2024 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Environment,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Security and Diplomacy |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic Policy & public services |
| Description | Academic Lead on Home Office Safer Streets Mission Advisory Group |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | On the strategy of youth hubs and the evaluation design of the programme, there has already been some influence in the execution of the evaluation. |
| Description | Cited in UK POST Briefing on Children's Wellbeing in Schools |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| URL | https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-0739/ |
| Description | Contributed research evidence to the National Youth Strategy (DCMS) |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Description | Introduced and trained colleagues on software EPPI-Reviewer |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Colleagues have been trained and are testing/using this software to see whether it might be helpful for them in the long-run. |
| Description | UCL Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing Pump-priming Funding Call 2024-25 Awards |
| Organisation | National Youth Agency |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | I am the PI of a pilot project funded by UCL called "Making Visible Invisible Communities': Community centres as spaces that hinder and/or promote mental health support needs of young people invisible to school and healthcare settings (Visible Co-Space Study)". I met one of the partner organisations, National Youth Agency (NYA), in a Home Office seminar. NYA is connecting us with their network of youth agencies in the UK who are currently working with marginalised youths. |
| Collaborator Contribution | NYA has shared insights on how best to recruit young people through their network of youth agencies, connected me with agency leads, and is helping distribute our flyers and study recruitment materials to their network. |
| Impact | The project is still on-going. The funding ends on 31 July 2025. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Chair of British Academy Celebration Panel |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I chaired an ECR panel at the British Academy ECRN London Cluster event on 13 February attended by 80-100 ECRs from SHAPE disciplines, funders, BA Fellows and professional services staff nationally ('London Cluster Celebration: Reflecting on Success, Shaping the Future'). As an ESRC Policy Fellow, audience members were keen to learn about the UKRI Fellowship scheme (and future opportunities), in what ways havs the fellowship benefitted me and my work as an academic, and importantly what the future of this community would look like and why HE/academia has an important place in society (in relation to providing evidence for government). This engagement led me to engage with other ECRs outside of my discipline that I met at future writing groups that I led. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.tickettailor.com/events/earlycareerresearchernetwork/1443836 |
| Description | Consulted on Home Office GRIP analysis |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | On 11 April 2024, I attended a meeting with academic experts on GRIP and as part of my insights from the meeting, was reinvited to contribute to further work and discussion around the analyses of the GRIP project internally. I worked with the analyst on the project to uncover new ways of looking at geospatial data (sensitive) which was reported very helpful and led to changes in the direction of the analyses, perceived usefulness of incoporating academics early in the process, and in kick-starting continuous conversations around analyses. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Follow-up evaluation of GRIP work |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | As a result of previous engagements on sharing statistical expertise with Home Office colleagues, I proposed a new method of systematically evaluating qualitative material that was helpful in moving the team forwards. I trained a team of 4 analysts to conduct qualitative analyses in NVivo and to streamline the process of evaluation such that new team members can also engage in a robust method of evaluation. The method introduces is also more sustainable and resilient to staff churn, efficient, and effective in the long-run of the project. The project has renewed funding. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Gave reseach seminar to the unit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 21 November 2024, I shared my research on health inequalities, youth clubs, and co-production at my Unit seminar. The talk was titled: 'health inequalities: why should policymakers care?' I received positive feedback and audience members saying that they have changed their ideas about this area of research. I have been invited back to give another seminar as well. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Helped organised and shared research and reflections at Unit Away day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 27 March 2025, I helped organised and shared my research and fellowship reflections at my Unit Away Day. It was well received and stimulated table conversations around how 'government can work with academics'. All of these anonymous ideas and suggestions will now be collated and shared within the Home Office and at UCL in an accessible document. My experience has also informed future plans for the UKRI Fellow in the next cohort. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Introduced EPPI-Reviewer to the team and wider unit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 26 June 2024, I tested and presented on EPPI-Reviewer as a potential helpful piece of software for colleagues to manage, evaluate, share, use and understand research evidence. I ran a workshop introducing the features of EPPI-Reviewer to analysts who are working on sprints and often asked to gather and summarise research evidence in short-time frames for ministers. This software has now been trialled in my department and is considered as a potential software that other colleagues (N=500) can use to improve the efficiency of their work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Rapid response to Perm Sec commission |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Was asked to lend my research expertise to a team to address a 'rapid response comission'. My expertise in research and the relevant literature on motivation helped save the team tremendous amounts of time that they otherwise would not have been able to complete the commission given the same time frames. I was subsequently asked and invited back to join several meeteings to share my research expertise and to give a talk to a wider team to inform their practice around working with young children through co-production and the ethics around working with children and those with mental health issues. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Reviewed and gave feedback on the Crime Survey for Children in England and Wales |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | On 26 March 2024, I was asked to give feedback on the questions and design of the Crime Survey for Children in England and Wales. I commented on the questions and fed back my expertise in psychometric scale development and survey design for children. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Safer Streets Mission Advisory Role |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | I have been invited to join the Home Office Safer Streets Mission Advisory Group as the Academic Lead who will share my expertise in youth hubs and crime prevention and provide the 'critical crutiny' needed in their report of the evidence. I attend fortnightly meetings with this group. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Shared research and fellowship experience with HOSAC |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 13 August 2024, had an informal meeting with the co-chairs of the HO Science Advisory Committee to discuss ways to be more invovled. In sharing my research expertise, I was invited to present my research to the rest of the committee in December and to see how they can help link me up with wider work-streams and knowledge sharing opportunities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Shared research at HOSAC |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 30 October 2024, I presented my research and fellowship experience with the Home Office Science Advisory Council. This is composed of a small group of senior HO leaders and academics across the country. As a result of the presentation, this led to new engagement opportunities within the HO and membership on advisory groups. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Shared research with Home Office Young Futures Hub Team |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | on 14 August 2024, met with the Home Office Young Futures Hub to help share my research on marginalised/NEET youths, existing research landscape, and evidence on the topic. I've shared what evidence says works and what this mission should focus on doing (e.g., not building new buildings but resourcing existing youth clubs). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Shared research with Policing and Mental Health Team |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 19 March 2024, I was invited to a small group meeting to share my research on developing appropriate childhood assessments of mental health (e.g., paranoia and schizophrenia-spectrum disorder symptoms) to inform crime prevention work in the Home Office. The team including colleagues working in policing, mental health, migration, and immigrant children as their work focuses on obtaining appropriate measures for children where English may not be their first language. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Submitted research evidence to National Youth Strategy (DCMS) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | I shared my research evidence on the National Youth Strategy, a call by DCMS, particularly my work on youth mental health, prevention, youth clubs. I'm told that my research is very relevant and will feed into their youth strategy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Trained colleagues on research access using my research has example |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 29 August 2024, I gave a 90-minute workshop to HO colleagues of all grades in my unit (CAU) on access research evidence and critiquing research. This hybrid session was well-attended and colleagues note that it has helped them learn about new ways of access research evidence and/or reaching out to academics directly. I have been invited to give another workshop/training to upskill colleagues in response to this workshop. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |