Devising a pathway from police contact to psychosocial support: reflexive thematic analysis of interviews with youth, families, police and services

There can be an overlap in offending, experiences of crime and the onset of mental disorders during adolescence. Justice-involved young people have a higher prevalence of mental ill-health and face additional barriers to help-seeking than non-involved young people. This study investigated how a pathway to psychosocial support could be provided following an early encounter with police. Interviews were conducted with five young people, three parents/carers, 11 service staff and managers and two police. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify themes from the data. Barriers included police focusing on their justice role, negative youth-police interactions, resistance by some youth to family involvement and shortcomings of existing referral mechanisms. The potential for a pathway to psychosocial support services would be improved through respectful and informative communication, more supportive responses to reporting minor crime and facilitating family engagement. Participant groups were amenable to a support-focused service-hub alternative for responding to early, minor offending and crime reporting, integrated into police procedures.