We were delighted to be able to host a group of chaplains from the Youth Custody Service, along with the Chaplain General for the Prisons Service, the Ven. James Ridge.
We met at the Farmington Institute in Oxford to consider the development of the human brain in children, and its capacity for responsibility, decision-making and consideration of consequences.
Profs Louise Dalton and Elizabeth Rapa from the Oxford Brain Story gave a lively, accessible and thought-provoking presentation of what we know about how brains develop from conception onwards, and how that might inform how we think about the way children and adolescents behave and respond to stress.
This was followed after dinner by their Build-a-Child’s-Brain game, which managed to be both educational and huge fun (not to mention competitive!). Congratulations to Vanda Perrett (YOI Werrington) and her team, for their winning ‘tall-but-strong’ brain.
The following day, we continued the discussion. Rachel Watson, Director of the Institute of Family Therapy, and Dr Dickon Bevington, Consultant Physician in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, joined us.
Together, we considered how the latest research on brain development might influence the way ‘the system’ responds to children in custody. We also explored the impact this can have on chaplains as they navigate the system.
It is always a pleasure to spend time with the Youth Custody chaplains. Their work is crucial, but often overlooked.
We look forward to our next joint venture.
