5 May, 2026
Summary:
This webinar presents findings from participatory research exploring the lived experiences of care-experienced young people affected by child criminal exploitation (CCE) in the UK. Drawing on narrative interviews with young people and collaborative analysis with lived-experience co-researchers, the session explores how exploitation is understood, experienced, and sustained.
The webinar introduces the concept of the Neglect Nexus, highlighting how poverty, social harm, and experiences of ‘not mattering’ intersect to shape vulnerability to exploitation. It challenges dominant narratives that frame young people as either victims or offenders and instead centres their voices, agency, and lived realities.
The session will offer insights for policy, practice, and research, with a particular focus on how systems of care and criminal justice can better respond to and prevent exploitation.
Bios:
Dani Darley
Dr Danica Darley is a criminologist, social-care researcher, and lived-experience scholar whose work bridges justice, care, and participatory research. With more than 15 years’ professional experience supporting care-experienced young people and those on the margins of the criminal justice system, her academic career is grounded in real-world practice and shaped by her own lived experience as a woman who has served a custodial sentence. This unique perspective informs her commitment to relational practice, co-production, and amplifying voices rarely heard in mainstream research.
Holly Whyte
Holly Whyte is a lived-experience researcher and co-researcher on the project. She brings direct insight into the realities of care and criminal exploitation, contributing to data collection, analysis, and dissemination. Holly’s work reflects a strong commitment to using lived experience to challenge systems and improve support for young people.
Brittany Jackson
Brittany Jackson is a lived-experience researcher and co-researcher on the project. Alongside contributing to interviews and analysis, she brings expertise grounded in her work as a support worker for a young person’s charity in Sheffield. Her contributions have been central to shaping the participatory nature of the research.
Alice Downing
Alice Downing is a lived-experience researcher and co-researcher on the project, offering critical insight into the lived realities of care and criminal exploitation. She has contributed to data collection, analysis, and dissemination, and is committed to using lived experience to inform change and strengthen support for young people.
[Trigger warning: This webinar will include discussion of child criminal exploitation, trauma, neglect, and experiences within the care and criminal justice systems, which some attendees may find distressing. Please prioritise your wellbeing and attend only if it feels right for you and take breaks as needed]
Important Info:
This webinar will be recorded and shared on the CYCJ website. Cameras and mics will be switched off to all attendees, only the speakers and organisers of the event will have their cameras on. If you have any questions throughout the webinar you will be able to add them into the chat and the speakers will try to answer as many as possible at the end.
All registered attendees will be contacted with team’s link 24 hours before each session. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact cy**@*******ac.uk.
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