“That boy's life in prison is driven by the prison regime, not his care” – Prison Officers’ Experiences of Trauma Informed Care in a Young Offender’s Institute: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis.

Paper one is a literature review which aimed to better understand the relationship between attachment security and youth offending, particularly if attachment insecurity is overrepresented in youth offender populations, differences by offence type, if attachment style predicts youth offending, and mechanisms linking attachment and offending. Findings suggested insecure attachment is dominant in young offenders, with anxious ambivalent and anxious avoidant attachment styles most common. Differences were found amongst offence type, with sexual offending associated with attachment anxiety compared with non-sexual offending. The relationship between experiences of abuse, attachment, and youth offending requires further exploration.

Paper two is an empirical research paper exploring prison officers’ experiences of trauma-informed care in a young offender’s institute. Seven prison officers participated in semi-structured interviews, analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA). Three main themes and eight subthemes were formed; Worn thin: ‘Under resourced and overburdened’, Support deficit: ‘The challenge of an unsupported framework’, and Relational foundations: ‘Supporting young people through connection’. Findings suggest implementation of Trauma Informed Care was challenging, due to feeling invalidated by management, with time constraints and regime prioritisation barriers to implementation. Findings also suggest staff have developed skills to meet young people’s needs in a challenging environment, with a desire for further development. Future research exploring staff experiences in management roles, as well as recruiting a diverse sample, and an understanding of staff beliefs and values in relation to trauma-informed care is required.

Paper three is an executive summary which aims to provide a concise accessible summary of paper two. Two volunteers with experience of working within a UK YOI contributed feedback on the structure and language use. This paper will be disseminated to participants, and key stakeholders at the research site. It can also be disseminated to staff working within YOIs and secure settings across the UK.