Written 26th May 2026 by Olliers Solicitors
A new three-year partnership between Olliers Solicitors and Greater Manchester Youth Network (GMYN) aims to tackle the alarming over-representation of neurodivergent children in the youth justice system.
The initiative, titled Seen, Heard, Diverted, brings together legal experts, youth organisations and specialist networks to address what campaigners describe as a systemic failure in how autistic, ADHD and SEND children are treated by the criminal justice system.
Research from University College London suggests that around 80% of children cautioned or sentenced through the youth justice system have special educational needs or are neurodivergent. For the team at Manchester-based criminal defence law firm Olliers, those figures reflect what they witness daily in practice.
In our experience, neurodivergent behaviours are too often misunderstood as aggression, defiance or a lack of remorse — leading vulnerable young people deeper into the justice system rather than towards support.
The programme combines our legal expertise with the youth-led co-production model of GMYN, alongside support from Respect for All and the GM Neurodiverse VCSE Collective.
A Three-Year Programme Focused on Prevention and Understanding
The Seen, Heard, Diverted programme will be delivered across three strategic areas designed to support young people, families and professionals.
Supporting Young People
The partnership will develop a prevention and rights-awareness programme co-produced by neurodivergent young people themselves. Through safe, activity-led learning environments — including activities such as cycling and gaming — young people will gain a better understanding of their rights and how to respond safely during high-pressure interactions with authority figures.
Empowering Parents and Carers
Families across all 10 Greater Manchester local authorities will have access to practical tools and face-to-face support sessions designed to help them navigate interactions with schools, police and the wider justice system.
Educating Professionals
A practical toolbox will also be created for police officers, solicitors and magistrates to help improve understanding of neurodivergent behaviours, reduce harmful misunderstandings and encourage safer, more appropriate outcomes.
“We Are Effectively Criminalising Autism”
The collaboration has been led by Ruth Peters our Business Development Director.
She said:
“The statistics are genuinely shocking. If 80% of children in the justice system are neurodivergent then we aren’t dealing with a crime wave — we are dealing with a systemic failure of understanding. The system is set up against these children from the moment the handcuffs go on. We are effectively criminalising autism.
“Our lawyers have cited harrowing examples of system failure, including a magistrate shouting at an autistic defendant for failing to make eye contact and a 14-year-old left in deep distress in custody because sensory overload was misread as non-compliance.
“We hope that this landmark partnership will make a real difference for young people in Greater Manchester and that this scheme will inspire other regions to try to address this national problem.”
Alex Fairweather, CEO of GMYN, said the programme has the potential to transform outcomes for vulnerable young people before situations escalate.
He said:
“For neurodivergent young people, the journey to a positive future is often obstructed by a system that doesn’t speak their language.
“Neurodivergent young people are significantly over-represented in the criminal justice system. This is not driven by higher levels of offending, but by behaviours linked to neurodivergence being misunderstood, communication differences being interpreted as non-compliance and limited understanding among young people of their rights and how to respond in high-pressure situations.
“Olliers sees this every day in practice. At GMYN, we work with many of the same young people earlier, before things escalate. There’s a clear opportunity to connect those two perspectives and make a difference here in Greater Manchester.
“This partnership allows us to intervene early, providing young people with the practical tools to navigate the world safely while educating the professionals who hold power over their futures.”
A Child-Centred Approach for Greater Manchester
The project aligns closely with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s child-centred policing approach and will begin with a phased first year focused on listening, design and testing through a lived-experience cohort.
By combining early intervention, lived experience and professional education, the partners hope the initiative will become a blueprint for reducing the unnecessary criminalisation of neurodivergent young people – both in Greater Manchester and beyond.
Our solicitors have represented hundreds of neurodivergent people and has a great deal of experience in guiding people through the criminal justice process. If you are concerned about criminal proceedings involving yourself, your children or someone you know, please get in touch with us.
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