Intersectional Inequalities in Mental Health Need and Youth Justice Contact among Pupils enrolled in Alternative Provision

Over 50% of boys with alternative provision enrolment from Black Caribbean and Mixed White-Black Caribbean backgrounds had youth justice contact, with most also having recorded mental health needs.

• Why it matters: Unmet mental health and education needs are linked to youth justice contact, but inequalities within alternative provision are not well characterized using linked administrative records.
• What they did: Using linked school and police administrative data for 3.7m pupils (born 1997–2003) in England, the study compared AP enrolment rates and timing, and examined mental health-related recording and youth justice contacts by racial-ethnic group and gender.
• The result: AP enrolment was highest among Irish Traveller and Romani pupils, then Black Caribbean and Mixed White-Black Caribbean pupils, and the pattern suggests intersectional vulnerability that could inform coordinated public health responses.

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