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The Ammanford School Stabbings #1
BLOG PODS #37 - The Ammanford School Stabbings #1 - Learning from the review
INTRODUCTION
Despite being still in a period of suspension from my usual blogging schedule (ongoing family issues) I couldn’t resist sending something out following yesterday’s published review into the Ammanford Stabbings.
I have a more thoughtful opinion piece coming out in the autumn, but thought some of the info I put together yesterday might be useful to you guys.
So here it is…
There's a bunch of links and documents below, too, but here are the bits I found/made yesterday while trying to get my head around it all:
MAPF REPORT: MAPF Incident Review – Ysgol Duffryn Aman (link)
POWERPOINT summary of the main lessons to be learned (link) *
ONE-PAGE SUMMARY PDF of the same information (link) *
Where next?
This case, like many others of its kind, throws up all sorts of questions about what might usefully change to avert future incidents of this kind.
Among the initial things that struck me were:
A review of the Prevent referral criteria and what might be done with those people who don’t quite meet it but are nonetheless a concern. Or those that meet criteria but don’t consent to intervention
More intervention providers to be available to the Police and Prevent Panels to engage with people of interest - this may ‘allow’ more people to meet threshold and get the help needed
Appropriate increased funding to deploy such professionals who can build links with people of interest and help avert possible future incidents/offences
A review of when and how youth offending teams might usefully be deployed as intervention providers for sub-threshold Prevent candidates, even when no offence or previously recognised ‘prevention’ work is indicated
Provision of fast-tracked risk and ND assessments to be available for people deemed in need and who might also be in or on the cusp of Prevent, where their (suspected) neurodiversity may play a role, for example
Consideration of improved information-sharing between agencies… as always!
Please add your own thoughts in the comments!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Yet again, a young person with clear and evident needs has slipped through the net. Sadly, it’s often the criminal justice system that catches them, as it’s the system of last resort.
Learning the lessons such that we improve inter-agency working and the help available to people of interest-particularly children-as never been more important.
It beats why we are content to have a system that confines children to custody for crimes instead of changing things to get them the help they need. That would be a win/win - the public isn’t harmed and childhoods are not sacrificed on the altar of systemic inadequacies…
See you in the next one!
More information:
* I used ChatGPT to do the initial summarising, so this won’t entirely avert the need to read the report in full (but it’s quicker!)
See Jonny’s temporary website - here
MAPF REPORT: MAPF Incident Review – Ysgol Duffryn Aman (link)
WEB ARTICLE: Case summary and sentencing - BBC article (link)
BOOK: Children As Risk by Anne-Marie MacAlinden (link) best book I’ve read on risk as it relates to children. It’s about HSB/CSE but the principles speak to ‘child crime’ in general, in my view.
PREVIOUS BLOG: Punishment Doesn’t Work for Troubled Kids - Do This Instead… (link)
PREVIOUS BLOG: The case of Valdo Calocane starkly illustrates the need for treatment rather than punishment (link)
LECTURE: Dr Gwen Adshead - Reith Lecture 2024 #1 (This is brilliant! (link)
BOOK: What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing by Bruce Perry & Oprah Winfrey (link)
BOOK: Working with Troubled Children and Teenagers by Jonny Matthew (link)
PREVIOUS BLOG: Avoidable Tragedy: What We Can Learn From Axel Rudakubana (and the Southport tragedy) (link)
Subscribe & Follow?
You can join the email list for this blog publication here. Your information is safe and you can unsubscribe anytime very easily.
You can also “Like” this site on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter. The voiceovers are also on YouTube and Spotify - though not for this post.
©️ Jonny Matthew 2025
Get full access to Jonny Matthew’s Substack at jonnyvm.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Information & inspiration for working with troubled kids - with Jonny MatthewBLOG PODS #37 - The Ammanford School Stabbings #1 - Learning from the review
INTRODUCTION
Despite being still in a period of suspension from my usual blogging schedule (ongoing family issues) I couldn’t resist sending something out following yesterday’s published review into the Ammanford Stabbings.
I have a more thoughtful opinion piece coming out in the autumn, but thought some of the info I put together yesterday might be useful to you guys.
So here it is…
There's a bunch of links and documents below, too, but here are the bits I found/made yesterday while trying to get my head around it all:
MAPF REPORT: MAPF Incident Review – Ysgol Duffryn Aman (link)
POWERPOINT summary of the main lessons to be learned (link) *
ONE-PAGE SUMMARY PDF of the same information (link) *
Where next?
This case, like many others of its kind, throws up all sorts of questions about what might usefully change to avert future incidents of this kind.
Among the initial things that struck me were:
A review of the Prevent referral criteria and what might be done with those people who don’t quite meet it but are nonetheless a concern. Or those that meet criteria but don’t consent to intervention
More intervention providers to be available to the Police and Prevent Panels to engage with people of interest - this may ‘allow’ more people to meet threshold and get the help needed
Appropriate increased funding to deploy such professionals who can build links with people of interest and help avert possible future incidents/offences
A review of when and how youth offending teams might usefully be deployed as intervention providers for sub-threshold Prevent candidates, even when no offence or previously recognised ‘prevention’ work is indicated
Provision of fast-tracked risk and ND assessments to be available for people deemed in need and who might also be in or on the cusp of Prevent, where their (suspected) neurodiversity may play a role, for example
Consideration of improved information-sharing between agencies… as always!
Please add your own thoughts in the comments!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Yet again, a young person with clear and evident needs has slipped through the net. Sadly, it’s often the criminal justice system that catches them, as it’s the system of last resort.
Learning the lessons such that we improve inter-agency working and the help available to people of interest-particularly children-as never been more important.
It beats why we are content to have a system that confines children to custody for crimes instead of changing things to get them the help they need. That would be a win/win - the public isn’t harmed and childhoods are not sacrificed on the altar of systemic inadequacies…
See you in the next one!
More information:
* I used ChatGPT to do the initial summarising, so this won’t entirely avert the need to read the report in full (but it’s quicker!)
See Jonny’s temporary website - here
MAPF REPORT: MAPF Incident Review – Ysgol Duffryn Aman (link)
WEB ARTICLE: Case summary and sentencing - BBC article (link)
BOOK: Children As Risk by Anne-Marie MacAlinden (link) best book I’ve read on risk as it relates to children. It’s about HSB/CSE but the principles speak to ‘child crime’ in general, in my view.
PREVIOUS BLOG: Punishment Doesn’t Work for Troubled Kids - Do This Instead… (link)
PREVIOUS BLOG: The case of Valdo Calocane starkly illustrates the need for treatment rather than punishment (link)
LECTURE: Dr Gwen Adshead - Reith Lecture 2024 #1 (This is brilliant! (link)
BOOK: What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing by Bruce Perry & Oprah Winfrey (link)
BOOK: Working with Troubled Children and Teenagers by Jonny Matthew (link)
PREVIOUS BLOG: Avoidable Tragedy: What We Can Learn From Axel Rudakubana (and the Southport tragedy) (link)
Subscribe & Follow?
You can join the email list for this blog publication here. Your information is safe and you can unsubscribe anytime very easily.
You can also “Like” this site on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter. The voiceovers are also on YouTube and Spotify - though not for this post.
©️ Jonny Matthew 2025
Get full access to Jonny Matthew’s Substack at jonnyvm.substack.com/subscribe