Olliers Solicitors and Greater Manchester Youth Network: SEEN, HEARD, DIVERTED

Target: £30,000

Did you know that 80% of children in the youth justice system are neurodivergent?

Let that number sink in.

Only 15% of the general UK population is neurodivergent, yet eight out of ten children cautioned or sentenced in our courts have special educational needs, autism or ADHD.

This is not a youth crime wave we are dealing with. It is a systemic failure of understanding.

Every single day on the front line of criminal defence, the team at Olliers Solicitors sees vulnerable young people fall foul of a system that doesn't speak their language. We see sensory meltdowns routinely mistaken for aggression. We see difficulties with eye contact, misread as defiance or inability to communicate emotion, as a lack of remorse.

The system is failing these children by criminalising their vulnerability while missing the genuine opportunities for early intervention that keep our communities safe.

We refuse to stand by and keep watching this happen.

Olliers has launched a landmark, three-year partnership with the Greater Manchester Youth Network (GMYN) to deliver a life-changing initiative: Seen, Heard, Diverted.

Our goal is ambitious but non-negotiable. We need to raise £30,000 over the next three years to build a clear prevention pathway that helps prevent neurodivergent kids from wrongly ending up in the criminal justice system and ensures they are judged fairly if they do.

How your donation changes the narrative:

Your support funds a phased, three-strand delivery model across all 10 Greater Manchester local authorities:

Young People (Prevention and Rights): Funding safe, activity-led spaces (like gaming and cycling clubs) where legal professionals and youth workers co-produce rights-awareness training. This gives young people practical, wallet-sized toolkits so they know how to respond safely during high-pressure interactions with authority

Parents and Carers (The Support Net): Creating accessible, downloadable toolkits and face-to-face coaching sessions to help families navigate complex system interactions with confidence

Professionals (System Change): Developing bite-sized guides and training videos for police officers, solicitors and magistrates to prevent behavioral misinterpretation and de-escalate crisis points

The Olliers Commitment

We are committing firm funds, all our future fundraising energy (more on that soon) and our time to mentor these young people and help educate the system. But we cannot do it alone.

Whether you are a corporate partner in the North West, a professional who recognises this crisis or a friend of the firm, your donation matters to the youngsters in our region that we are trying to reach.

We are running the Tatton Park 10 k run on Saturday 18th July 2026 in support of this project as well as abseiling Miller Dale Viaduct on a date to be confirmed.

Please donate today. Let’s make sure these young people are finally seen, understood and supported to live the best lives possible.

Thank you so much.

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