Experience of a medical student working within an online transdisciplinary international research community – GIRAF
By Charlotte Buttercase
The Group of International Researchers in Adolescent Forensics (better known as GIRAF) is a transdisciplinary, online research community bringing together academics, practitioners and policy makers from across the globe to collaborate on research pertaining to children and young people who present with indicators of high risk of violence to and/or from others. Many are thus deprived of their liberty, or in danger of being so. It has been my great pleasure, thanks to Crime in Mind, to have been able to join GIRAF as a Research Assistant, since July 2025.
In my role, I have had the unique opportunity to delve into this area of Medicine, under-represented at least from the student perspective. I commenced this role as I entered my final year of studying to become a medical doctor, having had no previous exposure to such significant work informing policy. The driver behind my application was principally my passion for social mobility and advocacy; I hoped to use this opportunity to contribute meaningfully to improving the lives of young people, whose growth and freedoms are so often limited by pervasive cycles beyond their control. These include poverty, trauma (often inter-generational) and, all too frequently as I have observed, health, social care and educational inequities that are often entirely avoidable.
In my view, on this subject one could argue that the central ethos of GIRAF is akin to the notion of “a rising tide lifts all ships”. To explain, GIRAF aims, through comparative research and interdisciplinary discussion of policy and practice across national borders, for all members to reflect upon their own country’s laws and practices and learn from each other’s country-specific successes within the field of adolescent forensic mental health work. My formal job description, as research assistant, was to expand the reach of GIRAF across low and middle income countries. From my previous experience in research and national and international collaboration, I knew that forming sustainable rapport by email is a challenging task. By nature, it requires consistency, patience, but more than anything else, a great deal of time. It was therefore essential to have the financial support of Crime in Mind, in order that I could devote my undivided attention to this task; I needed to focus and develop my skills in communicating across borders and, significantly in this role, different cultures.
Commencing my role, I was pleased to start with a headfirst dive into reviewing previous academic outputs from GIRAF1,2, considering how I might assimilate such complex themes and information in ways that would translate well across language barriers and differences in cultural background. Within weeks of commencing my role, I was introduced to practitioners and academics across the globe, who not only leant an ear, but also gave kind and welcoming advice to help direct me in my tasks that might otherwise have seemed overwhelming. I could then fully appreciate that there was no unrealistic expectation for me to know everything at the start, but that we would all work together to improve at each attempt.
Together, we hit the ground running. We used contacts, provided through active authors on relevant academic papers as a “foot in the door”. This approach then led us to a formal connection with the children’s rights charity, CORAM3, that has extensive output across countries particularly pertinent to our research. As Research Assistant, relatively junior in my career, my previous endeavours may have clouded my expectations of my own value within such well-established academic spaces. GIRAF and Crime in Mind, however, did away with my concerns, providing me the unique chance not only to engage groups such as CORAM3, but to chair initial introductory meetings and lead crosstalk between GIRAF’s founders and relevant professionals across the world. I was taken aback by just how highly valued I felt from my first day of working; my ideas and suggestions were taken with a great deal of respect. Phone calls and passing discussions I had were welcomed as new doors opened. Even when my approaches became tangential, I was gently guided back towards my central task and given many a chance to grow and improve.
As a soon-to-be medical graduate, preparing to enter the workforce of our National Health Service here in the United Kingdom, I will remain a member of GIRAF. Although my formal employment has come to an end, I feel re-invigorated to be part of this rapidly evolving area of academia. Previously, as part of “generation Z”, I have certainly fallen victim to the phenomenon of “activist fatigue”. So often, the only consolation as a young person, moving up in my career in a world increasingly rife with prejudice, division and ignorance is that, one day, once I am more senior in my career, I might be able to make a difference. Having held this role in GIRAF, that wait feels like it need not be decades long. Rather, those of us committed to young people, their right to basic protections, social support and adequate education can be actively involved in impactful research, here and now.
I believe there are vast numbers of trainees, who share these values; that inequity should not be the expectation, rising criminality is not the sole fault of those in worse circumstances and that, in short, children and young people deserve and would benefit from support. With the right cause, young professionals can be effectively mobilised. It is therefore my intention, moving forward with GIRAF and Crime in Mind, to introduce a network for medical students like me, to bring their expertise and passions together in these collaborative spaces. We can embolden future generations of academics, researchers, law-makers and other relevant professionals towards championing these values long into the future, even as international conflict remains a mainstay headline.
As I commence my first Foundation Year as a resident doctor in North East London, I am excited for what the future holds, and so incredibly grateful to the co-founders of GIRAF – Heidi Hales and Fleur Souverein, Annie Bartlett and Jeremy Burn – as well as its wider membership for allowing me to rediscover why I pursue this career.
Charlotte Amelia Buttercase
References:
1. Souverein, F. et al. Mental health, welfare or justice: An introductory global overview of differences between countries in the scale and approach to secure placements of children and young people. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health 32, 238–247 (2022).
2. Delmage, E. et al. The Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility Internationally—History, Systems and the Future. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health 36, 21–32 (2026).
3. CORAM. CORAM – Children’s Charity. Registered Charity 312278, https://www.coram.org.uk/.
Research can transform lives. We want to support discoveries about what helps people with mental disorder who have been victims of criminal behaviour, or perpetrators of criminal behaviour, and their families, and the clinicians and others who treat them and, indeed, the wider community when its members are in contact with these problems. More effective prevention is the ideal, when this is not possible, we need more effective, evidenced interventions for recovery and restoration of safety.
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