The Children's Rights Alliance for England (Crae) has teamed up with four European partner organisations from Cyprus, the Netherlands, Austria and Romania to deliver the project.
Each has combined to carry out studies of national legislation and policy connected with protecting children and young people from all forms of violence in custody.
Crae is now looking to recruit 10 children and young people with experience of custody to conduct peer focus groups across the country.
Training and support will be provided and young investigators from across the partner countries will get to compare and discuss their results in a meeting in Brussels next year.
Carolyne Willow, Crae's national co-ordinator, said: "Children and young people with experience of being locked up have hitherto been excluded from national policy debates and decision-making.
"Their advice and reflections on how to make custody safe should be central to future reforms and we're determined to help make this happen."
Crae has also recently applied for permission to bring a judicial review to challenge the refusal of the Ministry of Justice to identify and make contact with former detainees of the country's four privately run secure training centres (STCs) who were likely to have been unlawfully restrained.
- Children and young people (under the age of 18) interested in taking part in the ending violence project, who are currently detained, or have spent time, in a young offender institution, secure training centre or local authority secure children's home can contact Krishna Maroo at Crae on 020 7278 8222 or email kmaroo@crae.org.uk.
