18 March 2008

A thousand of the most challenging young people will be targeted for intensive, non negotiable intervention in order to prevent future antisocial behaviour, Ed Balls and Beverley Hughes announced today in the Youth Taskforce Action Plan.

The Youth Taskforce Action Plan will build on the success in tackling antisocial behaviour by spending £218.5m in the following three areas:

- Tough enforcement where behaviour is unacceptable or illegal

- Non-negotiable support to address the underlying causes of poor behaviour

- Better prevention to tackle problems before they become serious and entrenched, and to prevent problems arising in the first place

As part of the Youth Taskforce Action Plan we are launching Intensive Intervention Projects for young people. These are based on the successful Family Intervention Projects. Twenty pioneering schemes will be established over the next three years aimed specifically at young people. The Action Plan expands on the successful work of the Respect Taskforce by focusing on early intervention and prevention alongside tough enforcement.

Young people will have to agree to a contract and will receive an assertive and persistent key worker who will work with them to make sure they get the help they need to tackle the causes of their bad behaviour. For example if substance misuse is the cause of the bad behaviour then drug treatment would be provided.

The support is non negotiable - if young people don't take the help, or refuse to mend their ways they will face the consequences - for example an Anti-Social Behaviour Order to stop bad behaviour and an Individual Support Order to compel them to co-operate with support. These are court orders with criminal records and sanctions for those who breach them.

Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said:

"It is right that our first priority has been to put in place legislation to stop antisocial behaviour in its tracks to bring respite to communities. The Action Plan will go further to tackle antisocial behaviour by making sure we take strong actions to tackle the underlying causes such as substance misuse and family breakdown.

"Recognising these problems doesn't condone bad behaviour - nor is help a soft option. In the end where young people and families don't accept help to change their behaviour then the right thing to do is to use Antisocial Behaviour Orders and Individual Support Orders.

"Communities want lasting improvements and that means not only stopping bad behaviour when it occurs but also changing it and intervening early to stop bad behaviour spiralling into future offending. That is also why we are investing record sums in positive activities for young people to make sure they have places to go and things to do at weekends and in the evenings."

Beverley Hughes, Minster for Children, Young People and Families, said:

"We know that the best form of cure is prevention. We can spot early warning signs in young people and families where things are going wrong - poor parenting, lessons skipped, and complaints about behaviour.

"To change, rather than just contain, we need tough action on the underlying problems alongside tough enforcement. Intervening early and requiring young people and their parents to address the causes as well as the behaviour itself, will both prevent antisocial behaviour and deal with it more effectively where it does occur.

"The Youth Taskforce Action Plan has a package of £218.5m over the next three years to continue and build on work to tackle youth antisocial behaviour. It will tackle the causes to make lasting changes in the behaviour of some of the most difficult young people."

Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, said:

"We are committed to tackling crime and antisocial behaviour. This is why we have given the police powers to apply for anti-social behaviour orders, confiscate alcohol and disperse gangs.

"Most young people are on the right track but this plan sets out practical ways to support those that need help to stay out of trouble in the first place. Together with the continuing roll out of neighbourhood policing, this plan will help make our streets safer and build confidence across communities."

We know that it is only a minority of young people who behave badly. An opinion poll recently commissioned by the Youth Taskforce showed that when young people were asked about their views on antisocial behaviour two thirds thought young people were portrayed negatively in the media - impacting on how others in society saw them. Three quarters want places to go and things to do to prevent anti-social behaviour by young people. The Government's Children's Plan - published in December - set out a vision to make this country the best place in the world to grow up including a massive expansion of positive activities and safer neighbourhoods.

The Youth Taskforce Action plan sets out a number of commitments to deliver its objective of tackling antisocial behaviour and its causes:

- 20 Intensive Intervention Projects

- 52 Challenge and Support Projects - fresh emphasis on the use of Individual Support Orders and early intervention

- Help for Local Authorities to deliver targeted youth support reforms

- Ensure antisocial behaviour is tackled through effective use of enforcement powers

- Evaluate the effectiveness of support measures alongside antisocial behaviour orders

- Expand the network of Family Intervention Projects

- Up to £60m to roll out Parenting Early Intervention Pathfinders

- Increase young people's participation in positive activities

- New ways to help local communities and young people resolve tensions

- Help local areas and partners promote interaction between young people and other sections of society

- Run a national award scheme to recognise and celebrate those young people who successfully turn round their lives and make a significant contribution to communities

The Action Plan will focus on getting young people into positive activities by fast tracking almost £23m through the Youth Capital Fund. This will help get improved facilities opened quickly in the most deprived areas where teenagers are most at risk of getting into trouble and have fewest opportunities to get involved in activities like sport and arts.

Providing places to go and positive things for young people to do is a key part of our Ten Year Youth Strategy and today we are also publishing the Aiming High Implementation Plan. The plan sets out how we will improve services and opportunities for all young people to take part in positive activities to develop new skills and raise aspirations.

The opinion poll also showed that two thirds of young people thought that parents of those who get involved in antisocial behaviour could do more to help.

The Action Plan makes up to £60m available over the next three years to provide more parenting help by expanding Parenting Early Intervention Pathfinders (PEIPS) across the country. Over 99 per cent of parents taking part in the Pathfinders rated the help provided as helpful or very helpful.

The pathfinders will provide support such as parenting classes to parents who are struggling to manage their children's behaviour. But parents must face their responsibilities. Where they do not, we expect local agencies to make them do so by using parenting contracts and orders. Over 4,000 parenting contracts and 1,000 parenting orders have been issued since 2003 but we want to see even more use of them.

Martin Narey, Chief Executive of Barnardo's, said:

"No one disputes that sanctions for bad behaviour are both necessary and appropriate. However, they are only one part of the story. We need to get underneath the root cause of that behaviour which is often family breakdown, drug or alcohol misuse problems or low achievement at school. These aren't excuses but they are problems which need addressing and all too often the most vulnerable, and also most challenging, teenagers aren't getting or aren't taking the help they need. Making sure they do is what they need and what communities need."

Paul Ennals, Chief Executive of National Children's Bureau, said

"The Action Plan recognises the three-part approach which we all need to take when tackling difficulties: clear sanctions where behaviour is unacceptable; support to help young people overcome problems; and prevention. The new Challenge and Support Projects should help local services to share information, intervene early and agree joint solutions. That will help tackle anti-social behaviour but also help young people and their families realise their potential."

John Coughlan, Director of Children's Services, Hampshire County Council, said:

"ADCS welcomes the Youth Taskforce Action Plan as an important component of the Government's children's plan which sets such high ambitions for our children and young people. This focus on more excluded young people is critical and we believe the balance of this report - between prevention, support and enforcement - is the right one.

"We are pleased to see that the approach set out in the Action Plan - for example the Intensive Intervention Project will not only tackle antisocial behaviour but will also help young people tackle problems they face as they approach adulthood."

Frances Done, Chair of the Youth Justice Board, said:

"Some young people will get into trouble and we need to respond more effectively to them. We can do more to turn around the lives of young people in trouble by offering support - and where necessary ensuring that they and their families take that help. We can also do more to stop young people getting into trouble in the first place - it's very easy to identify the early signs that something is going wrong in a young person's life.

"Both jobs are equally important and it's encouraging to see through the Youth Taskforce Action Plan that Government is committed to each. Youth offending teams will be at the heart of improving outcomes for both groups and I look forward to a productive relationship with the Taskforce."

Fiona Blacke, Chief Executive of the National Youth Agency, said:

"Young people are our future. Most of them manage the transitions between childhood and adulthood without problems and many young people contribute very positively to the lives of their communities and society as a whole. However some young people fail to thrive and behave in ways that are unacceptable and so need extra targeted help. I am delighted that a major focus of the Action Plan is on supporting families, communities and services to tackle those young people's problems at source and to respond strongly to young people in trouble. I believe the Taskforce will act as a catalyst to ensure we all work together to make a difference for our most vulnerable young people."

Ian Carter, ACPO spokesman on children and young people, said:

"Communities care about crime and antisocial behaviour. Through neighbourhood policing the police are involving communities in tackling issues that they are most concerned about, intervening early and giving young people positive alternatives to crime and anti-social behaviour, coupled with tough enforcement for those who persistently break the law.

"The complimentary focus in this Action Plan on involving communities and young people in agreeing the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, establishing facilities that will get teenagers into positive activities and, where necessary, tackling problems swiftly, will help us deliver this agenda and reduce the fear of crime."

Editor's Notes

This press notice relates to 'England'

1. The Youth Taskforce was established in October to take the work of the Respect programme to the next stage and put an even greater focus on the twin track approach to promote earlier intervention and more positive activities for young people.

2. We will aim to train over 3,000 parenting practitioners by April 2009 and each year after that on effective ways effective ways of tackling antisocial behaviour and improving services for the most deprived and challenging young people. We will build on the effective approach of Respect Taskforce by providing a package of best practice advice and training to frontline practitioners. Through work with specific local areas and events open to staff from all areas.

3. We announced Challenge and Support projects as part of the Youth Taskforce Action Plan on 5th March. 52 local areas have been asked to bid for Challenge and Support projects and £13m will be available to help deliver them in the forthcoming Youth Taskforce Action Plan. Challenge and Support projects will intervene early at the first sign of problems like truancy, bad behaviour in school or contact with the police to stop future offenders. http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2008_0039

4. The Youth Taskforce commissioned LVQ research to conduct an opinion poll of young people's views on portrayals of antisocial behaviour. The findings can be found on the ECM website. http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/youthmatters/ytf/actionplan/

5. Aiming High is the Government's Ten Year Youth Strategy. Aiming High and a corresponding £679million was announced in July 2007, to help young people, particularly those in deprived areas, take part in positive activities to develop new skills and raise aspirations. The Implementation plan published today set out what the Government has achieved to date as well as setting out how it intends to deliver its commitments and what it expects from partners. http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/publications/tenyearyouthstrategy/index.shtml http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/youthmatters/aiminghigh/

Contact Details

Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk

Press Notice 2008/0054