Approach

Reasoning

Example

Early home visits & pre-school education programmes

• Address crime risk factors e.g. abuse, neglect; improvements in parent/child relations
• Prevent offending

Contact: Jane Lithgow
Chief Executive - National NEWPIN
Tel: 020 7358 5923
Tel: 020 7703 6326

Family Parenting & Parent Training

• Address crime risk factors e.g. abuse, neglect; improvements in parent/child relations
• Prevent offending

Northumbria Probation Service, in conjunction with Sunderland’s Youth Offending Team, has developed a programme for ‘at risk’ parents and their children called "Let’s Talk Parenting". The programme has now been incorporated into the Looking Forward Project being carried out by the University of Northumbria and Tyne & Wear Health Action Zone. This project is aimed at improving the functioning of families where there are young people experiencing medium behavioural difficulties; before they have progressed a substantial way along an offending career.

Greenwich Partnership Against Crime & YOT is equipping parents with coping strategies in relation to challenging adolescent behaviour, including boundary-setting & handling conflict.

Family preservation strategies

• Address crime risk factors e.g. abuse, neglect; improvements in parent/child relations
• Prevent offending

Norfolk County Council in conjunction with its Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership is developing individual programmes of interventions with the parents of young people who engage in anti-social or offending behaviour, in order to reduce neglect and lack of supervision of young people and help resolve conflict between parents & children.

These contracts were created as a way of tackling anti-social behaviour on estates and on the streets. They aim to stop threatening behaviour & harassment, racist behaviour, graffiti, criminal damage, vandalism and sub-criminal behaviour, which adversely affect the quality of life of residents. An ABC is an individual written agreement by a youth with the local housing office & local police not to carry on with certain identifiable acts, which could be construed as anti-social behaviour. It has been designed for 10-18 year olds, although it is flexible and can be used occasionally where appropriate on over 18s if they are still live at home in a Council, rented or privately owned property with their parent(s)/guardian(s). If the child were under 10, the parent(s)/guardian(s) would sign up to a Parental Control Agreement. This is the same as an ABC except that the parent(s)/guardian(s) take full responsibility for their child’s behaviour. These contracts are not legally binding, but they can be cited in a Civil Court for an application for an Eviction Order or at a Magistrates Court in support of an ASBO. The contracts usually last 6 months, although they can be renewed.

• Tel: 0207 527 3273
• E:Mail: john.hourihan@islington.gov.uk

Well-managed schools

• Prevent delinquency, disruptive behaviour and truancy

Phone 020 8472 1430
Email: eltaz.bodalbhai@newham.gov.uk 

Anti-bullying initiatives

• School bullies are particularly at risk of becoming serious violent offenders & are more likely to raise children who become bullies themselves.

Acland Burghley Secondary School, Camden LEA

Pioneered the use of counsellors with its anti-bullying campaign system. Pupils are able to drop in for a chat with one of 40 pupil counsellors: the aim is to help them find their own solutions. There is awareness raising throughout the school.

Frederick Gough Comprehensive school, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire LEA

Trained pupil counsellors are available for victims of bullying to confide their problems. They have out of school training over 10 weeks with a professional counsellor and are taught listening techniques. This helps other pupils stand up to a bully or talk to a teacher.

Babington Community Technical College, Leicester City LEA

One of eight schools involved in Leicestershire Mediation Service’s conflict resolution in school’s programme, which began in august 1998. It provides a training package in peer mediation for young people at Key Stage 3. The aim is to prevent potential bullying by tackling conflict whilst it is at a lower level. The mediation service at the school deals with almost 40 cases a year, the majority of which produce satisfactory resolutions.

Whiteways Junior School, Sheffield LEA

The school’s anti-bullying policy was first developed in the early 1990s. The policy seeks the support and involvement of parents and makes use of praise and encouragement as well as sanctions. The policy encourages pupils to report any bullying to teachers, a friend or parents. Use is made of circle time to discuss the issue. Where necessary, the policy also allows the use of fixed period exclusion against bullies. Cases of systematic or persistent bullying at the school have been few in number; where they arise they are dealt with promptly.

Family/School Partnerships

• Reduce anti-social behaviour in the home/school by improving parent/child and family/school relationships and the child’s academic and social and development

Mentoring Programmes

• Encourages young people in difficulties to make positive changes in their lives – e.g. taking part in further education, training and staying out of trouble with the law

Newham Partnership Against Crime aims to reduce youth offending through its community-based mentoring & education project targeted at persistent young offenders or those at risk of offending.

Cognitive-behavioural approaches

• Helps children & young people to improve their reasoning skills & learn more acceptable ways of interacting with other people

Wandsworth YOT jointly with its Crime & Disorder reduction Partnership has appointed a part-time psychologist to establish & deliver a range of cognitive offending behaviour programmes to young offenders

Milton Keynes Chief Officer’s Steering Group is using cognitive behaviour to prevent offending by children between the ages of 7-12 by raising awareness of the consequences of their offences and encouraging them to take responsibility for their actions.

Health

Oxfordshire Partnership Against Crime, together with its YOT will be providing an assessment of the mental health needs of young offenders and treatment/intervention that minimises their risk of re-offending.

Newham Partnership Against Crime, together with the YOT and the Drug Action Team are developing an integrated treatment plan which addresses drug, alcohol and mental health issues of young offenders.

Restorative Justice

• Attend to the victim’s needs eg by offering them practical and/or symbolic reparation
• Enable offenders to assume active responsibility for their actions
• Support the rehabilitation & reintegration of victims and offenders
• In some cases, provide a means of avoiding escalation of legal justice with associated costs & delays
• Prevent re-offending

Kingston Upon Hull has developed a local restorative justice programme, which confronts young offenders with the consequences of their behaviour.

Intensive Supervision

Rotherham Intensive Support Supervision & Advocacy Project – targets young people aged 10-17 whom have committed three offences in three years. Offending behaviour programmes are provided, as well as victim awareness training &reparation work.

INCLUDE is seeking to reduce levels of offending amongst persistent young offenders by offering a structured and intensively supported programme of education & personal development

• Aims to influence an offender’s decision or ability to commit crimes at particular places or times. It seeks to make criminal actions less attractive to offenders.

• Cameras can:

• Support successful prosecutions

• Better lighting will deter anti-social behaviour and make detection more likely.

• The more precisely patrol presence is concentrated at the ‘hotspots’ the less crime/disorder/anti-social behaviour there will be at those places and times.

• Disrupting offenders’ methods/routines can reduce crimes.

• The higher the police arrest rate for high risk offenders the lower the rates of crime/disorder/anti-social behaviour

• Protecting victims from further crime can reduce crime.