Drive to tackle antisocial behaviour in young people

A thousand of the most challenging young people in England will be targeted for non-negotiable intervention as part of a drive to prevent future antisocial behaviour. Ed Balls MP, Labour’s Children’s Secretary, unveiled the new approach as part of

the Youth Taskforce Action Plan which will spend £218.5 million 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.

The Children’s Secretary 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.”

The action plan builds on the work of the Respect Taskforce by focusing on early intervention and prevention alongside enforcement.

Young people will have to agree to a contract and will receive an assertive key worker to help them confront the causes for their bad behaviour. For example if substance misuse is a cause, they will receive drug treatment.

The support provided by the action plan is non-negotiable and if young people don’t take their help, enforcement measures such as Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and Individual Support Orders will be used.

Ed Balls added: “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.”