| Tuesday: March 10: 2020 || ά. Urgent investment in youth services is needed to help stop children from being criminally exploited and getting involved in knife crime, a cross party group of MPs has warned today, March 10. Ahead of the Budget, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Knife Crime and Violence Reduction is calling on the Chancellor to ensure there is adequate funding so local authorities can provide these vital services. The Group, which is supported by charities Barnardo’s and Redthread, is publishing a Report today, which includes the thoughts of young people about why these services are so vital. The APPG says that the Government’s £500 million youth investment fund, which was announced last autumn, is welcome but will not transform the system alone.

Instead, it wants to see measures in the budget and the upcoming Spending Review to plug the current gap between funding and spending, which, the Local Government Association estimates, will grow to £01.57 billion by 2024:25. Research, published by the APPG last year and, which underpins the recommendations in the group’s Securing a Brighter Future Report, published today, found a clear correlation between areas, which had cut spending on youth services and areas with the fastest increase in knife crime. The APPG is calling for four policy changes from government to improve youth services in England: conduct a national audit of youth services in England; fund local authorities to invest in sustainable long-term youth work; introduce a clear statutory requirement to local authorities for a minimum level of professional youth services provision and invest in a professional youth workforce because youth services are more than buildings.

One young person said about youth services, “Youth services offer qualifications because most kids caught up in knife crime might not be in school and they might just be out on the streets, doing like gang violence and stuff like that but youth services offer them a qualification so that they can try to apply for a job to try to get out of that lifestyle.”

And another young person said, “The camaraderie, that a lot of young people say that they get from the gangs you can get from team sport or even a boxing club. If, that’s what they are getting from the gang then you need to replicate that elsewhere.” Young people, who worked with the APPG on the Report said that youth services could be a lifeline.

In places, where these services have suffered widespread cutbacks the young people say gangs have been able to ‘step in’ and fill the void. They say that the gangs give them opportunities and a chance to be part of a group, that is otherwise lacking in their communities. And some said that living in disadvantaged areas with few chances of employment meant it was easy for gangs to lure young people in with the offer to make money.

They want there to be investment in youth clubs and other youth work projects because they say that this would fill the void the gangs have stepped into by giving them positive things to do in their community, as well as, a safe space to spend time with their friends.

And young people, who were lucky enough to live in areas, where there are youth services said that the impact of youth workers was vital. For them they are a trusted adult in their lives and help to support them as they get older with applications for housing, benefits, jobs and in other areas of their lives.

Barnardo’s Chief Executive Mr Javed Khan said, “Too many children are left vulnerable to gangs, who promise protection, a source of income and a sense of belonging that they’re not getting elsewhere.  Barnardo’s has long warned that the reduction in youth workers and safe spaces over many years has contributed to a ‘poverty of hope’ among young people, who see little or no chance of a positive future.

The Government has promised to invest in youth centres and mobile facilities, which is a welcome start. But we, also, need long-term, sustainable investment in children and young people’s services overall to help keep vulnerable children out of AandE and the criminal justice system  and to help them achieve a positive future.”

The Chair of the APPG on Knife Crime and Violence Reduction and the MP for Croydon Central, Ms Sarah Jones, said, “Knife crime is at record levels and too many young people are dying on our streets. Meanwhile, children across our country have seen youth services reduced or stripped away entirely in recent years. 

Policing and enforcement will always be important but, there is clear evidence that we can achieve better outcomes, if, government prioritises investment in preventing violence than dealing with its consequences.

This Report makes clear that we need to restore and elevate youth work, setting it on a par with teaching and recognising it as a profession by developing and supporting the workforce. That starts with proper funding at tomorrow’s budget.”

Redthread’s Chief Executive Mr John Poyton said, “The value of youth work lies in the positive relationships workers form with young people. These are relationships where there are no formal requirements to engage and no sanctions for non-attendance, where support responds organically to a young person’s needs. When a young person is working with a youth worker, it’s because they want to and because they trust the worker.

This may sound straightforward but, in practice the work is highly skilled and specialist, particularly, with young people experiencing complex issues like youth violence and knife crime. At its best, youth work can support these young people to thrive in the face of adversity and prevent exploitation and violence. But it can not achieve this without investment in developing the profession and the workforce. We urge the government to listen to the voices of youth workers featured in this report and take steps to strengthen the sector and safeguard young people.”

All-Party Parliamentary Group on Knife Crime: preventknifecrime.co.uk/reports-and-evidence: Page existed as on Wednesday: March 11: 2020. This notice signifies that that’s how it is when reported because in the future this page may not be there, which happens a great deal these days.

About the APPG on Knife Crime and Violence Reduction: The All-Party Parliamentary Group:APPG on Knife Crime and Violence Reduction is a group of over 70 MPs and Peers, set up in response to the alarming rise in knife crime across the country. The APPG seeks to evaluate policies and programmes aimed at reducing knife crime, gain better understanding of its root causes and the wider context of serious violence. The group aims to develop recommendations for new measures at both acute and preventative stages with a view to reducing levels of knife crime, and work with the cross-party Youth Violence Commission. The secretariat is jointly provided by Barnardo’s and Redthread.

About Barnardo’s: Barnardo’s is the UK’s largest national children’s charity. Last year we supported around 300,000 children, young people, parents and carers through more than 1,000 services, including, counselling for children, who have been exploited, support for children in and leaving care and specialist mental health services. Barnardo’s goal is to achieve better outcomes for more children, by creating stronger families, safer childhoods, and positive futures.

About Redthread: Redthread is a youth work charity, whose vision is a society in which all young people lead healthy, safe, and happy lives. Redthread’s mission is to empower young people to thrive as they navigate the challenging transition to adulthood by integrating trauma-informed youth work into the health sector. Redthread supports the holistic wellbeing of young people by delivering innovative interventions, personal support, and bridging of services, through their Youth Violence Intervention Programme in AandE departments across London and the Midlands. The aim is to help young people to meet their full potential and move away from cycles of violence and re-offending.

::: Caption: The St Salvators Chapel Choir: University of St Andrews: Image: University of St Andrews :::