NEWS:Youth Taskforce Conference
(2008-11-27)

Today was the last of a series ofRoadshows promoting the work of the Youth Taskforce. Events have been in Newcastle, Coventry, London, Nottingham, Brighton and Manchester throughout November. Barbara Hastings-Asatourian represented Contraception Education at today's event in the Palace Hotel, Oxford Street, Manchester.

The events were aimed at local practitioners involved in front line delivery. They were an opportunity to hear from the heart of government about the role of Aiming High for young people, Targeted Youth Support and the Youth Taskforce Action Plan in delivering the government’s vision for young people. There was a focus on the interaction between youth and community safety services, implementation of Targeted Youth Support, Challenge and Support principles and embedding the “triple track” approach.

Today's Roadshow offered an opportunity to hear about best practice from around the country and get tips from expert practitioners on issues like using the Common Assessment Framework and lead professionals, using Individual Support Orders alongside Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, Parenting support and activities for young people.

Workshops included:

Using individual support orders (ISO’s)
An individual support order (ISO) is intended to supplement and ASBO for under 18’s with support to tackle the causes of anti social behaviour through targeted positive requirements.

This workshop helped participants:
understand what individual support package makes up an ISO
understand how a package of support can be put together and how the courts will make an order for an ISO
understand how orders are implemented
understand what happens when an order is breached, or how to review or vary an order
hear of examples of where ISO’s have been used to provide support to enable YP meet the conditions of an ASBO

The workshop gave participants the chance to share experiences and good practice and meet practitioners who are successfully using Individual support orders

Providing positive activities for young people at weekends
Often youth facilities are closed on Friday and Saturday nights - just when incidents of crime and anti social behaviour are often at their highest. This workshop looked at how we can learn from good practice to make sure that youth activities are attractive, accessible and available at times and in areas where they are most needed, to help to increase young people’s participation in positive activities and bring young people and the rest of the community together.

The workshop examined:
How local areas can map and publicise what provision is already available for young people
How local partners can work together to make sure activities are open at the times and places when they are most needed
How young people and communities can be brought together to actively shape and drive activities in their local area
How local areas can make the most of capital investment opportunities available to take a strategic approach to facilities for young people – making the best use of facilities and involving the right local partners. Parenting workshop The session covered the types of parenting support shown to be effective in tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour. It gave an indication of what effective practice looks like and how it can be targeted most effectively. Practitioners experienced in running and commissioning parenting programmes provided insights on running these programmes, how to ensure families engage and use of parenting orders.

Youth Crime

Youth crime and ASB is a major source of public concern. The Youth Crime Action Plan, published in July, set out a comprehensive analysis of what more we need to do to tackle and prevent it.

This workshop explored in more detail some of the measures in it, including:
Making sure the full range of tools and powers for Police and other agencies to tackle unacceptable behaviour are used fully, including acceptable behaviour contracts and parenting orders
Using street-based teams of workers to tackle groups of young people involved in crime and disorder, and engage them in services
Using child protection legislation to remove children and young people from the street late at night to a place of safety
Increasing after school patrols to tackle ASB and disorder at school closing time and at transport interchanges CAF and lead professional workshop

This workshop enabled practitioners to find out more about the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and explore the role of the lead professional in co-ordinating support for young people and their families. Both the CAF and lead professional role are important elements of the targeted youth support reforms being introduced across the country and can make a significant contribution to reducing criminal and anti-social behaviour. This workshop was most use to practitioners who have limited or no knowledge of the CAF and lead professional role and want to explore how they can get involved more involved.

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