www.preset.orgPRESET Charitable Trust (Registered Offices) 2nd Floor 201 High Street Acton London, W3 9DD, United Kingdom, 020 8992 5202, info@preset.orgThe Challengeshttp://www.preset.org18:57 04-Sep-2010Anti-Social Behaviour According to the Home Office current research into “Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour”, published in December 2006. Anti-social behaviour encompasses a broad range of behaviour including nuisance behaviour, intimidation and vandalism. On average 17 per cent of the population perceive high levels of anti-social behaviour in their area with the young and the less well off being disproportionately affected. The cost to government agencies of responding to reports of anti-social behaviour in England and Wales is approximately £3.4 billion per year and there are significant indirect and emotional costs as well. The requirement for the work that PRESET is experienced in becomes even more apparent if the different areas of need are assessed separately. Youth Crime Home Office research published in May 2007 points to increasing criminality among teenagers, showing that the risk of being a victim of violent crime in the 2006/07 British Crime Survey was 3.6 per cent. Young men, aged 16 to 24, were most at risk, with 13.8 per cent experiencing a violent crime of some sort. The Audit Commission has estimated that each youth crime costs an average of between £4,000 - £5,000. Placing young offenders into institutions is expensive. A place in a youth offenders' institution costs £50,000 a year, and the annual bill for a secure training centre place is £150,000. Estimates of the annual cost of youth crime to society vary between £5bn and £10bn. Therefore there is an urgent need for an alternative, and PRESET has experience of just such an alternative. In 2004, One in ten boys aged 11 and 12 are reported to have carried a knife or other weapon, of whom 8% admitted intending to inflict serious harm. (Fear and Fashion - The use of knives and other weapons by young people' by Gerald Lemos, published by Lemos & Crane 2004) 46% of all children excluded from mainstream education admitted owning a weapon, compared to 16% of those within mainstream education. (Fear and Fashion - The use of knives and other weapons by young people' by Gerald Lemos, published by Lemos & Crane 2004) Excluded young people appear more likely to experience crime in the local area where they live and are more likely to carry weapons. (MORI youth survey, 2003) The killing of teenagers in London reached record levels in 2007. The 26 murders are nearly double the figure for 2006. (The Times, 30 December 2007) 2008 is expected to see further increased figures. There are at least 171 known gangs operating in London - and some up to 100-strong. (Report by Scotland Yard, Violent Crime Directorate, 2007) Half of all known gangs are based amongst the African-Caribbean community. (Report by Scotland Yard, Violent Crime Directorate, 200) Although about 9/10 gang members are male, there are also believed to be three female-only gangs operating in the capital. (Report by Scotland Yard, Violent Crime Directorate, 2007) An example of the work that PRESET has done to promote social inclusion and reduce youth crime was shown between October 2001 and September 2004 when PRESET received funding from the Youth Justice Board for work with young offenders. During this period 170 young people consisting of offenders and those at risk of offending were being helped through the Preset “Back on Track” programme in Islington and Ealing. Youth Alienation In a Guardian article in April 2005, it was quoted that “Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools reported in 2003 that there are 10,000 teenagers not in secondary school. There are many more physically attending, but not sharing in schools' collective and dramatic improvement in performance.” Ofsted has reported that since 2001 attendance has improved by 2.2% in inner London schools and by 1.4% in outer London schools (OFSTED Improvement in London Schools 200-2006 Report). There is still a lot of work to be done. Figures released on 25 June 2005 stated that: “The number of youngsters permanently excluded from schools in England for disruptive and violent behaviour rose by 6% last year.” In 2006, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) conducted an investigation into the exclusion of black pupils, the results of which indicated that a disproportionate number of Black Caribbean and White and Black Caribbean mixed heritage pupils are excluded from school.[2] These results support findings published in a number of studies, including a research report produced for the DfES in 2006.[3] Over the past decade, the number of pupils permanently excluded from schools has fallen, from 12,461 in 1996/97 to 9,130 in 2005/06. However, throughout this period a larger proportion of Black Caribbean and White and Black Caribbean pupils has been excluded than White British pupils. In 2005/06, 0.41% (just over four in 1,000) of Black Caribbean and 0.36% of White and Black Caribbean pupils were permanently excluded. This was more than twice as many White British pupils, for whom the figure was 0.13%. The picture was very similar for fixed-term exclusions. (Mark Williams, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Oxford University)The total cost of an excluded child can be up to £63,851. (New Philanthropy Capital: Misspent Youth. June 2007) These are young people who are failing to achieve their potential, and have already lost confidence in their own abilities by the time they reach their early teens. It is essential that they be helped to regain this confidence, so that they can develop skills and move forward to take a full role in their communities. Without this help, they are in danger of becoming resigned to an unfulfilling life, or at worst to a life on the edges of society. This is a tragedy for both the young people, and society as a whole; to say nothing of the huge costs this will result in for the various social services. PRESET’s mentoring projects are designed to reintegrate young people with their peers and the wider community. This is particularly important for those from the ethnic minorities. PRESET’s volunteer Mentors, more than 50% of whom are not White British, Preset is excellently placed to reach out to the alienated youth. Youth Depression Over 80,000 children and young people suffer from severe depression (Office for National Statistics, 2007). The number of young people battling depression has doubled in 12 years, as hundreds of thousands find themselves excluded from rising levels of education and prosperity. Depression, anxiety and other forms of mental illness have taken over from unemployment as the greatest social problem in the UK, with around 15% of the population suffers from depression or anxiety. Depression will be the 2nd largest killer of all parents by 2020. (Office for National Statistics (ONS) 'Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey, 2004.3) The average age for the onset of serious clinical depression is now 25, compared with late middle age 50 years ago. Concurrently alcohol abuse has also gone up and is linked to suicidal behaviour. (METRO, 7 June 2007) More than 24,000 teenagers are admitted to hospital in the UK each year due to the severity of their injuries after deliberately harming themselves. Most have taken overdoses or cut themselves. (Samaritans & Centre for Suicide, University of Oxford, 2002). The cause of this increase in depression and mental health problems seems to be that although there have been increases in opportunities and wealth in the intervening 12 years, this has not impacted equally on all young people. Therefore, those that have missed out on the new prosperity, are more likely to fall into depression. In order to address this problem it is essential to tackle the difficulties that some young people are finding in achieving permanent and fulfilling employment. This is an area where PRESET have great experience, and it is essential that they are able to continue and expand their work on mentoring and training. Youth Unemployment Despite reductions in youth unemployment with the Government’s New Deal, there are still far too many young people who are not in employment that fully utilises their talents. The PRESET Employable Communities projects aim to increase the ability for young people to enter the job market in positions to maximise their potential. For those with the necessary skills, PRESET has been running courses jointly with housing associations, so that their nominated young staff can gain the skills necessary to allow them to progress to become managers and professionals. In a world where the apprenticeship opportunities of the past have largely disappeared, it is essential that the PRESET work on job-related training is extended. Lack of Skills Among Young People Too many young people are failing to attain the skills and qualifications of which they are capable. This has a knock on effect on their job opportunities and hence achievements throughout their lives. An extract from the National Statistics states that “Parental and family circumstances impact upon GCSE attainment. In 2002, 77 per cent of children in year 11 in England and Wales with parents in higher professional occupations gained five or more A* to C grade GCSEs. This was more than double the proportion for children with parents in routine occupations (32 per cent).” The extract then goes on to highlight the link between educational attainment and wage levels. “There is a clear relationship between higher qualifications and higher earnings, and the earnings premium for possessing a degree is particularly high. The average gross weekly income of full-time employees in the UK with a degree was £632 in spring 2003. This was more than double the weekly income of £298 for those with no qualifications. The attainment of qualifications is also of importance for being in the workforce at all. “The likelihood of being employed is also higher for those with higher qualifications. In spring 2003, 88 per cent of working age adults with a degree were in full-time employment compared with 50 per cent of those with no qualifications. Education is also key in explaining the inequality gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged groups in terms of health, living standards and social participation.”The lack of educational attainment differs very much between different ethnic groups, with black Caribbean boys performing worst at GCSE, and Chinese girls performing best. Therefore the attainment of qualifications is essential to improve the choices and options for life of young people. PRESET is already committed to this aim with the current range of training programmes backed up by Mentoring. An extension of the PRESET training programmes would increase the number of young people attaining the necessary skills to enable them to enter the workforce at a higher level, and to utilise their skills to the full.Youth Homelessness Data on the scale of homelessness (which is limited to young people who are in contact with services) indicates that at least 75,000 young people experienced homelessness in the UK in 2006–07. There is a strong link between youth homelessness and lack of job opportunities. By addressing the problem of training, and low personal motivation, PRESET’s work contributes to alleviating this potential homelessness problem. An extension of the PRESET areas of work will enable more young people to be assisted in this way. PRESET has particularly good links with the housing association sector, thanks in the main to the long experience of Chief Executive, Captain Chandran, in this field. This opens up opportunities to assist young people already living in Housing Association properties, as well as those employed by Housing Associations. In addition, it will be possible to put other young people in touch with possible future sources of accommodation. [1] The Cost of Exclusion: Estimating the Cost of Youth Disadvantage in the UK, Princess Trust with the London School of Economics 2007, pg 29 [2] Exclusion of black pupils: Getting it. Getting it right, DfES, 2006; available from www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/ethnicminorities/ [3] Evaluation of Aiming High: African Caribbean Achievement Project, DfES Research Report RR801, 2006; available from www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/RRP/u014189/index.shtml |