This week is Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week, an ideal opportunity to reflect on some of the work which has taken place in the past year, particularly involving young people on the cusp of or having committed offences. 

One of the partnerships which provides this intervention is the Dorset Combined Youth Justice Service (DCYJS) which is a statutory partnership consisting of BCP Council, Dorset Council, Dorset Police, National Probation Service Dorset and NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group. The partnership works with children in the local youth justice system, to help make positive changes to their lifestyle, keep them safe and secure, and offer assistance and reparation to the victims.

DCYJS run workshops in Bournemouth and Dorchester, while also operating the ‘Discover You’ programme at Upton Country Park in Poole. Designed for older children, it promotes practical activities such as woodwork, conservation, crafting, orienteering, team building and photography. 

Teenagers can gain AQA certificates in employability and practical skills, as well as opportunities for qualifications in food hygiene, barista skills, first aid, fire safety or customer service. They can also learn about construction to get a CSCS card that facilitates future work on building sites. These vocational learning sessions on offer are crucial so these children don’t enter the workplace at a disadvantage to their peers, who are completing mainstream education.

As part of this intervention work, young people learn to develop empathy for victims alongside a realisation of the need to repair harm. It is pivotal that children understand there are consequences for bad behaviour and recognise they have a valuable place in society. A greater sense of self-worth and reduced feelings of boredom are likely to divert children away from ASB offending that impacts their communities, and that is what DCYJS helps to achieve.

I want to pass today’s newsletter over to Kirsty Reed, who leads the ‘Discover You’ programme, to explain what is happening to change the trajectory of these young people and subsequently, improve the lives of all communities across our county:

There is a lot more difficulty for young people now compared to when I first started this line of work. That is not a justification for their offences, but we must address those underlying issues that might contribute towards disruptive behaviour rather than simply focus on the offence.

We start discussions early on in our work with young people about their future as for many we support, they have no direction or motivation in their life. Opening their minds to interesting careers and providing a clear route of how to reach that desired destination, is one way to prevent children committing ASB and keep them on a law-abiding path.

Our aim is to provide a holistic service, so they are better equipped to deal with life as a young adult. That does involve help with qualifications and starting thoughts on careers, but we also have mental health nurses on hand who can deal with drug and alcohol issues that children may experience. In some cases, those we support are dealing with issues at home and we try to give advice to families and support in other ways. For instance, sometimes the child’s offending occurs in the context of household poverty, so we engage with their parents to help with benefit applications.

Discover You is about getting a group of young people together who may have low confidence so feel unable to continue with employment, education or training, and putting them in a positive, fun and friendly environment which lifts them up and builds on their skills. And on some occasions, the young people do re-enter college, or move into apprenticeships, training or jobs.

The programme gets children into a routine which gives them something to wake up for and look forward to. Our group built an animal habitat with a hedgehog hut, bug habitat and bird box at Upton Country Park recently so they learnt about wildlife, nature and woodwork skills. We also spent time making items for Upton Park’s Halloween trail event with items sold and money going to local charities, supported with conservation work by cutting down hedgerows for birds that are nesting and refurbished one of the bird screens.

Children are normally referred to the programme after receiving a court order or an out of court disposal. Not everyone that attends does engage at first, but I have seen socially anxious or uninterested children upon arrival, that after a few sessions do flourish and open up to become talkative, happy individuals that are then able to give their views and take part in group activities. They are then able to take positive steps forward, meeting project outcomes and their own goals. That demonstrates our work really does help people in Dorset at a crucial time in their young lives.

Thanks to Kirsty for detailing the important work DCYJS are doing to help improve Dorset and reduce ASB.

ASB is not always a matter for the police to deal with. If you are the victim of ASB or want to report an incident, I urge you to look at Dorset Police’s dedicated ASB page here, which will signpost you towards agencies that can support.

We must strike the right balance, so young people are held responsible for their actions while avoiding the unnecessary criminalisation of children through the courts for low-level offences. I have always been clear that Dorset must take a robust approach to dealing with those committing anti-social behaviour, as it has a large and detrimental impact on the quality of people’s daily lives and feelings of safety in their neighbourhood.

David Sidwick

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner