Helping young people to stop carrying and using knives: New approaches for youth work, schools, and criminal justice agencies

22 November 2007

Key questions for today

What advice should be given to young people who are carrying a knife or thinking of carrying one?

What advice should be given to friends, parents or family of young people who are carrying a knife or thinking of carrying one?

What should youth workers, teachers, police officers and others be doing to stop young people getting hurt or more deeply involved with knives and weapons?

What approaches are effective in tackling the wider but related issues of gangs and community conflict?

Programme

9.45 Opening Session: New approaches and frameworks

- Clare Thomas, City Bridge Trust- Gerard Lemos, Lemos&Crane- Alfred Hitchcock, Metropolitan Police Service- Kenny Frederick, George Green’s School

11.35 Refreshments11.50 Case Studies – Part 1

- Rainer; Kickstart YIP/Crime Concern; Wandsworth Youth Offending Team

1.15 Lunch2.15 Case Studies – Part 2 (refreshments at 3.15)

- London Probation; X-it Gang Desistance Programme; Conflict and Change

4.15 Departures

Opening Session: New approaches and frameworks for

action

Introducing Fear and Fashion

Clare ThomasChief Grants OfficerCity Bridge Trust

September 1995 – November 20075,380 Grants Totalling £201m

The City Bridge TrustOld London Bridge

Why Fear And Fashion?

Children & Young People’s Programme 2003

Preventative work with young peopleSupports work which:“reduces violence and the use of weapons

amongst young people”

Key Findings:• A growing problem – 29% of school children

had carried knives• Reasons are “Fear” and “Fashion”• Perpetrators also victims• Lack of good practice examples – no evidence

base• Need for “demonstration projects” – holistic

programmes• Need for responsible national debate

“Fear & Fashion: The Use of knives and other weapons by young people” Lemos & Crane

2004

• The City Bridge Trust, City Parochial Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn, John Lyons and Wates Foundation

• £1.5m over 5 years – ‘Commissioning Model’• Two ‘hot-spots’:-

Westminster/Brent Southwark/Lambeth

“Fear & Fashion – Tackling Knife Culture” Exemplar Initiatives

“Fear & Fashion”Components

• Exemplars – 1 Southwark / Lambeth3 Brent / Westminster

Kickstart, Rainer, Paddington Development Trust, Leap (3 – 5years funding)

• Website – Knowledge Management, Lemos & Crane

• Action – Learning, Website• Advisory Group – Strategic sounding board• Funders Group• Communications - attitudinal change• Independent Evaluation

Fear & Fashion Timeline

July 2003

CBT launch

new priorities

Feb 2004

Commission Research

Oct 2004

Fear & Fashion Report

launched

Nov 2004

Follow up Action

Learning

Jan 2005

5 Funders 1st

meeting

Dec 2005

Speed Dating

June 2006

Proposals deadline

Jun – Aug 2004

Selection process

exemplars

Oct 2006

Exemplars meeting

Jan 2007

Advisory Group 1st meeting

Jan 2007

Projects’ Start Date

Jan 2010

3 Year Review

Jan 2012

Evaluation

Funders Group

The City Bridge Trust, City Parochial Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, John Lyon’s Charity & Wates

Foundation

Paddington Development

Trust

‘The Uncut Project’

“The Exemplars”Brent Westminster Southwark/N. Lambeth

Leap ProjectRainer Project

Crime Concern

‘Kickstart’

Lemos and Crane

Knowledge Management, Web Site, Communications, Action Learning Sets

Components

Advisory Group

Chairman Roy Amlot QC

Kickstart – Southwark/Lambeth