Children's groups warn punishment not a panacea

UK DEBATE

The government's respect agenda risks alienating vulnerable youngsters and breaching their human rights, children's rights campaigners warned last night. Among the critics of the plans is the children's commissioner, Al Aynsley Green, who told the Guardian he was "concerned about a knee-jerk reaction and a one-size-fits all response where punishment is the answer". "I would remind the government that children's rights are protected by the UN convention on human rights," he said. They are entitled to the right to meet in public, to privacy and to have a say in the decisions affecting their lives, he added.

Bob Reitemeier, chief executive of the children's society, said: "The effects of the government's existing policies, such as Asbos, dispersal powers and curfews, have made many young people feel demonised, disrespected and alienated within their communities." The prime minister's offer to support families has also caused some confusion. Heads of social services warned that the Ł70m earmarked for parenting support programmes through local authorities was dwarfed by a Ł600m funding shortfall in children's services over the next financial year.

Andrew Webb, co-chair of the association of directors of social services' children and families committee, said: "We don't have enough money, we can't take it out of schools or the care system, so the only place that's left is preventative support for families.

"At the same time the prime minister is saying we ought to be doing more to support parents to prevent antisocial behaviour. That's our dilemma."

Chris Stanley of the crime reduction charity Nacro warned against replacing established programmes to support families with untested schemes. "Although establishing a national parenting academy may sound impressive in theory, more money needs to be invested into schemes that we know are really making a difference to individuals, families and communities," he said.

However, the action plan was welcomed by the London mayor, Ken Livingstone, and Sir Ian Blair, the Scotland Yard commissioner, as they showed off the city's Safer Neighbourhood policing scheme to the Los Angeles police chief, Bill Bratton, on a walkabout in Camden yesterday morning.

"You've got to take the streets back before you build a respect agenda," said Mr Livingstone. "If you discourage kids from getting into that first bit of bother, it stops them becoming involved in criminal activity down the line."

Mr Bratton, the former New York police chief famed for his zero tolerance to minor crime, compared Tony Blair's move to what the then mayor of New York, Rudolph Guiliani, achieved in the 1990s.

Sir Ian said: "The decision by the police authority, the Met and the mayor to go down this route [neighbourhood policing] is part of the building of what the prime minister has launched, to be the vibrant society London needs to be by the time the Olympics arrive."

Polly Curtis and Rosie Cowan
11 January 2006

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,9061,1683708,00.html

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