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Support for 'at risk' young people
10/12/2007
Every council across Scotland will have the option of helping the most vulnerable and at risk young people with intensive support and electronically monitored movement restrictions, it was announced today.
The Intensive Support and Monitoring Service is available through the Children's Hearings system for children who are likely to abscond or injure themselves or someone else. It will be extended from the current seven areas to apply across Scotland
The Scottish Government is consulting on a good practice guide to help councils who have not been involved in the scheme learn from the experiences of those who have.
Speaking as he met with young people in Inverness who have benefited from Intensive Support and Monitoring Services Minister for Community Safety Fergus Ewing said:
"We believe that prevention is better than cure in the long-term fight against crime. That means tackling the root causes of crime - and intervening earlier to help those at greatest risk of falling into offending because of the circumstances they are born into.
"The vast majority of young people are not offenders. We want all of Scotland's children and young people to have the opportunity to see different ways of living, to realise their potential, to have hope and aspirations, and to understand that getting involved in crime and antisocial behaviour is not acceptable.
"Some need a helping hand. Some a second chance. But some, and this will always be a small minority, need more than that - for themselves and for the sake of the community around them.
"That's why we are rolling out Intensive Support and Monitoring Services to all areas of Scotland. This will give councils an extra option for making sure the most at risk young people receive the help they need.
"This means that every young person who is at risk of absconding or injuring themselves or someone else can have an electronically-monitored movement restriction order, combined with the intensive support which has been proven to make a real difference to many young people.
"Rolling out ISMS is just one element in our new approach to tackling youth offending. We are committed to promoting positive social behaviour as well as tackling the bad. This Government is also working to re-invest the proceeds of crime to give more young people positive things to do with their lives - in sport and in the arts for example. We will make an announcement soon about the first phase of an exciting expansion of youth activity which will benefit young people across the country."
Andrew Girvan, Director of NCH Scotland which runs the Intensive Support and Monitoring Service in Highland, said:
"Young people who cause trouble are often troubled themselves. The right support provided at the right time can help them to change. Our experience shows that intensive support and monitoring is an effective approach that can reduce offending and return young people to the path of becoming responsible citizens.
"We very much welcome the commitment shown by the Scottish Government in developing community based approaches to youth offending. "
Includem, who worked in positive partnerships with five out of the seven pilot local authorities delivering the intensive support and supervision element of the overall ISMS package, said;
"We are very pleased that the Scottish Government has recognised the value of intensive support and supervision, and that troubled and troublesome young people across Scotland will have the chance to access this type of effective intervention.
"We commissioned an independent study to look at our contribution to the overall ISMS package. As an intervention for young people with difficulties, intensive support and supervision has now been tried and tested, and found to make a substantial difference. Our evaluation also found that some young people benefit from a Movement Restriction Condition in addition to the intensive support and supervision, specifically in relation to coping with negative peer pressure or keeping safe at home."
One Young Person who has benefited from ISMS said:
"I used to stay out all night and not say where I was to ma mum. Now I can't go out cos of the tag, and Includem come and see me after ma curfew time to make sure I'm ok."
Another young person said "I've had the tag 9 weeks and I had Includem before I had the tag. It was working before I had the tag but the tag helped at weekends when I was tempted more."
ISMS was introduced by Section 135 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 and implemented by a two year "phased introduction" which began in April 2005 in seven local authorities. This first phase is now coming to an end and the Scottish Government has made a decision to extend the regulations to allow the Children's Hearings System in all local authority areas to benefit from this option.
In line with the new agreement between Government and the Local Authorities, funding to support Intensive Support and Monitoring Services from April 1, 2008 will be included in the main local government settlement. As such local authority areas will have the flexibility to make decisions about what will best achieve good outcomes. No separate, ring-fenced funding will be provided to support ISMS.
The first phase of ISMS came into force in April 2005. It applied in Dundee, East Dunbartonshire, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Highland, Moray and West Dunbartonshire. The Scottish Government has conducted an evaluation of the first phase, which will be published shortly.
The Scottish Government is also issuing a good practice guide, which will ensure the experiences of areas involved in the first phase benefits all. This sets out the roles and responsibilities and procedures that must be followed after a children's hearing decides on this option.
It also sets out the expectation of what intensive support will look like - for example including immediate advice and assistance available to the young person 24/7, full time education and training opportunities, respite and time-out options and one to one counselling and support.