Local Government ExplainedPreventing youth violence: Resources for local government
Sid Hayward, LGIU
Curated case studies and resources to help local governments tackle and reduce youth violence. Examples this week come from Australia, Germany, and the U.S.
Curated case studies and resources to help local governments tackle and reduce youth violence. Examples this week come from Australia, Germany, and the U.S.
Have your own example to share, get in touch!
Case studies on working with faith communities
USA: National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention
In the 2010s, 15 American cities partnered under the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, a network designed to help share information and build local capacity on reducing and preventing youth violence. The forum, which also contained federal agencies, aimed to elevate youth violence to an issue of national significance. The participating local authorities developed their own comprehensive plans to prevent youth/gang violence in their cities, and developed annual National Summits on Preventing Youth Violence. The Forum has shared resources on its approach for the use of other localities.
Youth.gov
GERMANY: 90 million EUR invested in youth in Berlin following riots
Last year, the City of Berlin announced a 90 million EUR, two-year investment into the city’s youth, a response to notable riots held on New Year’s Eve 2022 in the Neukölln district. 20 million EUR was spent in 2023, with a further 70 million EUR being delivered this year on more social work, prevention mechanisms, and new police approaches. Cross-stakeholder working groups came together in early 2023 to develop 29 specific measures for the funding, aimed at expanding existing structures and group-specific offers. Measures includes 60 new positions for youth social workers, 13 more psychologist and social workers, and new school workshops on the fire brigade.
The Mayor
AUSTRALIA: Queensland sees success in reducing crime with youth teams
The Queensland Government has reportedly seen success with its Youth Co-Responder Teams, a youth engagement justice program. An independent evaluation found the scheme is successfully contributing to a reduction in youth crime in the state. It sees a Department of Youth Justice officer and a police officer engaging with young people at risk of offending, alongside their siblings and families, and refers them to appropriate support services to help address underlying issues. The evaluation found young people were less likely to commit serious crimes after engaging with these teams, with the greatest reduction in re-offending found with serious repeat offenders. The teams reach around 6,000 young people a month across 13 Queensland LGAs.
Council Magazine
Resources on addressing youth violence
Resource: Where Youth Find Their Partners in Crime
This article from Bloomberg explores a study from the U.S. on how youth crime clusters together. It examines the role of neighbourhood proximity and school boundaries on youth crime. The study confirms the powerful role of neighborhood effects on criminal partnerships. In the area studied, more than a quarter (28 percent) of crimes committed by people between the ages of 16 and 21 are committed in teams. These youth are much more likely to team up to commit crimes if they were former classmates.
Report: Preventing serious youth violence – what works? Insights and examples from the community and voluntary sector
This paper published by the National Lottery Community Fund summarises learning from the third sector on best practice in preventing serious youth violence. It highlights examples from charities, as well as useful principles to design, plan and implement funding programmes to tackle youth violence.
Report: What Works to Prevent Youth Violence: A Summary of the Evidence
Developed by the Scottish Government, This report was undertaken to draw together high-quality international evidence about what works to prevent youth violence and is intended to inform policymakers and practitioners about the extant evidence base and effectiveness associated with different approaches and interventions.
Report: Place-based approaches to tackling local youth violence: a review of evidence on models, implementation and impacts
Commissioned by the Youth Endowment Fund, this report sets out the findings of a study series into place-based approaches to tackle youth violence.
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