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Serious Youth Violence and Schools

Tuesday, 5 January, 2010.

Introduction

Video message from ministers Vernon Coaker (Department for Children, Schools and Families) and David Hanson (Home Office)

The Department for Children, Schools and Families is working together with the Home Office to tackle youth crime and serious youth violence. Vernon Coaker and David Hanson have recorded this joint message to highlight the importance they place on schools working with partners to tackle serious youth violence and to help young people stay safe.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Home Office are working in partnership to engage schools in helping young people to stay safe. This joint-video interview highlights the Government's work on tackling serious youth violence.

The joint-video reinforces the message that the partnerships we are asking schools to develop at a local level with the police and LAs, is a reflection of the joint working going on in central government. The video highlights the fact that schools can benefit from developing closer partnerships with the police through Safer School Partnerships and by working together with local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.

We know that schools are sometimes concerned that talking about serious youth violence may send out a signal that they have a problem. Experience from established Safer School Partnerships shows that talking about the consequences of serious youth violence with pupils is actually seen as a positive affirmation of the schools' commitment to keeping young people safe. There will also be opportunities to discuss these issues through PSHE lessons. Some schools have asked the police to contribute by talking about knife crime issues, with very good results.

Confirming to pupils, parents and the local community that the school understands the issues around serious youth violence and that it is set up to deal with any possible incident in a thorough and fair way is a visible and important step in tackling serious youth violence.

Further guidance is available on the Home Office Crime Reduction website and on TeacherNet