Protecting Young People

PRACTICALITIES

Guidance from Maidstone Borough Council

Partnership approach to protecting young people

In the last year, Covid-19 restrictions saw the closure of many activities which provide natural diversions for our young people. Schools, sports clubs and leisure activities, such as cinemas and shopping have been suspended or disrupted for large periods. For our young people, who are biologically programmed to explore the freedoms that come with maturity, and to engage in increased risk-taking behaviours, the world became very small. A generation, often referred to as “entitled”, faced unprecedented restrictions.

As the pandemic developed, reported issues around anti-social behaviour and young people gathering whilst exercising or visiting food outlets increased across the borough. Fears around a lack of social distancing meant that some of the concerns were due merely to the presence of young people. Whilst many young people have adapted to the restrictions, some have struggled and as a result have participated in anti-social behaviour and criminal acts. This was often associated with larger groups where “confidence” grew in the absence of natural diversions. As a partnership we urge business to join us in seeking to understand these natural influences on the behaviour of young people and ask that you work with us to ensure Maidstone is a safe place to grow up. Incidents involving young people should be reported to the Police and the One Maidstone Ambassadors, where appropriate, so that accurate records can be taken and shared with the wider partnership. Many of those young people whose behaviour puts them at highest risk are known to services and it is imperative that we work together to safeguard them. By ensuring we collect accurate reports we can work with specialist youth services, such as Infozone, Switch Youth Café and Project Salus, to ensure professionals are available to support the young people who need us.

One note of caution - reports often incorrectly pertaining to “gangs of youths”. It is imperative that when referring to ‘gangs’ that labels are not assigned without evidence, thought or research; to assume that a group of young people are a gang only serves to amplify fear. There are currently no youth gangs, a discernible group for whom crime and violence is integral to the group’s identity, in Maidstone. We do however have several Peer Groups, small, unorganised, transient groups occupying the same space, but crime is not integral to their self-definition, who professionals are working with to minimise their risk taking and to improve their behaviour.