Two recent studies (undertaken in the past three years) have explored the risk factors associated with young people's likelihood of becoming involved in crime and antisocial behaviour (these include social and economic factors as well as factors relating to an individual child's psychological and emotional profile, such as cognitive and non-cognitive skills). First:
Sutton, C., Utting, D., Farrington, D. (2004) eds, ‘Support from the Start’, DfES Research Report 524. This study looks at the risk factors (for later crime/ASB involvement) potentially encountered at four childhood life stages (pre-natal, 0-two, three-eight and nine-13) and at interventions found to be ‘promising’ in terms of their effectiveness in counteracting risk;
and a second, complementary report which looks at practical applications for our knowledge of the risk factors associated with young people's later offending:
McCarthy, P., Laing, K. and Walker, J. (2004) ‘Offenders of the Future? Assessing the Risk of Children and Young People Becoming Involved in Criminal or Antisocial Behaviour’, DfES Research Report 545. The report is an evidence based manual designed to assist practitioners in identifying families with children aged between four and 12 who are at risk of becoming involved in criminal or antisocial behaviour and to facilitate effective targeting of interventions that aim to reduce such risk.
Other relevant research studies are:
Feinstein, L. and Sabates, R. (2005) ‘Education and Youth Crime: Effects of Introducing the Education Maintenance Allowance’, DfES Research Brief RCB01-05
‘Positive Activities for Young People’ (2006)
both of which look at the crime-related outcomes associated with DfES programmes.
Current work includes:
an academic study (to which the Department contributed a small amount of funding during its initial stage), which involves the academics responsible for the ‘Support from the Start’ report. These academics are collaborating with a leading academic/practitioner in the field, Dr. Leena Augimeri, to produce risk assessment tools for use by practitioners working with children and young people. This will refine and build on much of the knowledge/guidance derived from the two reports (Sutton et al, McCarthy et al) described above;
two further studies currently being conducted which may be of interest. These are evaluations of preventative programmes (part of the Children's Fund) designed to offset/reduce the likelihood of young people's involvement in crime/ASB by addressing the risk factors associated with these behaviours: the national evaluation of ‘On Track, Phase Two’, being carried out by the Policy Research Bureau (final, synthetic report due to be published in June 2007); and the evaluation of the ‘Youth Inclusion Support Panel’ (YISP) pilot being conducted by the University of Newcastle (final report due May 2007).
Copies of the two published reports can be found on the DfES website:
www.dfes.gov.uk