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24-hour support for five worst families
Parenting tips part of bid to beat anti-social behaviour
THE five worst-behaved families in Camden are to be identified by the Town Hall and singled out for round-the-clock support.
They will be offered parenting tips and practical advice on simple tasks like getting children out of bed, washed and dressed.
Officials hope that establishing a daily routine could put a stop to nuisance behaviour.
The action – part of the Home Office’s Respect programme – was confirmed yesterday (Wednesday) as Camden was named by Home Secretary John Reid as one of six London boroughs marked out for extra government funding.
The Town Hall has joined the project even though its community safety chief, Lib Dem councillor Ben Rawlings, has previously called Labour’s Respect agenda “nonsensical”.
A council press official said last night (Wednesday): “The families haven’t been identified yet but there will be four or five involved. We will be offering them 24-hour support.”
In other areas, local authorities will be sending disruptive families to “sin bin”-style units for intensive supervision.
But Camden is using a watered-down arm of the new policy which will see officials intervene at the families’ home rather than moving them away from their neighbourhoods. Families who refuse to co-operate will risk losing their tenancies if they live on council estates.
The Town Hall said it wanted to use its share of the Home Office handout to bring rowdy behaviour, such as loud late-night music, to an end.
Cllr Rawlings said: “People may think their next-door neighbour is a neighbour from hell but there are often lots of underlying, complex problems to why they behave anti-socially. This behaviour should not be tolerated and the council is bringing in new measures to deal with it.”
Camden’s share of the Respect money is worth £375,000. A council press official said: “Each family will be assigned a dedicated support worker to help turn their life around by giving parents practical advice for controlling their children, for example.”
Labour Party members said the measures had been delayed because of a muddled approach at the Town Hall. They are referring to confusion earlier this year over whether Camden wanted to participate in the scheme or not.
A Labour spokesman said: “It is just a shame there have been mixed messages from the Town Hall about this and because of that it has been delayed.”
Labour has not been able to resist pointing out Cllr Rawlings’ previous opposition to the overall Respect programme.
On his website, he said: “From poorly-thought-out, inconsistent and irresponsible Asbos to oppressive curfews and the nonsensical ‘respect agenda’, Labour is criminalising and demonising the younger generation.”
Cllr Rawlings said yesterday (Wednesday): “For it to work long-term it requires us to understand and help resolve the issues and problems that are the cause of this behaviour.”
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