Lambeth Crime Prevention Trust recently completed a four-month project in a pupil referral unit, where youth workers worked closely with around 50 pupils to help them focus on their own feelings of victimisation.
The resulting study, Don't Call Me a Victim, found progress was made particularly among older teenagers in addressing their attitudes to crime.
The trust's director Jean Carpenter said: "Most offenders are victims themselves in some way but they do not want to admit to that. We helped them to use their experiences to better understand their behaviour and question their actions."
She said the trust is now looking for funding to make the project long term. "A few months is not long enough to win the trust of some of the pupils. We started this in response to growing gang culture and feel there is a national need for further study in this area," she said.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
