In 2004 David Blunkett, then Home Secretary, made the commitment in the Home Office's Confident Communities in a Secure Britain strategic plan.
The drive lost momentum after he resigned, but was revitalised last week when the Youth Justice Board wrote to youth offending teams (YOTs) allocating them a share of a 45m prevention fund over the next three years.
Teams can choose how to spend the money from a "menu" of interventions, including youth inclusion programmes, which target the 50 most at-risk young people in an area (YPN, 17-23 August, p2). Other options include youth inclusion support panels, a less intensive intervention, and parenting support.
Pam Hibbert, vice-chair of the National Association for Youth Justice, said although the association welcomes the funding, it is concerned about prevention money going through YOTs.
"Access to prevention work shouldn't depend on you being a potential criminal, but that is where the money is coming from," she said. "We would prefer that prevention work fell into social welfare - children's trusts - but we are in a period of transition. We would like to see children's trusts and youth offending teams working together."
Pauline Batstone, chair of the Association of Youth Offending Team Managers, welcomed the funding, but said YOT managers in areas that already run youth inclusion panels, and affluent areas, will not be able to fund many additional programmes. www.youth-justice-board.gov.uk.
