A cold wind is blowing in from Number 10

Apparently, the government is set to announce a crime initiative aimed at tackling problems such as antisocial behaviour by adopting more radical approaches, including harassment.

Initially, it seems puzzling that the announcement comes only weeks after the Youth Taskforce Action Plan, which focused on prevention and was broadly welcomed by experts. So does the announcement signal a shift in policy or is it just about sending out hard-hitting messages to an increasingly unhappy public? The answer is probably a bit of both.

While I am certain that the message in its entirety will not be as stark as the headline suggests, we need to brace ourselves for a tougher stance in relation to a range of issues, which will be possibly articulated in the forthcoming youth crime action plan. This is clear following the announcement that the government has chosen to reject expert advice and forge ahead with the reclassification of cannabis.

So where does this 'reconnection' with the electorate leave youth work? First, youth workers who work with young people who experience difficulties adjusting or conforming face a less tolerant environment. Youth workers need to take advantage of those preventative initiatives set up to avoid young people falling over the edge and designed to assist them to climb back up over again.

Second, we are all called upon to be better advocates for young people and the difference that youth work can make. The government's own research found that almost six out of ten 16- to 19-year-olds thought older generations on the whole felt negatively about young people, and only three out of 10 thought older generations had balanced feelings. So this is partly about placing positive images of young people into the public domain, but it is also about showcasing the positive impact that a youth work intervention can have on the lives of those young people. We should encourage government to play its part and not pander to the views of the generation that is currently entitled to vote.

Let's hope that government does not panic too much, that sense prevails and that all the positive initiatives that place youth work at their heart continue to be seen as the key solution that they are. For that to happen, government needs our continuing support.

- Susanne Rauprich is chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services.