Drinkaware has launched a campaign to encourage parents to talk to their children about alcohol in their pre-teen years, before the influence of peer pressure takes hold.
While it might be tempting for parents to delay speaking to their children about alcohol until they are older and more mature, we know talking to their child in their pre-teen years is crucial in giving them the confidence to deal with situations where alcohol is involved.
Lizzie Jeans, parents and young people campaigns manager, Drinkaware
Riots must be a ‘wake-up’ call
Iain Duncan Smith last month argued that society had "ghettoised" the problems which led to the riots, "keeping them out of sight of the middle-class majority".
Statistics support this, revealing that 64 per cent of young people in the courts in connection with the riots live in the 20 most deprived areas of the country, compared to just three per cent in the 20 least deprived.
We can’t ignore these communities or the problems they face. Cuts to welfare support, youth and support services will only further entrench these problems. Cuts to support with housing costs could drive more low-income families into the poorest areas, increasing the ghettoisation of the problems underlying the riots.
Duncan Smith said the riots need to be a "wake-up call" to the problems facing our poorest communities. This also needs to be a wake-up call to the government to invest in the poorest young people and communities.
Bob Reitemeier, chief executive, The Children’s Society
Those at risk need protection
There are clear risk factors that can help us to identify children and young people who may be vulnerable or in danger.
Identifying those children or families and providing the right support is crucial if we are to protect and safeguard babies and young people. There are also patterns of behaviour that can help us to identify young people who are in need of help but sadly are too often mistakenly perceived as being "trouble-makers".
Support services must continue to work together to ensure vulnerable children and young people are protected and identified as early as possible. It’s vital that local authorities continue to invest in early intervention services to protect those most at risk.
Shaun Kelly, head of safeguarding, Action for Children
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