What makes a child decide to join a gang?

These were the words of 17-year-old campaigner Eliza Rebeiro, as she addressed a room full of youth workers, and representatives from charities, police forces and councils at the CYP Now Children and Gangs seminar in late January.

The feeling that Rebeiro described was one of the reasons cited in Qa Research's study as to why children join gangs. Report author Laura Bainbridge told the audience: "Many of the professionals we consulted said the gang problem has arisen because of a failure of institutions, including the family. Some children don't feel the adults in their lives are able to protect them and as such they look to elders or gangs to find that protection."

Patsy McKie, of charity Mothers Against Violence, whose son was shot in Manchester in 1999, made an impassioned plea for parents to do more to stop gang activity. Paul Fletcher, director for policy and development at Rathbone, agreed but said: "We need to support parents, not castigate them. We need to support them with family intervention projects and wrap-around support."

Fletcher added that Rathbone wanted to see a national campaign calling for early intervention on the issue. "We will only crack it if we get in much earlier into the primary schools," he said.

Mandy Wilkins, who runs a legal advice project for young people, reminded the panellists that youth services working to prevent gang activity are falling victim to spending cuts.

Paul Oginsky, the government's youth adviser, denied the government was turning its back on the issue, pointing to the unringfenced early intervention grant as a source of funding. He said: "I implore councils to hear what we are saying and recognise that cuts don't mean savings."

Adele Eastman at the Centre for Social Justice said there is an opportunity to reconfigure services: "There is money there, it just needs to be targeted in a much better way."

But Fletcher warned that the country's last economic crisis had harmful consequences. "We just have to look back to the last major recession where there were cuts to youth services. There was a direct correlation with young people joining gangs, antisocial behaviour and unemployment.

"All these damaged young people need a significant professional to work with them. We are not going to get those with the big society."

PANEL

• Adele Eastman, senior researcher, Centre for Social Justice
• Paul Fletcher, director for policy and development, Rathbone
• Paul Oginsky, government youth adviser
• Eliza Rebeiro, founder, Lives Not Knives campaign
• Daniel Smyth, Brent young people's centre
• Laura Bainbridge, senior research executive, Qa Research
• Ravi Chandiramani, CYP Now (chair)

THE RESEARCH

Qa Research spoke to gang-affiliated young people and professionals in three areas

Southwark, south London

"Kids my age are not bothered about getting caught. If you get caught for murder, when you get out you can be a big boy" Young person, 15

Two main gangs operate in Southwark - Brooklyn and the Peckham Young Guns. Gang activity is highly territorial and violence is often inflicted on those who enter opposing turfs.

Protection, fear, street credibility, boredom, money, drugs and the failure of families were cited as reasons why children join gangs.

Typically, children are 11 to 12 when they become involved in gangs, with younger members, dubbed "tinies", expected to follow orders from their elders. Young women associated with male gang members may be subjected to sexual exploitation or asked to conceal weapons and sell drugs.

Barton Moss Secure Care Centre, Manchester

"If you tried to leave the gang you would be turned on and stabbed. You can't get out, no one will help you" Young person

According to professionals, young people who are living in "broken homes" and those that have witnessed domestic violence are particularly vulnerable to gang recruitment.

Peer pressure and protection were named as primary causes of gang-affiliation.

One young person said if a young woman is in a relationship with a gang member and tries to end that relationship she will be "shamed" on social networking sites and any future partner will be threatened. When asked what types of weapons young gang members may carry, participants said knives, guns, knuckle-dusters, and crowbars can be easily obtained.

Govan, Glasgow

"If you're in a gang you're protected, you can fight off other gangs. If you leave that gang, you're not protected" Young person, 15

Street gang activity in Govan escalated in the 1970s along with rising unemployment. Unlike in Southwark, young people do not see themselves as being members of a particular gang, but do associate with a specific location or "territory". Professionals do not believe young people are overtly coerced into gangs. Excessive alcohol consumption often accompanies criminal activity such as robbery or vandalism.

Gang members are likely to carry weapons and slashing of faces or torsos known as "tagging" is becoming more widespread, meaning young people rarely leave "their territory".