Birmingham gets £485,845 to help families vulnerable to the effects of knife crime and gang culture

The announcement was made today (22 February 2019) by Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP. The Supporting Families Against Youth Crime (SFAYC) fund will enable key workers, community groups, teachers and other professionals working with children and young people at risk, to intervene early and help stop them from becoming drawn into gang crime, serious violence and the youth justice system.

Andy Couldrick, Chief Executive of Birmingham Children’s Trust, said:

“I am pleased that we have been successful, with the city council, in securing this funding as it is much needed to support our work to prevent youth crime and to provide support to children, families and schools so that fewer children are excluded and more are enabled to reach their potential. Knife crime is a serious issue for the city and we need to do more, collectively, to support and protect our children and young people.”

Councillor John Cotton, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, Community Safety and Equalities at Birmingham City Council, said: “This has been a truly tragic week for our city, with two young people losing their lives as a result of knife crime.  Whilst I know that agencies across Birmingham are working hard to challenge and prevent violence, we can and must do more to keep our youngsters and communities safe”.

“It is welcome that we are going to receive an extra £485,845 to support the city’s Troubled Families programme. This will be used to fund specialised training for frontline staff within Birmingham Children’s Trust, help educate more than 1,000 pupils in primary schools across the city on how to stay safe, and support earlier interventions to turn young people away from gangs and crime.  This is vital to our ongoing efforts to get knives and violence off our streets”.

The funding, part of the government’s £9.5 million SFAYC  fund, will enable the Trust and the city council to provide front-line staff with specialised training and will deliver family interventions for children who are most vulnerable to becoming involved in youth crime.

The programme will also educate more than 1,000 young people in targeted schools on how to stay safe.

Birmingham is one of 21 local authority areas to secure SFAYC funding.

Birmingham will deliver whole family interventions and additional training to school staff and professionals. Work will include utilising Emotion Coaching which supports young people on how to manage stress and using the same staff to deliver to ensure consistency and familiarity.

Nationally the SFAYC fund will enable key workers, community groups, teachers and other professionals working with children and young people at risk, to intervene early and help stop them from becoming drawn into gang crime, serious violence and the youth justice system.

You can read the full national news release here.