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Burnley projects for young tearaways scrapped

PROJECTS to help young tearaways and troubled parents in Burnley have been scrapped ahead of government cutbacks, the Lancashire Telegraph can reveal.
The loss of the Challenge and Support Team initiative (CAST), which worked with ‘at risk’ youngsters, on the fringes of criminality, is the second juvenile anti-social behaviour scheme to be scrapped in the county within the past few weeks.
Youth experts from CAST worked with teenagers in schools and community centres to promote self-esteem and improve their decision-making abilities, in a bid to steer them clear of crime.
Around £600,000 is already being saved following the axing of GRIP, the Lancashire Group Intervention Panel, after the countywide programme lost Youth Justice Board funding.
Another Burnley operation, where a ‘parenting co-ordinator’ worked with crisis-hit families, has also been withdrawn.
The decisions were made by the borough’s community safety partnership and the work ended last month, though the changes have only just been made public.
In total the moves will free up funding of more than £180,000, which should support the work pf Burnley’s family intervention project, the only community safety education scheme now left, during 2010-11.
Sam McConnell, the council’s community safety manager, said in an executive report though that even that work will be ‘streamlined’ compared to current activity.
Financial support for each of the three areas had previously been protected but government officials have told authorities this is no longer the case.
Mr McConnell added: “There is no confirmation of future funding post-March 2011 and the removal of the ringfencing conditions indicates, in the current financial climate, that continuation funding for these projects from central Government is unlikely.”
Under the revised project, there will be funding for a supervisor, two key workers and 75 per cent of the funding for a police-seconded post can be provided.

How well did you do?

When we talk of cuts affecting bollocks like this, it just serves to remind me how much of our money the last government wasted. It also shows how little the new government are committed to the cuts. All shit like this should be scrapped completely. The responsibility for tearaway kids on the verge of crime lands squarely with the parents. It cannot be passed off to the government, however much they want to take on the responsibility in order to control ever more areas of our lives.

When you have children they are your responsibility. New Labour would have you convinced that every problem in life is down to someone else and can even be prevented through legislation.

This is not the case. Get used to it.