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Review of Youth Gangs Plan of Action

Summary Of The Review Of The Plan Action: Improving Outcomes For Young People In Counties Manukau

In 2006 following community consultation key government and community agencies agreed a Plan of Action: Improving Outcomes for Young People in Counties Manukau, involving improved coordination of existing services and increased funding for new or expanded services to reduce youth crime and gang involvement in South Auckland.

This report reviews the progress and effectiveness of the Plan of Action.

Key findings

  • Evidence shows the risks of youth offending and gang involvement span multiple domains (individual, family, school, community) and can accumulate over time; to be effective responses need to include a mix of programmes across these domains.
  • The Plan of Action has an overall approach that accords with international good practice.
  • Interviews with community stakeholders showed that improved coordination of existing services and funding of new services was seen to be effective and there is a community perception that the Plan of Action has reduced youth crime and gang involvement.
  • The Plan of Action includes a mix of group events and programmes for individuals with attendance at group events often leading to one on one interaction with a case manager - Integrated Case Management (ICM).
  • By the end of the 2008/2009 financial year programmes funded as part of the Plan of Action delivered 47 parenting programmes to just under 1,300 participants.
  • Community youth workers reached over 9,000 youth through events and outreach activities, just under 7,600 participated in youth clubs and over 1,350 attended school clubs. Advocacy was provided to over 250 youth in the community and 90 youth in schools and support was provided to 230-300 youth in contact with Courts, Police or Youth Aid, and close to 120 youth involved in family group conferences.
  • Intensive individualised support was provided to 421 young people, with improvements recorded in reduced gang involvement, offending and risk behaviours, increased school attendance and achievement, and connection to healthy family and community groups.
  • After increasing in both 2006 and 2007 overall youth apprehensions fell in Counties Manukau by 9% in 2008 compared with a 3% increase nationwide.
  • This pattern differed to the national trend, where apprehensions of young people continued to increase in 2008.
  • During this time youth apprehensions in Counties Manukau for violent offending fell by 6% compared with a 5% increase nationwide.
  • Apprehensions also fell for robbery, drugs and anti-social offending, dishonesty offences (particularly burglary and car conversion), property damage and administrative offences.
  • Homicides in Counties Manukau reduced from an unprecedented peak of 34 in 2005 to 7 in 2008.

Produced by: Centre for Social Research and Evaluation - Ministry of Social Development.