Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke has spoken powerfully about his own experiences as a child during the launch of a major new partnership.
Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland Borough councils are working with SHiFT, a national charity that specialises in breaking the destructive cycle of young people caught up in crime.
Dedicated work with around 50 young people who are “keeping professionals awake at night” will focus on issues including knife crime and child exploitation.
Speaking at a launch event last week at Kirkleatham Walled Garden, Mayor Cooke called for society to show more empathy towards young people facing difficulties.
“People are too quick to label or make assumptions about what people can achieve,” he said.
“I'm here today not only as an example of social care working, but as an example of the challenges that, for some people, remain hidden away.”
The Mayor listed examples of why he often missed school, as he supported his family following his father’s suicide.
“At 13, I was grieving. I was a carer for both my mum and my gran. I had stepped up to become a parent for my younger sister. I ran the house.”
“When we think about our approach to young people, I implore you to have an open heart and mind. Until you know what they have to overcome just to leave that house, you cannot possibly understand.”
Cllr Bill Suthers, Cabinet Member for Children at Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, said: “This project is designed to prevent some of our young people from following a destructive life of criminality. Destructive not only to them but their families and the entire community.
“It is crucial that we do all we can to stop this happening. The SHiFT organisation has a track record elsewhere in the country of effective intervention with often vulnerable young people who may be being exploited and manipulated into a life of a crime. Everyone involved has my full support.”
Keith Fraser, Chair of the Youth Justice Board, told guests at the launch event about the strong vision for ‘Child First’ justice that is shared between SHiFT and the Youth Justice Board.
The approach is based on working with children and young people caught in cycles of crime that is grounded in evidence about what works to prevent further harm and offending.
The benefits of working differently with children and young people under SHiFT’s model have already been seen on Teesside.
The programme is designed to improve life chances and lower costs by reducing reliance on more expensive social care placements and alternative education provision.
SHiFT’s work in Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland is part funded by government.