Parents who are worried that their children are involved in a gang will be offered advice and support from a new helpline service being launched today by Britain’s leading children’s charity.
The NSPCC will run the 24-hour, seven-days-a-week service in response to concerns over the number of children caught up in gangs and a lack of knowledge among adults about how to help them escape.
The charity says that “too many children are being left to ruin their lives in gangs” and plans to respond by giving tips about how to identify the signs of gang involvement.
Trained experts will give information about the best ways to help a child who is involved in or threatened by a gang.
The service will be provided via the NSPCC’s existing national helpline. John Cameron, the charity’s head of child protection, said: “Young people involved in gangs are frequently abused, exploited and put in dangerous situations.
“They are often terrified of what they are doing and want to leave gangs and we believe adults have an incredibly important role to play in helping them to break free.”
He added: “Parents, carers and other adults often struggle to know where to turn when faced with a young person who they think might be involved in a gang. By working together with other agencies we can help stop young people’s lives from being ruined by gangs.”
Crime prevention minister Norman Baker said that the service, part funded by the Home Office, would play an important role in reducing gang violence in London and other affected areas. He added: “Gang culture is a destructive element in our society. By offering specialist backing and support, this service will empower parents and others to help the young people they are concerned about.”
As well as poster and video publicity, the new helpline service will be promoted by “street ambassadors” working as part of the Home Office’s Ending Gangs and Youth Violence programme. It covers 33 gang affected parts of the country, including 20 London boroughs.
Any adult who has concerns that a child is involved in or affected by gangs can call the NSPCC free on 0808 800 5000. Children can call ChildLine on 0800 1111.
