The main objectives are to:

• Support and complement the work of the Birmingham Youth Offending Service and lower re-offending rates by young people by 5%, in line with national PSA Target 5.
• Ensure links to the work of the Birmingham Children and Young People Strategic Partnership, in particular on issues of crime, disorder and substance misuse relating to young people.
• Ensure that there is full support for the Prevent and Deter strand of the Prolific and Other Priority Offender Programme, and close links to the Catch and Convict and Rehabilitate and Resettle elements of the programme.
• Address the accommodation needs of young offenders, and the need to maintain stable accommodation for Looked After Children, up to the age of 19.
• Maintain work to reduce the incidence of robbery and total street crime in Birmingham.
• Maintain and support programmes that divert young people from offending and substance misuse behaviour.
• Support activity to improve attendance at school.
• Work with the Connexions service to reduce the proportion of young people aged 16-18 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
• Work with Birmingham Anti-Social Behaviour Unit to ensure that anti-social and nuisance behaviour among young people is tackled, through the use of Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) Individual Support Orders (ISOs) and by ensuring resources for family support work.
• Assist in the development and promotion of multi-agency Youth Inclusion and Support Panels, which identify children and young people at risk of becoming involved in offending through the use of the Common Assessment Framework which has been developed nationally.
• Work with schools to help ensure that children and young adults are properly equipped with knowledge about the effects of drugs and to assist in the development of parental support networks and programmes.
• Ensure that the provisions of the Drug Intervention Programme (DIP) for Drug Testing and Treatment relating to young people are implemented in the City.

A new service for dealing with lost children in Birmingham City Centre is now available.

Child Safe Zones is a national scheme adopted by a number of major shopping centres throughout the UK. Birmingham is the first city to adopt the scheme across the entire city centre shopping area. The scheme is being co-ordinated by the Birmingham City Centre Partnership, working with the West Midlands Police and supported by Birmingham City Council,

Retail Birmingham, Retail Crime Operation and the Community Safety Partnership.  For more information, visit the Child Safe Zones Website at www.childsafezones.co.uk.  Alternatively, click on the logo.