Iver Parish Council
How a Parish Council responded to concerns about anti-social behaviour by engaging directly with young people and helping them become part of the solution.
Young people with too little to do
Iver Parish Council had seen growing concerns about anti-social behaviour and criminal damage involving young people.
A number of young people were spending their evenings on the streets with few activities available to them.
There were several factors within Iver which limited the number of activities young people could take part in.
At the same time, the community had experienced an increase in incidents of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage involving young people.
Rather than simply treating this as an enforcement problem, the Parish Council began looking at how it could better provide for the needs of young people in the area.
A local issue needed a local response
The problems facing young people in Iver were very specific to the community.
That meant there was value in having an organisation close enough to the community to understand the issue and develop a response around local circumstances.
The Parish Council chose to work with an established local organisation rather than trying to tackle the issue alone.
Take youth work onto the streets
Iver Parish Council worked with Iver Educational Trust to employ a street-based youth worker.
Rather than expecting young people to come to an existing building or service, the youth worker initially went out onto the streets to meet them where they already were.
The aim was to build relationships, listen to young people's experiences and give them an opportunity to explain their needs and concerns.
The local district and county councils also became involved, working with the Parish Council to enhance youth services in Iver.
The Parish Council did not act alone
Partnership working was central to the project.
Iver Educational Trust
The Parish Council worked with the local charity to employ its own street-based youth worker within the parish.
Other local authorities
The district and county councils subsequently worked with the Parish Council to enhance youth services in the area.
Build relationships before designing the solution
Initially the youth worker simply took to the streets and began building relationships with young people.
This gave young people the opportunity to articulate their own needs and concerns rather than having adults assume what those needs were.
It also helped them feel more connected to the community in which they lived.
From engagement to activities
Once relationships had been established, the role expanded in response to what was being learned.
The youth worker went out into the community and met young people on the streets.
Young people were encouraged to talk about their needs, concerns and experiences.
Activities were introduced during school holidays, giving young people more constructive opportunities.
Young people became involved in projects which improved their surroundings and helped them contribute positively to the community.
Activities grew out of the relationship
The project evolved beyond street-based engagement.
School holidays
Activities were developed during school holidays, providing more opportunities for local young people.
Arts projects
The youth worker worked with young people on arts projects as part of efforts to tackle problems with graffiti.
Community action
Young people themselves began proposing ways they could contribute positively to the place where they lived.
Young people asked to organise a clean-up day
Some young people felt they were being treated as though they were automatically anti-social.
Rather than simply complaining about that perception, they came forward and asked to organise a community clean-up day.
The Parish Council helped make it happen.
The project produced two important outcomes
The original case study reports benefits both for the community and for the Council itself.
Less anti-social behaviour
The project was reported to have reduced instances of anti-social behaviour in Iver.
Better understanding
The Council became more aware of the issues affecting local young people and therefore better placed to understand their needs.
Three useful lessons from Iver
The case study is as much about the approach as it is about youth services themselves.
Listen before deciding
The Council did not begin by assuming it already understood the needs of local young people.
Work with local partners
A partnership with an existing community organisation provided expertise and helped turn the idea into a practical service.
Involve people in the solution
Young people moved from being viewed as part of the problem to actively helping improve their own community.
An example, not a prescription
A Windsor Town Council would not automatically provide the same youth service as Iver.
Any future Windsor Town Council would have to decide its own priorities based on Windsor's needs, its available budget and the legal powers available to it.
What Iver demonstrates is the potential value of having a council close enough to the community to identify a local issue, listen to the people affected and work with partners on a practical response.
This is a historical case study. The population figure of 9,925, precept of £352,000 and project information are taken from the original case-study material used by the Windsor Town Council campaign. They should not be read as Iver Parish Council's current population, budget or current youth-service arrangements.