Lord Henley visits Positive Futures in North Liverpool

Lord Henley, minister of state for crime prevention and antisocial behaviour reduction, visited North Liverpool Positive Futures and met some of the young people who have turned their lives around.

North Liverpool Positive Futures has a strong track record in turning young lives around, working with around 1,000 young people each year since February 2004. Its programmes range from street-based work on Friday and Saturday nights, football, job clubs, apprenticeships, driving and karting, a 'Get Hooked on Fishing' schools programme and issue-based workshops.

During his visit Lord Henley met some of the young people involved in the project, who are also members of the Positive Futures Youth Advisory Board. He talked to staff from the street outreach team, about their early intervention work and how they engage with young people on the streets of the local estates. He was also given a tour of some of the most problematic areas of North Liverpool.

Lord Henley said:

'Positive Futures plays a vital role in diverting young people away from criminal behaviour. It has a strong local focus that delivers services which are tailored to the needs of those from the toughest backgrounds.

What I have seen today is young people making a positive contribution in their community which is helping to build their self confidence and focus on their ambitions for a better future.'

North Liverpool Positive Futures is one of 91 Positive Futures projects working in some of the most deprived communities across England and Wales. The programme is managed nationally by Catch22, and the North Liverpool project is run locally by a social enterprise charity.

North Liverpool Positive Futures has won many awards for its work with young people and in tackling youth-crime issues in its local communities. They include:

• 2012 Positive Futures Contribution to Community Safety award
• 2010 Children & Young People now National 'Stay Safe' award sponsored by the Association of Chief Police Officers. Highly commended in the Youth Work category.
• Finalist in the CYPNOW Justice Award 2011
• Commendation from Comic Relief for a 'territorial' project
• Featured in best practice guide for Connexions PAYP 2009
• Researched and commended by Huddersfield University Criminology Department

 Find out more about Positive Futures.