Positivity in Practice: Approaches to Improving Perceptions of Young People and their Involvement in Crime and Anti-social Behaviour

The aim of this NFER-funded research was to investigate the approachesbeing taken by local authorities (LAs) and partner organisations to improvehow young people1are perceived, especially in relation to crime and anti-social behaviour.2The study also looked at the challenges for and benefitsof activities aiming to improve public perceptions of young people, and themethods used to measure the impact of these activities.The project’s methods i ncluded initial desk research of policy documents,research papers and media reports. There were telephone interviews withstaff from 20 LAs including personnel from integrated youth support anddevelopment services, youth offending services, crime and disorder reductionpartnerships and community safety partnerships. Three case studies involvedinterviews with frontline staff and young people.