Eastwood anti-social behaviour anger demands more than another immediate response
What should be done to find permanent solutions to issues in troubled neighbourhood Eastwood? One expert has their say ....
Ongoing concern about anti-social behaviour in Eastwood raises an urgent question for Rotherham Council, according to one expert.
South Yorkshire behaviour transformation and pressure specialist Naomi Whiteley wants to know what is being done to change the behaviour, rather than repeatedly responding after another incident.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation recently rated Rotherham Youth Justice Service as Requires improvement, with its assessment work rated Inadequate.
Inspectors found that assessment, planning and delivery did not always capture the underlying reasons for children’s behaviour. They called for more individualised, consistent and high-quality work to create positive change and keep children and communities safe.
Ms Whiteley, professionally known as The Pressure Assassin, said the findings help explain why enforcement and incident management do not always produce lasting change.
“Immediate action is necessary to protect residents and contain risk, but containment is not transformation,” she said.
“If the pressure shaping someone’s behaviour is never properly identified or addressed, that behaviour can return, move elsewhere or appear at home, at school or through declining wellbeing and unhealthy coping.
“Not every incident in Eastwood involves a young person, and the Youth Justice Service is not responsible for every aspect of anti-social behaviour. However, where children and young people are involved, the inspection has identified a serious gap between responding to behaviour and understanding what is driving it.”
Ms Whiteley has sent Rotherham Council and Youth Justice Service leadership a proposal for a Firm Ground founding behaviour transformation intervention addressing the underlying pressure associated with anti-social behaviour and offending.
The proposed intervention would work directly with referred young people and record three outcomes at completion and three months: no repeat anti-social behaviour or offending, improved behaviour at home and improved behaviour at school or college where applicable.
Ms Whiteley has attempted to follow up with the relevant council lead and Youth Justice Service several times by email and telephone. The proposal had not been acknowledged.
She said: “Repeatedly reacting to what someone has done, without addressing what is shaping the behaviour, is not a lasting solution.”
“When residents remain angry and inspectors have specifically identified that the underlying reasons for behaviour were not always captured, Rotherham Council and its Youth Justice Service should be asking what will address that failure—not waiting for the next incident.
“If the current response were creating sustainable change, Eastwood residents would not still be asking why the problem continues. Why has a proposal designed to address the precise gap identified by inspectors not even been acknowledged?”.
“Eastwood residents deserve to know why Rotherham continues with an approach that is clearly not creating lasting change instead of commissioning an intervention that addresses what is driving the behaviour.
“How many more incidents must residents endure before the council accepts that containing behaviour is not the same as changing it?”