Call to allow street youth groups

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/6982714.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Children in poor areas should be allowed to gather in groups on the streets because they have nowhere else to go, a report says.

Young people who socialise outside are often regarded as a problem, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said.

But street play was "vitally important" to them and should not automatically be condemned as anti-social, it added.

Children outdoors were more visible and "open to sanctions" from the authorities, the report said.

'Chaperoned'

The report - A Child's Eye View of Social Difference - examined the experiences of a group of children from a private school and another living on a poor estate.

There was a stark difference in how they spent their leisure time.

The importance of open space for children does not appear to be recognised Joseph Rowntree Foundation

The report said: "Private schoolchildren led more 'chaperoned' lives than the estate children.

"They were often driven to and from friends' houses, clubs and activities and so tended to be accompanied more often by adults."

After school many private school pupils went horse-riding, shooting, fishing or played tennis.

Such activities focused on learning skills and helped their wider education, researchers at Loughborough University - carrying out the work on behalf of the foundation - said.

But estate children spent their free time "socialising and playing games in the streets" without adult supervision.

'Interact'

The study added: "For children in households with few resources, limited opportunities to attend organised activities and often restricted space, open space which enabled children to interact socially was vitally important in their lives."

Because they were on the street, children "were often visible and therefore open to sanctions from those in authority and neighbours within their estate".

Parents also set rules about where and when the children could play, such as not going to areas perceived as dangerous, containing drug dealers and alleged paedophiles.

The report said: "Street play and open space were vitally important to the children.

"However, the importance of open space for children - not just playground areas - does not appear to be recognised."

There was a need to "challenge assumptions about associations between street play, anti-social behaviour and inadequate parenting", it added.

The report comes amid continuing concern over gang culture in the UK.

The Home Office has introduced laws allowing police to break up groups of "anti-social" youngsters and escort under-16s back to their homes.

Local councils can also now apply to the home secretary for the power to impose a child curfew lasting up to 90 days in areas where young people are causing alarm or distress.