Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) has secured an additional £800,000 from the government to fund youth intervention programmes in Oxfordshire.

The award was announced last week, following the publication of the Government’s ‘Beating Crime’ plan, with £17m allocated to schemes nationally, drawn from the Serious Violence Fund which supports initiatives to tackle knife crime and youth violence.

The VRU had applied to the ‘Teachable Moments’ grant scheme, which will be used for intervention initiatives around teachable moments and help young people change their behaviours and steer clear of crime. 

New 'Navigator' roles will be created, who will work across hospitals, police custody and in the wider community, providing support and sign-posting for young people at risk of being involved in violence. 

They will collaborate with the Safer Oxfordshire Partnership, which coordinates community safety activity across the county of Oxfordshire, to develop more detailed proposals as to how the funding will be used, including inviting local voluntary sector organisations to apply to deliver initiatives, via a VRU-led tendering process.

Matthew Barber, Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, said: “This latest Government funding is aligned with my own priority to tackle serious violence and knife crime here in the Thames Valley. 

“It will enable our partners in Oxfordshire to develop further innovative approaches, offering earlier intervention and support.  While alongside, we continue to deliver a firm policing response to those who continue to carry weapons or engage in violence. 

“We hope to use Oxfordshire to develop some early best-practice which we can then look to roll out elsewhere across the force. Importantly, we will seek to fund those voluntary sector bodies working in our local area to deliver these new services, further building their own capacity for now and the future.”

When a young person is admitted in circumstances linked to risky behaviours, such as violence, drink, drugs or self-harm and mental health problems, their clinician can refer them to speak with a Navigator if they wish, who offers a listening ear and can help discuss the circumstances which led to their admission, offer support such as access to mentoring or signposts them to local services and help with employment and education. 

An example of such a scheme already in place is the VRU-funded Hospital Navigator programme, which launched recently at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading and with a further four sites across the region launching in the coming months.

Superintendent Stan Gilmour, Director of the Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit, said: “The concept of a ‘teachable moment’ is that it can happen when someone’s circumstances in life suddenly change – this could be an admission to hospital, an arrest or detention in police custody. 

“This can create a moment of reflection, a time when they may be considering their actions and a point when they are briefly removed from negative influences around them. 

“By offering earlier interventions at these points, we can create powerful ways to help a young person to engage with support, to consider the risks and to change their course.  Through this, we can prevent more young people becoming drawn into crime and violence, and keep our communities safe.”