- Government urges parents to help their children make sensible decisions about alcohol -
New measures to tackle underage drinking across the country, including a national football tournament, best practice guide and money to enforce new police powers, will be launched by ministers today.
Building on the Government’s ongoing drive to reduce underage drinking, the measures are designed to educate and support young people to make sensible decisions about alcohol, as well as cracking down in areas where underage drinking is causing anti-social behaviour.
The measures mean that:
- Over 2,000 young people will take part in a Kickz football tournament, providing a positive alternative to drinking alcohol. Along with over 35,000 young people involved in wider Kickz activity, participants will be encouraged to have open and honest conversations about the dangers of underage drinking in workshops.
- Young people across the country will see new cinema advertisements showing them the risks associated with drinking alcohol as part of the Government’s ‘Why Let Drink Decide?’ campaign.
- Every local authority will have a good practice guide to help them work with the police, Trading Standards, children’s services and youth services to prevent underage drinking becoming a problem in their area.
- Parents will have greater confidence to talk to their children about drinking following new research which shows how influential parents are in a young person’s relationship with alcohol.
- The 69 Youth Crime Action Plan (YCAP) areas will receive additional funding of £350,000 to help police forces implement their new alcohol powers, including confiscating alcohol from young people and cracking down on retailers selling alcohol to underage young people.
Speaking ahead of the Kickz launch at the Emirates Stadium, London, Schools Minister Vernon Coaker said:
“Today’s research shows that parents underestimate their influence over their child’s drinking and attitudes to alcohol, yet a quarter of young people have never spoken to their parents about the issue. That’s why through the ‘Why Let Drink Decide?’ campaign we are giving parents and young people the confidence to have open conversations about alcohol, to ultimately delay the age at which young people start drinking.
“Some young people need more help, support and fun alternatives to drinking, which is why we are launching the Why let drink decide? Kickz Cup 2010 today. Through the tournament and the Kickz staff, young people will get to have fun with their peers on the pitch, alongside the chance to learn about the risks associated with drinking to help them make sensible decisions about alcohol.
“A very small minority let their drinking get out of control and this can lead to anti-social behaviour and problems in communities. We have given the police all the powers they need to crackdown on young people drinking alcohol. In the last six months of 2009 alone over 6000 litres of alcohol were confiscated from young people in our YCAP areas as part of the Government’s crackdown. We are determined to do all we can to prevent alcohol ruining the lives of children, young people and their families.”
Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said:
"Alcohol is often at the root of youth crime, so by reducing underage drinking we can stop young people being drawn into anti-social behaviour and crime.
"We recently introduced new powers to tackle underage drinking, including making it easier for police to confiscate alcohol, move on groups of teenagers causing trouble and stop retailers selling to underage children.
“We are also supporting young people in partnership with the Department for Children, Schools and Families, through the Positive Futures programme which targets vulnerable young people aged 10-19 and supports them through sport and arts based activities to steer them clear of alcohol misuse and its associated anti-social behaviour.”
Using the appeal of professional football clubs, Kickz targets challenging areas and build safer, stronger, more respectful communities through the development of young peoples’ potential. Issues covered will range from how to lead a healthy lifestyle to the dangers of gangs or carrying knives. The new tournament sponsored by the Department for Children, Schools and Families will focus on raising awareness of the risks associated with drinking alcohol and will use workshops and advice sessions before and after the tournament to discuss alcohol with the young people involved.
Speaking ahead of the launch at the Emirates stadium, Arsenal Football Club manager Arsène Wenger said:
“Drinking too much alcohol can have a serious effect on your physical performance and can mean that you’re not physically at your best. Young people face some tough decisions, but drinking alcohol can make these decisions tougher. I’m hugely supportive of this campaign, which complements the work Arsenal in the Community, now celebrating its 25th anniversary, is already undertaking on its range of social inclusion programmes.”
Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said:
“I am delighted that the very successful Kickz partnership is supporting the Government’s ‘Why Let Drink Decide?’ campaign and helping to educate young people about the risks of alcohol. This goes hand-in-hand with the core aims of Kickz, which are to encourage our most disadvantaged young people to develop positively as individuals and to help them achieve their full potential.”
The Government has introduced measures to take swift action against the small minority of young people who cause problems in their community with their alcohol misuse. From July 2009, an alcohol crackdown in the 69 areas identified to be most at risk of youth crime and anti-social behaviour led to over 6000 litres of alcohol being confiscated and over 3000 young people were referred to support services. Following the success of this approach, the Government is producing a best practice guide to local authorities, disseminating the lessons learnt from the YCAP regions. The additional £350,000 funding will help the YCAP areas build on the success of the crackdown in 2009.
