Turning Corners is about preventing, not reversing, harm and trauma

That was the bold mission outlined by Turning Corners’ programme leader, Rebecca Hewitt, last Wednesday, when I had the pleasure of visiting The Station youth centre in Newton Abbott.

During the visit, I witnessed first-hand the incredible work the team there do in providing life changing youth intervention activities across South Devon. In outline, the project takes a multi-agency, partnership approach to reduce the risk of young people becoming involved in violence, anti-social behaviour (ASB) and crime. In my previous blog post, I reflected on the origins of this ground-breaking initiative, which has reaped huge benefits for vulnerable 11-18 age young people since its launch barely two years ago, kickstarting Devon and Cornwall’s Serious Violence Prevention journey.

In short, Turning Corners has helped over 700 young people and actively engaged with 91 families across the region. But it’s also improved community relations, as local residents start to see the valuable work done to improve the life chances of children on the verge of violence, who are now diverted away from crime through structured outreach activities. I listened with interest as programme leaders explained the importance of building trust and breaking down barriers in their intervention work – both with young people themselves, but also with the wider community, who worry about anti- social behaviour and drug use on their doorsteps.

As I’ve mentioned before, in recent years, the increasing prevalence of drug use and weapons across Newton Abbott and Torbay had been of growing concern to the Police and my office. In the words of Deputy Chief Constable, Jim Colwell, D&C’s Serious Violence Prevention Partnership was born out of a “collective will and ambition” to break the cycle of violence in our communities. And it aimed to do this by deploying an evidence based ‘early intervention’ approach more commonly used in public health settings.

Last week’s showcase event in Newton Abbott saw young people and their parents, as well as programme leaders and youth workers, coming together to celebrate the programme’s many achievements since launch – and to look ahead to phase two. I was particularly struck by the unique support that’s provided via the Moving Up Together initiative, which provides direct 121 support for vulnerable year 6-7 primary age children as they make the difficult transition to secondary school. Testimony to its success, there’ve been no school exclusions amongst participating year 7 pupils.

Watching the promotional video, it was clear just how much this pioneering scheme has meant to both the children themselves, but also to their families – many of whom told me how the Turning Corners parent support group has been a lifeline for them in recent times. Crucially, the group now operates independently of the original programme, providing vital, ongoing support on a peer-to-peer basis, for families battling drug addiction/ dealing and social exclusion as part of daily life.

There’s no doubt that the Turning Corners programme embodies our wider strategic vision of building safe, resilient and connected communities that I set out in my Police and Crime Plan. It also reflects my trifold priorities of people, partnerships and places, and is evaluated carefully to ensure the programme delivers genuine return on investment. More than that though, the Turning Corners project demonstrates the transformative power of a social change programme that has intrinsic moral worth.

In the new year, the next phase of Devon and Cornwall’s violence prevention journey will see us responding to new Home Office legislation that’ll require all regions to deliver against an official ‘Serious Violence Duty’. Reflecting on how far we’ve already come (and as a policing region without a dedicated Violence Reduction Unit), I feel confident that we can build upon the strong start that’s been made so far, in large part via the inspirational work of programmes like Turning Corners.