Parents to be punished for anti-social children

The government has announced a crackdown on anti-social
behaviour including stiffer measures to punish parents of children
who disrupt communities.

A new white paper, ‘Respect and Responsibility – Taking a Stand
Against Anti-social Behaviour’ , unveiled by home secretary David
Blunkett, includes fast tracking of parenting orders and
anti-social behaviour orders.

Parenting orders may also involve a residential requirement.

A proposal to withdraw housing benefit from individual tenants
has been revived, and will be put out for consultation.

Fixed penalty notices of £100 will be available to
environmental health officers to tackle noisy neighbours.
Probationary tenancies will be used for disruptive tenants followed
by fast-track eviction, and rehousing will not be an option.
Anti-social tenants will lose their right-to-buy. Children from
‘dysfunctional’ families will be given intensive fostering.

Other measures include:

• Streamlining of the number of authorities that deal with
  ‘chaotic families’ so that intervention is “intensive”
  and “co-ordinated” – more detail will come in the forthcoming
  children at risk green paper
• Parents of truanting children will be required to sign new
  parenting contracts
• When a children is given an anti-social behaviour order the
  court will also have to consider a parenting order

The white paper is available
here