Is there a connection between young people growing up in fatherless homes, and young people involved in youth crime and gang violence?

The answer is yes. 76% of young men in prison in England and Wales had absent fathers (Prison reform trust 2013) and absent fathers affect girls and young women as well. 

Here are some of the ways father deficit affects girls & young women:

1. Fatherless daughters can have self-esteem issues 
2. More likely to have eating disorders 
3. More prone to depression 
4. Struggled to build and maintain relationships 
5. More likely to become sexually active earlier 
6. Can develop an addiction 

2.9 million children live in a lone parent household in the UK (National Statistics 2019)

1.1 million children in the UK are growing up with a father in their lives. (Centre for social justice 2017)

51 billion the economic cost of family breakdown in 2018 (relationship foundation 2018) 

It is so important that our young people have an active father in their lives, to help encourage and support them during what is arguably, the most important time of their lives. Until our young people become responsible adults above the age of 21 years old, they are extremely vulnerable.

They are exposed to all sorts of criminal activity through the likes of the media, such as films, television, social media. They are also exposed to criminal activity through video games and music. Young people are also exposed to criminal activity by other young people at school or in their community, who also most likely suffer from a father deficit.

Potential consequences of father deficit include;

1. Behavioural problems. Children are more likely to struggle in social settings, building relationships and making friends. Many may attempt to try and come across scary and aggressive to hide that, below the surface, they are scared, unhappy and have anxieties.  
2. Relationships. It may be harder for young people with absent fathers to trust, build and maintain relationships in the future. 
3. Poor academic performance. Most children from fatherless homes are more likely to be excluded from school, less likely to attain higher educational qualifications in adulthood and have less motivation to learn and take school seriously. One of the ways the ACT can assist schools is through our behaviour and early intervention services designed to support the social and emotional development of young people, who may be struggling to manage their own behaviour as a result of underlying issues. Visit http://www.actcic.org.uk/schools/ for more information on how we support schools. 
4. Exploitation and abuse. Young people are at a higher risk of experiencing and suffering from abuse, (sexual, physical and emotional). The boys may grow up and be abusive towards their future girlfriends or wives.
   
   
5. Self-esteem. Young people’s self-worth may be quite low with an absent father leading them to be mistreated in adulthood and unable to stand up for themselves if they do not develop their self-esteem in their young years. 
6. Youth Crime & Gang Violence. Young people are more likely to become involved in crime, become criminally or sexually exploited, carry weapons, violence and associate with gangs or other criminal groups.  We also offer services for young people who have been affected by child criminal exploitation, youth violence and gangs visit our website for more information about our critical intervention services.     
7. Young Pregnancy and promiscuity. Young people from fatherless homes are more likely to be sexually active from a young age, may have sexual health issues, become young parents, and girls may be exploited by adult men as a result of their emotional loss of their father.  
8. Drug and Alcohol abuse. Young people may experience and be exposed to drugs and alcohol from a young age and can become addicted to substances. 
9. Mental health. Common mental health problems young people with absent fathers have are anxiety and/ or depression.
   
   
10. Life Opportunities. Money may be tight in fatherless households, so young people may not get to do extra activities, join clubs that cost money ie; football, karate, music clubs etc, and may have to rely on the system to help them out in their adult lives.

So, what can we do to help support young people who come from fatherless homes but have taken the wrong turn?

As organisations, schools, community officers, social workers, partners, teachers and community members, we can support young people from fatherless homes by;

1. Being educated on the issue, the impact and the ‘cry for help’ signs in our young people. 
2. Being open-minded and understanding of our young people’s situation to encourage them to open up and begin their transformation. 
3. Get them involved in activities and local organisations (like us) that regularly deliver programmes and events to support young people, helping them to stay active, happy and out of trouble You may want to check out our previous blog, which discusses the https://youthmap.uk/ a resource designed to help schools, organisations, and communities identify local services and positive activities that support young people within the West Midlands. 
4. Representation matters so having male teachers in schools and more male mentors to help give the children a positive role model, especially those who can reflect their personal and cultural experiences are essential to helping young people identify with adults that understand them and their experiences. If the school you are in doesn’t have many people that reflect the cultural experiences of the young people that attend your school, then mentoring can be a great way of supporting young people.  Get in contact with us today, if you would like to know how we can support you with mentors, PSHE workshops and programmes in your school.  
5. Mothers can encourage their children to get involved in organisations that provide support for children that don’t have a male role model in their life. (eg; lads needs dads, 100 black men) We also offer a free mentoring programme that parents can tap into to get support through our Youth Inclusions Support Programme visit www.actcic.org.uk/yisp for more information.

Together as a community, we can help tackle child criminal exploitation, gangs and youth violence. If you are interested in understanding more about how to support young people impacted by these issues, then our Working with Gangs and Youth Violence course, the only accredited course in the UK for both professionals and community members to learn how to support our young people who have been impacted by gangs and youth violence.  www.actcic.org.uk/gangscourse 

ACT CIC provides a number of supporting services for schools, organisations, agencies and the wider communities including families to help prevent and intervene on the issues of exploitation, gangs and youth violence.  

References

Youth map blog:  http://www.actcic.org.uk/the-youth-map-launch/ 

Lads need dads. Website:  https://ladsneeddads.org/ 

Office for national statistic

Children’s bureau. Website: www.all4kids.org

ACT CIC: www.actcic.org.uk