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Boys from broken homes join gangs to find an alternative family
Benedict Moore-Bridger, Evening Standard8 Jul 2008
Children turn to gangs to fill the gap left by poor relationships with their own families, a report said today.
The Salvation Army published research that found many homeless people described a childhood where they were ignored, neglected or even abused at home.
Ivan Congreve - manager of Springfield Lodge in Camberwell, which provides homeless men aged 16 to 21 with a home and teaches them the skills to become independent - said some joined gangs because they provided an alternative family. He said: "All of our guys are from a broken family of one sort or another and that leads them into gangs. That's where they seem to be able to find the family they are looking for. They are accepted, looked after and respected in ways that they don't feel they get from their family."
The Salvation Army is calling for vulnerable families to be identified early so parents and children can be given support.
The Seeds of Exclusion report, published today, is based on interviews with 438 people who used Salvation Army homelessness services in the UK between October 2007 and March 2008.
Reader views (4)
The destruction of family life is beauce of multiple reasons which both parents and children are at blame for. many parents are strict with their children from a early age, where they enforce good manners and warm them about what bad things they are doing. however this changes somehow when children enter the vital stage of being a teenager.the reason for this is ebacuse this is the time when most teenagers, male and female begin to act differenlty and also start to wander off from normal and expected behaviour of them. i believe that this is the time when parents should be enforce the gorund rules at home. it is not msuch of a surpise that more teenage people are joining gangs, the reason for this is because children such age from 12 or under going to 16 are allowed out at night times when they should be home doing productive work such as studying. i believe that parents should give thier children a curfew which is reasonble and responisible depending on thier age. an exmaple would be children under the age of 10 should be home before 9pm. families can repair that broken bond with thier children by spending time with them, doing activities. these activities may include indulging ibn the sport they enjoy or jsut having female time. if these bonds are not reoaired the same cycle will repeat itself as children would become adults asnt they will have the same problems due tot the reason that they did not learn the fundeemental skills of life at a early age and also responsibi
- Harold, Birmignham, 16/01/2009 13:14
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The destruction of families is the result of decades of feminist extremism. Fathers have been replaced by the state.
- Cynical, USA, 01/12/2008 10:56
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Good heavens, the findings aren't new, anyone could have told them that. What is so terrifying is that now that society has effectively condoned and even assisted in the breakdown of Families, the state will step in, all very stalanistic and, I would guess, quite on target for our government's agenda. And still they don't teach the old fashioned domestic science of some basic cookery, housekeeping stills. And still they let these hopeless individuals breed to produce yet further generations of hopeless people.
- Helen, norwich, 01/12/2008 09:56
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it is so sad that many parents wash their hands of their children when they reach 15/16 the parents should care and guide the kids from an early age then I am sure there would be much more discipline which is what is lacking today
parents expect their kids to be good but if they don`t show them how to behave they have no chance the language and behaviour of many parents is disgusting and the kids will only copy come on England lets get back to the old way and DISCIPLINE our youngsters and make them have respect its easy if you start early
- Jeannett, uk, 01/12/2008 09:56
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