Rolling Out Anti-social Behaviour Families Projects in England and Scotland: Analysing the Rhetoric and Practice of Policy Transfer

Abstract

In both Scotland and England, reducing anti-social behaviour (ASB) and building a culture of respect are key central government priorities. Accordingly, since 1997 both jurisdictions have seen the introduction of a raft of punitive legislation. Over recent years, however, there have been signs that the official ASB agenda has shifted away from a reliance on 'enforcement measures' towards a more balanced approach incorporating measures to address the underlying causes of problem behaviour. With their emphasis on 'whole family' approaches and parenting interventions, ASB family projects, pioneered by the Dundee Families Project (DFP), are seen to respond to official concerns about social exclusion and have been promoted as an effective and sustainable response to ASB. In both Scottish and English jurisdictions official endorsement of the DFP model has been marked by government-funded programmes to 'roll out' this concept more widely. Drawing on findings from a recent evaluation of ASB family projects operating in Scotland combined with scrutiny of evidence from a number of English studies, this article explores, in a comparative manner, the differences and similarities in the policy discourses and models of practice employed by Scottish and English projects. More specifically, we critically appraise the role played by sanctions in evoking service user engagement. IntroductionFor more than a decade in both Scotland and England, reducing anti-social behaviour (ASB) and building a culture of respect have been key central government priorities. Accordingly, both jurisdictions have seen the introduction of a raft of legislation with measures to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) located within a wider policy agenda of revitalizing disadvantaged

The transfer of English legislation to the Scottish context: Lessons from the implementation of the Football Banning Order in Scotland

“…al., 2003) yet there is often divergence in the detail of how policies and laws are actually implemented (Mooney and Poole 2004;Nixon et al, 2010). Policy making and legislation in Scotland is traditionally less centralised, and more mediated by the professional autonomy of public sector and legal professionals, whilst legislation is less driven by targets and performance indicators (Keating et al, 2003).…”

“…For instance, ASBOs, a similar type of hybrid order to FBOs, were introduced across the UK in the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act. However, in Scotland ASBOs were both resisted and significantly subverted as practitioners steered the policy agenda away from the imposition of punitive orders towards other interventions focussing more on the root causes of anti-social behaviour (Nixon et al, 2010) No previous research has examined the transfer of the FBO legislation from the English to the Scottish context. This is somewhat surprising for two principal reasons.…”

“…As Nixon et al (2010) note this type of policy transfer has become more common as legislators are keen to draw upon lessons and good practice from other jurisdictions. With the establishment of a devolved Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in 1999 -and the ceding of limited legislative and policy making powers from Westminster to Holyrood -the variety of ways in which policy transfer can occur between England and Scotland have increased in number and complexity.…”

Physical Cultures of Stigmatisation: Health Policy & Social Class

“…In England, a network of 53 projects was established by April 2007, representing a shift away from enforcement approaches, towards 'whole family' support aimed at addressing the underlying causes of anti-social behaviour (Nixon et al, 2010 (Nixon et al, 2010, p306 Child Poverty FIPs, established with the aim of supporting the poorest families, who are not anti-social, but who experience multiple problems that make it more difficult for them to secure and maintain employment.…”

‘Getting with the (troubled families) programme’: a review

“…These interrelated concerns led to the problem of 'exclusion' being traced back to the family as the root cause, as a failed site of social reproduction (Jordan and Jordan, 2000). Crucially, seeing 'social exclusion' as a condition allowed social work services to move to a refined targeted approach, identifying those 'at risk' earlier, intervening quickly, more effectively and cheaply (Nixon et al, 2010).…”