Often victims of antisocial behaviour (ASB) carried out by young people tell me they think parents should be doing more to control their children. So it was great to see the impact that support to positive parenting can have on a family and a community last week.

Turning Corners is a pilot scheme in Teignbridge, the South Hams and West Devon that supports parents and children with damaging behaviour that teenagers will not or cannot stop.

During the visit to Station youth centre in Newton Abbot, I saw first-hand the incredible work the team there do in providing life changing opportunities, funded by my ground-breaking Serious Violence Prevention Programme.

The project takes a teamwork approach with families to reduce the risk of children becoming involved in violence, ASB and crime. Last week I reflected on the origins of this ground-breaking initiative, which has reaped huge benefits for 11-18 year olds since its launch two years ago, kickstarting Devon and Cornwall’s Serious Violence Prevention journey which is funded through the policing element of our council tax bills.

Turning Corners has helped over 700 young people and actively engaged with 91 families across the area. 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 given opportunities to stay away from crime through supervised activities. I listened with interest as programme leaders explained the importance of building trust and breaking down barriers in their work – both with young people themselves, but also with the wider community, who worry about ASB and drug use on their doorsteps.

That’s why I’ve brought back the basics of youth outreach workers to support communities suffering ASB and help identify young people who need more support than others to choose the right path in life.

As I’ve mentioned before, in recent years, the increasing prevalence of drug use and weapons across Newton Abbot and Torbay had been of growing concern to the police and my office.

Last week’s showcase event saw young people and their parents, as well as parent support workers 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 six and seven primary age children as they make the sometimes difficult transition to secondary school. In testimony to its success, there have been no school exclusions amongst participating year seven pupils and two children who have gone through the journey told me first-hand the difference their support workers have made to their education and personal lives. And it all starts with feeling listened to.

Watching a video charting their progress, 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. In some parts of South Devon, the group now operates independently of the 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 its £1M/ four-year investment. More than that though, the Turning Corners project demonstrates the transformative power of a social change programme that has intrinsic moral worth. After all, its ultimate mission is to change lives and strengthen society – and it’s hard to put a price on that.

In the new year, the next phase of Devon and Cornwall’s violence prevention journey will see us responding to Home Office legislation that will 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 government funded 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 pioneering programmes like Turning Corners.