Early Years & Education

Long term, the only way to reduce violence is through education. But as with all education, learning about violence and how to prevent it is not just a matter for schools, it is a lifelong thing, starting before a child is even born.

Research confirms the most important four years of a child’s life are up to age three. The environment parents create for babies at this stage is vital: this is when they acquire the non-cognitive or “soft” skills that allow them to negotiate life; skills like empathy, compromise and negotiation, the skills that allow us to make good decisions – and bad ones.

People often ask how a group of people from the same street can turn out to be so different. Why does one person become a teacher, yet their neighbour grows up to be a violent offender? It’s what happens behind the front door, the way a child is brought up, the way it is spoken to, the behaviour it observes, that shapes the adult it becomes.

Imagine a pregnant woman living with a violent partner. How can she provide a safe environment for her baby if she cannot provide it for herself? Living in such circumstances inhibits the development of the unborn baby in the same way as excess alcohol or smoking. The baby is then born into a situation where its mother’s ability to care for it will be seriously inhibited by the stress and aggression in her world. A cycle is then established, where violence becomes part of everyday life, a pattern imprinted indelibly on the child.

Parenting is difficult and parents – whatever their circumstances - need all the help and support they can get. Parenting, whether that be by a single mum, a mum and a dad, a grandparent, whoever, is an absolutely fundamental element of society. Only parents have the access to children in those vital early years, not teachers and certainly not police. Children whose parents successfully pass on vital life skills enter school ready to make the best use of education; those who lack them quickly become detached and excluded. Nobel Prize winning economist Dr James Heckman said that the major determinant of successful schools is successful families:

“Schools work with what parents bring them. They operate more effectively if parents reinforce them by encouraging and motivating children.”

Children don’t come with a manual. This is why we require early years’ initiatives, schemes that offer support and advice on parenting. As part of our 10 year plan, the VRU are driving towards such schemes being run alongside antenatal care, so they can be easily accessed by whoever needs them, giving them the confidence to cope with all the difficulties parenting brings. This necessitates a universal service with health visitors on the front line, identifying potential problems and offering support where it is most required.

Where the formal education system has a part to play is in the realm of secondary violence prevention – halting the progression of violence once it is established through early detection and prompt, effective treatment.

Campus Officers

Campus officers are community police officers based full time within a single secondary school. Their role is not to police the classrooms but to help develop greater links with the community and in particular young people.

To find out more about campus officers, go to the campus officers’ page or read our campus officers’ practice note.

School Resources

The VRU has developed a range of leaflets, posters, a directory of Youth Diversionary Activities and classroom based lesson plans which can be accessed in the schools resources section.

Medics Against Violence

As part of their anti-violence work, Medics Against Violence (MAV) undertake inputs in schools to warn youngsters about the consequences of violence. To find out more, go to our Medics Against Violence page or have a look at their website,