and Social Services Minister Nelson Bascome insisted yesterday.

And he pledged action to deliver a new, purpose-built home for kids in trouble with the law.

Mr. Bascome -- reacting to criticism of Government policies for young offenders -- added that the new Youth Council was also taking part in drawing up a new strategy for the young.

He said: "What's currently happening is the Youth Council has just been appointed by the Premier and they have provided us with a copy of a survey which was produced to establish the problems and attitudes of our young people.'' And he added: "We want programmes not only for young offenders and young people in care, but in general for the Bermuda family unit.

"We've got to move the family together -- part of the reason children are out of control is that families have disintegrated.'' Mr. Bascome was reacting to demands from acting Shadow Health and Social Services Minister Cole Simons that Government lacked proper plans for a coordinated approach to young offenders.

Mr. Simons called for urgent funding to be made available for a new home for troubled youngsters and new-style boards to deal with not only punishment, but prevention of youth crime.

Mr. Simons said he wanted to see UK-style, joint agency "Juvenile Recovery Teams'' to help deliver services to youngsters at risk and their families.

And he accused Government of having a piecemeal approach to crime among the young.

Mr. Simons spoke out after it was revealed that Observatory Cottage in Devonshire for those aged 15 and under was full -- while Mr. Bascome ruled out locking up youngsters convicted of crimes with adult offenders.

But Mr. Bascome said: "Mr. Simons makes comments about the imprisonment of young offenders as adult prisoners -- this is something which happened in the past, while I was Shadow Minister. And, with all of the experience I've had in working with young offenders, I found it to be particularly disturbing when we had juveniles mixed in with people who had long criminal histories.

"But I must say that, after several years, the then-Government did finally come round to thinking that juvenile offenders should not be put in with adults.

"Mr. Simons should have read his party's past policies before he made his ill-informed statements.'' Mr. Bascome admitted: "It is a band-aid approach at the moment -- but that's the approach which had been in place.'' He said specific programmes had not been mentioned in previous Throne Speech commitments -- but pointed out that the Bermuda Family Council had been.

He added: "We recognise that there are a number of our young people who have gone haywire, but we recognise the demise of the Bermuda family unit as well.

"And our strategies going forward with the Family Council are working towards dealing with that.'' Mr. Bascome added Mr. Simons was "very remiss'' in ignoring the joint approach of the Family Court to dealing with young offenders. He said: "This brings together a number of helping agencies -- what we've done now is announced the ways in which we get more agencies together to work with our young people when they get to the level of Juvenile or Family Courts.'' He added the Residential Care Committee dealt with ensuring that current care homes for young people made sure "adequate programming is in place.'' Mr. Bascome said: "We already have a multi-agency approach to these problems in Bermuda.'' He added: "If Mr. Simons had looked in last year's Budget, there was money put in there to deal with the design of a new Youth Development Centre which will deal with these children who have psychological or criminal histories and who could be violent or problematic.

"There are also proposals which have been put forward now to work on the design and plans which have been put in place.'' Mr. Bascome said: "This is one project I've been fighting for.

"A number of our young people are out of control right now and we're working very hard on trying to get some of these families back together.

"We also want to make sure not just the children, but families, get the help they need.'' Simons' plea to Bascome: Page 6 NOT SEEING EYE TO EYE Nelson Bascome Cole Simons