"Baby ASBOs" for children as young as 10

By Andrew Hough

LONDON (Reuters) - Troubled teenagers and children as young as 10 would be hit with anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) under a government plan unveiled on Tuesday to fight youth crime.

About 1,000 of the country's "most challenging" children will be forced to sign good behaviour contracts under the 218-million pound programme, Children's Secretary Ed Balls said.

Under the expansion of the Family Intervention Projects, the troublemakers would be supported by "non-negotiable" workers.

But failure to abide by the contract will lead to a criminal record, and a behaviour order dubbed a "baby ASBO".

"The support is non-negotiable -- if young people don't take the help, or refuse to mend their ways they will face the consequences," Balls said in a statement.

"For example (they will face) an Anti-Social Behaviour Order to stop bad behaviour and an Individual Support Order to compel them to co-operate with support. These are court orders with criminal records and sanctions for those who breach them."

Earlier in a radio interview, Children's Minister Beverley Hughes defended the scheme and denied suggestions that earlier attempts to tackle youth crime had failed.

"This is not an old idea in the sense we know this has been working with dysfunctional families who have been creating havoc in communities with anti-social behaviour," she told the BBC.