The tragic killing of a twelve year-old boy in a Croxteth pub car park should shock everyone – just as everyone was shocked by the killing of Warrington man Gary Newlove, killed trying to protect his own property. These heinous crimes, whilst concerning very different victims, bring together the issues of guns, gangs, and purposeless youths.

Understandably, the “something must be done” brigade are out in force, although their unfocused prescriptions are not always on the mark. I found Jacqui Smith’s comments disappointing especially – a lack of leadership where we most need it.

Yes, something must certainly be ‘done’ to start to heal our broken society. But for too many on the left, the answer must always lie in a decision taken form behind a Whitehall desk. As far as they are concerned, all society’s problems can be wished away by the all-encompassing state. If that were the case, why is it that after ten years of a big-state Labour government these problems seem worse? Today’s 18 year-old was only 8 when Tony Blair came to power. They really are Blair’s children.

David Cameron gave a much more purposeful agenda for action when he spoke in Darwen yesterday, unaware of the tragedy to unfold later that day.

Amongst his comments were: “We need to make men realise that having children is an 18-year commitment – not a one-night stand …We need to make mothers realise that it’s work, not welfare, that offers their family the best future … And we need to make society as a whole – that’s you and me – realise that we all have duties to our neighbours.”

Among the policies proposed by Mr Cameron to counter yob behaviour today were that young offenders should lose their driving licenses, extending the period magistrates can send people to jail from six months to 1 year, scrap the early release scheme and free police from the time spent form-filling.

These are all important steps. But we will need to find ways to tackle the wider disaffection amongst youth, and the yawning gap between their (sometimes) off-kilter aspirations and their financial and educational abilities to achieve those aspirations.

At last year’s Conservative Party Conference (I think last year), a lady named Camila Batmanghelidjh gave a presentation about the work of her charity Kid’s Company. It works with vulnerable inner city young people, building up their confidence in themselves and helping to form sustainable peer relationships. As a charitable body, and not a Government programme, it has had to raise much of its funding itself, at the same time as delivering consistent success. In recent days, Ms Batmanghelidjh has been in the newspapers however saying that the charity is set to close unless a more sustainable funding basis is found.

It is these smaller projects which are the way ahead – youth clubs, youth groups, or whatever. They lack the tone of official-dom that can turn young people off, and are more successful for it. But we need a change in the culture of philanthropy in this country. Those who donate to local youth groups that seek to tackle these underlying problems should have their financial contributions recognised through the taxation system in some way – that would encourage more donations, and put these groups on a firmer financial footing.

Over in Australia, such donations are tax deductible. The work of the Smith Family charity (www.thesmithfamily.com.au) is one I have long admired for the breadth and depth of its range of activities. I think, in particular, its focus on financial literacy is something we are desperately crying out for in this country.

The other aspect I believe we need to focus on is a stage of the education system which gets little attention – that between the ages of eleven and fourteen. We worry about young people failing to leave school able to read or write, but often, by the time they get to the age where they start GCSE courses, it is too late – they have already lost interest, and the connection in their mind’s eye between their aspirations and the education system as a means to achieve them has been broken. That frustration leads to some seeking solace in gangs.

These are just a few ideas. None of them need massive government intervention, or new quangos, or more civil servants. It’s about helping the charities who are already successful in this field, helping the people who already want to donate, and ensuring that the schools system does what it is supposed to.

I expect, when the GCSE results come out later today, that we will hear the same old excuses about deprived and transient populations in Blackpool.

This is not acceptable in my view. We should be ambitious for our children, and we should not accept socio-economic status as an excuse to hide behind.