A HOME Office initiative that can force parents to pay compensation for damage caused by their children has failed to make an impact in the county, where it is being tested.

The scheme, which is being piloted in 10 areas in Britain, including Worcestershire, be-gan last July but has not once been put to the test.

Parental compensation or-ders are aimed at the parents of children aged under 10 who damage or steal property. Parents can be fined up to £5,000.

Children under 10 cannot be prosecuted in court and are not eligible for anti-social behaviour orders. The scheme aims to make sure the targets of young criminals are compensated and give councils a chance to tackle criminal activity early to prevent it being repeated.

Geoff Taylor-Smith, head of community partnership at Worcestershire County Coun-cil, said: "During the five- month period of the pilot, the parental compensation orders scheme has not been used. We have been able to resolve every situation through intervention with parents and conciliation. So far we have not been under any pressure to go to the courts.

"At an early stage we thought we had the structures in place to be able to resolve matters using conciliation rather than going to the courts. It is prevention rather than cure."

Mr Taylor-Smith added: "It was not something we thought we needed to use in Worcestershire but we were involved with the Department of Education and Skills as a pathfinder area, so we thought we would do the trial."

The pilot project lasts for 12 months and Worcestershire County Council will retain the option of using the orders until it finishes in July next year.

"It is a useful tool to have as a last resort but it is better if you can resolve things in other ways," said Mr Taylor-Smith.