Agenda and draft minutes

Venue: Civic Centre, High Road, Wood Green, N22 8LE. View directions

Contact: Xanthe Barker 

Items
No. Item

56.

Apologies

To receive any apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from the following:

 

Niall Bolger  - Director, Urban Environment

Peter Lewis – Director C&YPS - Jennifer James substituted

Joanne McCartney MPA – Bennett Obong substituted

Sadja Mughal - JanTrust

Barbara Nicholls – Head of Commissioning, Strategy, Planning (ACCS)

Pamela Pemberton – HAVCO - Olivia Darby substituted

 

57.

Urgent Business

To consider any items of Urgent Business. (New items of Urgent Business will be considered under Item 15 below. Late items of Urgent Business will be considered under the agenda item where they appear). 

Minutes:

No items of Urgent Business were raised.

58.

Declarations of Interest

Members of the Board must declare any personal and/or prejudicial interest with respect to agenda items and must not take part in any decision made with respect to those items.

Minutes:

No declarations of interest were made.

59.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 106 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 4 November 2010 as a correct record.

Minutes:

The minutes for the 04 November were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting.

 

In relation to HSP 50, on the participation of young people who were NEET, in an employment scheme with private sector organisations, we noted that this action was ongoing and Reverend Nims Obunge and Kate Gilbert were to discuss.

 

We further noted that the DAAT (Drugs, Alcohol, and Action Team) were to transfer to Public Health on 18th March 2011.

 

The Chair welcomed Sandra Looby, the newly appointed Borough Commander for Haringey, to the Board and to the Partnership.  The chair, on behalf of the Board, further thanked Chris Barclay for all his work in the interim period.

 

60.

Terrorism Update

A verbal update will be given.

Minutes:

The Board received a verbal update on the terrorism threat to London and the Borough.

 

It was noted that there had been no change to the level of threat identified by the Government and that this remained severe. The Borough Commander advised the Board, that she would review the Contest strategy and contingency and emergency planning of the borough as part of her new role. A partnership event would be organised, later in the year, to test out the functions of the strategy and plan.

 

61.

Performance Highlights (April 2010 - January 2011) pdf icon PDF 97 KB

Minutes:

The Board received a report that provided an overview of performance against community safety targets during 2010/11.

 

Overall Recorded Crime

It was noted that Haringey Police recorded 5% fewer total notifiable offences during the 1st April 2010-9th January 2011 compared with the same period last year.  This compared favourably with the MET average.

 

 

Serious Violent Crime

A clearly improving trend was noted by the Board with a 31.9% year on year drop in this crime rate which was well above the MPS reduction of 21%. Improvements in this trend were connected to the work of the Gang Action Group and the Tackling Knives Action Plan. Police recorded a drop in the recording of repeat victims of domestic violence. This was not concerning the actual number of unreported incidents which may have occurred prior to police contact.  The Board noted that there were key issues to address with the dis-continuation of funding for domestic violence work and the Tackling Knives Action Plan. The funding for both these projects would cease on the 31 March 2011.

 

Acquisitive Crime  

It was noted that  this crime figure had reduced by 4.8%  but this was a deterioration in performance compared to the half year performance,  of 13%, and was attributed to  the recent spate of burglaries(usual for the  seasonal period) together with the increase in motor vehicle related offences.   The Board noted that this crime figure was anticipated to increase, given the recent trends and indications being seen for this area. There had been an anticipated that Haringey might be a special borough in need of additional resources but the Board was advised that we had not been singled out.  This means we will not receive any funds but it can be seen in a positive light as Haringey is now deemed not to require special attention.

 

Drug Using Offenders into Effective Treatment

The number of clients had decreased to 2009-2010 levels. This was despite the continuous engagement and outreach work of partners. This was important to note as this trend was responsible for Haringey missing the target for drug users in effective treatment last year.  The borough had an overall good track record for clients completing treatment and being drug free. The success rate was 43% against a target of 32%.   The service was currently examining the reasons for the drop in performance in order to rectify this with efforts geared towards full recovery of clients rather than stabilisation and maintenance.

 

Youth Crime Prevention

The Board noted that the borough had already achieved the challenging target for the prevention of first time entrants to the Youth Justice System aged 10-17(NI 111).  This success was attributed to partnership working on the triage service which worked well with the support of the Police.  Some success on reducing the number of young people classed as NEET (not in education, training, or employment) was communicated to the Board but this target remains a challenge and is likely to become more difficult.  It was further signalled  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

62.

Project Progress Report April - December 2010 pdf icon PDF 102 KB

Minutes:

 A report was received that provided an overview of progress against agreed actions and projects overseen by the Board.  There had been in year reductions to project funding and ABG grant funding as previously outlined. However, it was important to note that there were no critical projects underachieving.

 

The Board was advised that the majority of the work outlined within the report was ongoing. The following areas of  particular success were highlighted:

 

  • Q-car operations
  • Intensive intervention, support and supervision (triage, Gang Action Group, drug intervention, parenting support)
  • Dynamic after school patrols as part of the Youth Crime Action Plan
  • Forum established to enable information sharing and actions concerning rogue landlords
  • Delivery of seasonal and targeted anti-burglary communications information.
  • ASB Summit Plan re early intervention
  • Joint problem solving around ASB
  • HMO licensing scheme  in Harringay and St Ann’s ward
  • A dedicated ASB victims and witnesses service was provided for the first time

 

 

In relation to the actions outstanding, it was explained that these were an inevitable consequence of officers being drawn into other pressing priorities.   Learning from this experience, there would in future be fewer objectives chosen to allow for focused work with wider outcomes. The Board were advised that the key losses of staff in the parenting programme would need to be addressed as; following the 13 week course, there were no arrangements for 1-2-1 support.  The lone parent support officer post was only funded until March 2011.

 

Further emerging issues and priorities to note were the simplification of   ASB powers which were due to be consulted upon in second half of 2011.  The community budgets projects would also be interesting pilot to keep aware of, as it was likely that funding for this would be rolled out nationally in 2013/14. Mental Health would be a key issue for discussion at the next ASB Partnership Board as there were concerns regarding the sharing of information around mental health patients. 

 

The Board was informed that the Council and partners were bidding for additional Home Office funding to support Independent Domestic Violence advocates which would need to be match funded and therefore would pose a challenge in these current financial times.

 

 

The board noted that a new safeguarding policy and process for adult drug treatment workers, when assessing substance misuse clients, who had contact with children, was working well.

 

It was highlighted to the Board that, withdrawal of funding to COSMIC, meant that services provided by this organisation, were under threat and a needs assessment was understood to be required to understand the impact of the loss.

 

 The Gang Action Group continued to have an impact on substantially reducing the most serious violence in the borough through its work on family intervention, youth inclusion projects, ensuring intensive support in the community, sharing information and expertise. An appeal was made to Children and Young People’s service to continue to   provide a representative to these meetings as it was important to have the safeguarding context provided to the discussions of this group. A networking  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

63.

DAAT Needs Assessment pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 The Board received a presentation on the draft DAAT Needs Assessment and noted that completing this was a key part of planning the annual drug treatment process. Its essential aim was to assess the drug treatment needs of adult drug users against the background of decreasing budgets.  The assessment further examined: specific needs of the drug treatment population, focus on outcomes and social re-integration, assessed the needs relating employment, training and education and the reasons for drop outs from treatment and updated prevalence data on PDUs (Persistent Drug Users). The Board was provided with information on the context, key national drivers, and methodology of the assessment.

 

Key findings noted by the Board from the assessment were:

 

Ø      That the number of crack and opiate users in Haringey was higher than the London average.

Ø      Alcohol misuse had a higher impact on health service than drug abuse.  There was also no clear connection to drug abuse and it fuelling violent crime.

Ø      There was no significant change in the demographic profile of drug users, although there were reported to be 60 different nationalities in the process of treatment which indicated issues with servicing different language requirements.

Ø      A need to focus on young drug users as age of drug abuse was likely to begin in the 15-24 age range.

Ø      Clear link between drug misuse and deprivation

Ø      Support workers were following safeguarding guidelines and checking if there were children living at home. A detailed assessment had been approved by the LSCB and once completed was distributed to the client’s GP and health visitor.

Ø       That there were key issues of stigma faced by clients returning to work after treatment and this highlighted the need to begin work related support  during treatment.

Ø      Success of treatment - data showed that there was more improvement during the first year. Therefore aim should be to start and complete treatment within a year.

Ø       It would be essential to record when clients leave and come back into treatment.

Ø      Use of alcohol was found to be higher after drug treatment was completed.

 

Conclusions from the assessment were: that there was a need to improve pathways to psychological services; employment training should be fully incorporated into the treatment process from the start. The borough would be at the forefront of adapting PDUs recovery model into the treatment system. There was a need to robustly monitor the re – entrance to treatment by examining what happens outside of treatment and the impact of social networks.  The findings were to be assessed by stakeholders with the assessment updated to include results from user surveys and focus group meetings. There would also be a cost benefit section added.

 

Board members discussed the findings of the assessment  with concerns raised about: housing , employment, support network for young people in danger of drug misuse, the impact of  leaner budgets on support services around the treatment of clients and how Partnership  Boards will work together to ensure that strategies and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.

64.

Safer Communities - Emerging Priorities and Future Interventions pdf icon PDF 77 KB

The report attached is also intended to stimulate discussion around the following agenda item.

Minutes:

The Board received a report that communicated the issues from the annual data assessment and developing government priorities. The purpose of the paper was to stimulate debate about cross cutting issues and future delivery of the safer for all strategy.

 

It was recommended to the Board that there be a focus in the strategy on:

 

Ø      Maximising resources through joint tasking and problem solving – this would be through discussing and prioritising the actions to be addressed.

Ø      Prioritising early intervention and prevention.

Ø      A borough wide focus on employability and employment creation.

Ø      Investigating the range of issues to persistent locations of multiple deprivation especially Northumberland Park and having a long term plan for this area.

Ø      Delivering an integrated offender management model.

Ø      Closer working with and through private and voluntary sectors.

Ø      Promoting self reliance in crime reduction and prevention.

Ø      Support for young and female victims of crime and their families.

Ø      Application of successful interventions and lessons learnt across the HSP and neighbouring boroughs.

 

The Board discussed the wider issues which would have an impact on the above priorities such as engaging with young offenders and enabling them to feel that their views would be taken seriously. Schools had a key role in early intervention as they were able to recognise the children that were at risk of offending at later ages when intervening is more difficult. This was because young offenders may already be at a disadvantage in gaining employment through having lower attainment levels or they may have mental health issues which had not been identified and treated at an early age.

 

The subject of mentoring was discussed and it was noted that there was a GLA initiative seeking 1000 mentors to provide guidance for young people. As part of this drive, the Mayor was visiting all London boroughs to conduct community conversations.  The Board were informed that the Mayor was due to visit Haringey on the 13th April at Tottenham Town Hall. Reverend Nims Obunge offered to provide information on the invitation process for attending this event and agreed to pass this to the Community Safety Team.   In connection with this, the Board noted that a youth summit had previously been organised by the Council and had resulted in the selection of 40 mentors who had also been trained to take part in a mentoring initiative. It was agreed that the outcomes from the summit be revisited and that it would be worthwhile locating these mentors to ascertain if they would be interested in taking part in the London scheme.

 

RESOLVED

 

That the recommendations, listed above, be agreed as a basis for the strategy going forward.

65.

Delivering Community Safety Priorities in the New Climate of Reduce Partnership Funding pdf icon PDF 4 MB

This topic will form the main discussion item (the presentation given to the Board on 4 November is attached for reference).

Minutes:

The Board agreed that further to discussion on HSP 63 on an interim community safety plan, that a small informal working group compile the suggested priorities on taking this integrated strategy forward. It was further agreed that a draft plan be compiled by the end of March for consideration at the next Board meeting on the 21 April 2011.

 

66.

Migrant Sex Workers Project

This report will be sent to follow.

Minutes:

The Board received a presentation on the findings of the migrant sex workers research project which had been completed by Dr Nick Mai of the institute for the studies of European Transformations from the London Metropolitan University and Rosie Campbell (UK Network of Sex Work Projects). This was a qualitative research project which involved examining the extent of trafficking and exploitation of women in the sex industry in Enfield and Haringey.  The research project had further looked at:  whether drug and alcohol use was an issue, the views of sex workers, how SHOC services were responding to the migrant sex working population needs, and where social intervention practice and policy models could inform future commissioning work in this area.  The project had involved training sex workers to become the mediators and interviewers of the workers. There had been 30 interviews undertaken with sex workers who were from the Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and the Czech Republic (EU A8/A2 countries). These were the countries which had been granted membership of the EU and of which its residents were able to travel to EU countries but not allowed to work. The proportion of the workers interviewed, loosely represented the populations from these EU countries residing in Enfield and Haringey.

 

 When investigating the issue of human trafficking, the UN definition was adhered to.  The Board learned that, of the 30 women interviewed, the majority did not perceive themselves to be trafficked or exploited at the time of the interviews.  However, this perception was dependent on the status of the relationship with their boyfriend, pimp, working conditions, experiences of violence and if they had not been paid.  Fears were expressed by the workers on the anti human trafficking lobby which they felt would have detrimental affect on their working conditions by driving the sex industry underground and making them more prone to exploitation.  Deportation was the key concern of most of the workers interviewed and fear of this often deterred them from reporting abuses. Financial responsibilities for children and families back home was another key factor for their involvement in the industry.

 

Going forward, the research proposed that there should be targeted outreach, socialisation initiatives and more trained bilingual workers at SHOC (Sexual Health on Call) provided to migrant sex workers.  These actions would assist by making the women feel safer and therefore more aware of the limitations they have as a result of their livelihood. They would be able to access counselling and gain more information about alternative livelihoods. A key concern noted was the likely cut in funding to SHOC and the impact this will have on the current engagement levels with migrant sex workers.

 

The Board thanked Dr Nick Mai for this key presentation and was assured that the research findings would be referred to in the planning of appropriate services.

 

 

RESOLVED

 

That the presentation be noted.

 

67.

Reducing Re-offending Strategy Update and Timescale

A verbal update will be given.

 

Minutes:

The Board was informed that the Re-offending strategy would be completed at the end of March.  Integrated Offender Management would be a key deliverable within it.

 

68.

Three Year Partnership Plan Timetable Update

A verbal update will be given.

 

Minutes:

 

The partnership plan linked to the work on the Community Safety integrated strategy which was discussed as part of HSP 63 and HSP 67. 

 

69.

Government Reform Agenda

A verbal update will be given.

 

Minutes:

A green paper was expected to be released by the Government on the Police Responsibility Bill which would be discussed by the Board following release and analysis.

 

70.

New Items of Urgent Business

To consider any new items of Urgent Business raised under Item 2 above.

Minutes:

There were no new items of Urgent Business.

71.

Any Other Business

To raise any items of AOB.

72.

Dates of Future Meetings

The next meeting is scheduled for 21 April 2011.

 

The Council’s Calendar of Meetings for 2011/12 (1 May 2011 – 31 April 2012) is being drafted at present. Once this has been agreed members of the Board will be notified.

Minutes:

It was noted that the next meeting was scheduled for 19 May 2011, at 12pm and this would be held at the Civic Centre, High Road, Wood Green, N22 8LE.

 

The Board was advised that the dates for the new Municipal Year, which ran from 1 May to 31 April, would be agreed as part of the Council’s Calendar of Meetings for 2011/12. Once this had been agreed by Council the Board would be advised.