Agenda and draft minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Aitken.

A member with a personal interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered must disclose to that meeting the existence and nature of that interest at the commencement of that consideration, or when the interest becomes apparent.

A member with a personal interest in a matter also has a prejudicial interest in that matter if the interest is one which a member of the public with knowledge of the relevant facts would reasonably regard as so significant that it is likely to prejudice the member's judgment of the public interest and if this interest affects their financial position or the financial position of a person or body as described in paragraph 8 of the Code of Conduct and/or if it relates to the determining of any approval, consent, licence, permission or registration in relation to them or any person or body described in paragraph 8 of the Code of Conduct.

None.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business.  Late items will be considered under the agenda items where they appear.  New items will be dealt with at item X below.

None.

To approve the minutes of the meeting of 13 October 2009 (attached).  

AGREED:

That the minutes of the meeting of 13 October be approved.

To receive the views of representative from following services:

·              Victim Support Haringey.  Please find attached statistics on referrals received by the service

·              Hearthstone

The Panel received evidence from Penny Rutter, the Heartstone Manager, and Tessa Newton, the Borough Manager from Victim Support. 

Ms. Rutter reported that, whilst there was a Domestic Violence Co-ordinator which was a strategic role, Hearthstone provided the operational side of the service.  Hearthstone was open from nine to five and staffed by a small team of five.  The team comprised of a manager, deputy manager, two support workers and an administrator. The administrator role also included acting as receptionist and Sanctuary Officer, providing enhanced security for victims who were considered to be at risk.  In addition, there was an independent domestic violence advocate who was seconded to work with them.  It aimed to provide a one stop service for victims of domestic violence.  The centre had recently been refurbished and demand had been growing ever since it re-opened.  Hearthstone worked in partnership with a range of agencies, including the police service, probation and the PCT, with eleven partners currently in attendance at the centre.   They catered for males as well as females.  Statistics from victim support suggested that more males were victims of domestic violence then actually came forward.   However, it was difficult to persuade male victims to come forward.  There were currently no male workers at the centre.

Current usage was in excess of 400 people for the quarter and 1600-1900 for the year.  The number of clients had almost tripled since the service had moved back to the refurbished premises.  The sessions provided were a drop-in in the morning with appointments in the afternoons. An emergency service operated all day. They had been given one additional support worker to help accommodate the additional demand but would benefit from another. 

Services were publicised through a range of activities. Two main publications had been produced.  In addition, a lot of work had been undertaken in building links with hard to reach groups.  Presentations had been given to a wide range of groups including community centres and mosques.  They also held three major events every year including a bus trip around the borough, with leafleting and information on services.  However, the majority of publicity was by word of mouth.  50% of people self referred.  Referrals also came from the police.  Physical violence was the main driver – the bulk of cases had some physical component.  Ms. Rutter agreed to complete a manual pilot of files to determine the exact proportion.  A risk assessment was undertaken on the likelihood of injury or physical harm. 

Front line police officers ought to be aware of Hearthstone and its services.  Recruits regularly visited the office as part of their training.  However, there was a high turn over of police officers and senior police personnel in Haringey. 

There was over representation of people from black and ethnic minority communities amongst clients of the service.  In particular, there was a high number of African Caribbean, Black African, Turkish and, increasingly, white other European clients.  The breakdown was very similar to that of people presenting as homeless.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.