An opportunity to question the Cabinet Member for Communities and Equalities, Councillor Mark Blake, on developments in his portfolio that come within the Panel’s terms of reference (i.e. youth service and combatting youth offending).
Minutes:
Councillor Mark Blake, the Cabinet Member for Communities and Equalities, reported on recent key developments within the areas of his portfolio that came within the terms of reference of the Panel:
· Bruce Grove Youth Centre was currently undergoing a £400k refurbishment. In addition, it had also been given £10k of music equipment from the Sony Records Social Justice Fund;
· Work to develop a Wood Green youth hub was progressing. A site had been identified and a lease for it was currently being negotiated. The Youth Service would be supporting the co-design of the new centre and architects were being appointed. Regular updates would be provided for Wood Green Councillors;
· Recruitment was taking place to the two new teams that had been created to slot into the new Youth Service model. These were the Contextual Safeguarding Team and the Prevention Team. There would also be 11 new youth workers in total;
· Haringey was no longer in the lowest quartile for young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) and “not knowns”. Serious youth violence had gone down by 20% and drugs offences by 10%. However, robbery had gone up by 90% and there had been serious problems amongst school children. There had been targeted Police operations in response to this and levels were now coming down. There had also been discussions at the Community Safety Partnership and there was a specific need for focussed preventative work; and
· Operation Alliance had taken place. This had been a joint initiative between the Police and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and had involved youth workers being located in Police custody suites. The aim of this was to engage with young people and attempt to divert them away from criminality.
In answer to a question regarding a recent incident in West Green Road involving the Police and some young people, the Cabinet Member stated that he was unable to say much about this as there was an ongoing Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation taking place. There had been a march by members of the local community. He had spoken to the mother of the young man involved and the family had legal representation. The Council had passed a motion supporting Black Lives Matter and there had been particular concern expressed regarding the use of Stop and Search and its implications for safeguarding. There was a need for discussion and engagement with the Metropolitan Police, especially in view of the need to address serious youth violence in the borough.
In answer to another question, he reported the Haringey Community Gold was still operating in the community and through the work of the Youth Offending Service (YOS). Dialogue was currently taking place with the Mayor’s Office regarding the possible extension of the initiative for a further two years. It had been evaluated and he would be happy to report this back to the Panel in due course.
He reported that the Council had a Young People at Risk strategy that was aimed at prevention. This focussed on providing effective pathways for those who were considered to be at greater risk of underachieving at school or coming into contact with the youth justice system. In respect of Alternative Provision, the Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) had been taken back in-house and a new Headteacher appointed. The reputation of the PRU had not been good and much work that was required but good progress was already being made, including enabling pupils to re-enter mainstream schools. Funding for preventative work was crucial but sources were depleted. This had been exacerbated by the fact that preventative work was not statutory, unlike acute services.
In answer to a question, he stated that there would still be activities for young people during the school holidays and this would include work by Haringey Community Gold. He had asked officers to put together a suitable programme. He had put out a joint statement with Cllr Amin, the Cabinet Member for Children and Families, in response to the incident that had taken place in West Green Road. The incident had been consistent with anecdotal information regarding tensions between the Police and young black men. He had asked for the work undertaken by Haringey Independent Stop and Search Group to brief Police officers new to the borough to be re-started and for the group to also be formally recognised by the Police, as was the case in other boroughs. There was a strong but robust relationship between the Council and the Police and they had been challenged on matter such as Stop and Search and its safeguarding implications. There was nevertheless a commitment to work with them to obtain the change required.
Panel Members reported that incidents of disorder had diminished in some areas of the borough. Concern was expressed at the what was felt to be a heavy handed response by the Police to some incidents and that this appeared to be influenced by the ethnicity of the young people involved. There was also felt to be a need for access to diversionary activities, such as football and basketball. Resident caretakers could also play an important role in promoting community safety.
The Cabinet Member welcomed the positive impact that resident caretakers were having. He felt that a confrontational approach made the job of the Police more challenging and that it was necessary to build greater trust. He also stated that many Police officers still came from areas outside London and had limited experience of living in a diverse community.
Panel Members commented that it was not possible to track progress of children transitioning to secondary school from primary school. Some primary schools had been particularly successful in enabling good progress by Black Caribbean children and those with English as a second language but it was unclear if this was maintained after secondary transfer. Ms Graham reported that children were not tracked but it was reasonable for primary schools to ask receiving secondary school for details of how children were progressing. Transition was very important and there was a comprehensive process for supporting children through this. There were a number of factors that could impact on educational performance. Early Help could assist where necessary through early intervention.
AGREED:
That an evaluation of the Haringey Community Gold initiative be submitted to a future meeting of the Panel.