Agenda and draft minutes

Everyone was welcomed to the meeting and introductions made around the room and screen.

Apologies were received from Cllr Anna King (Co-Chair), Pauline Woodhouse (Co-Chair), Cllr Cathrine Russell, Morcea Walker, Cllr Danielle Stone, Sally Wood, Cllr Rosie Humphries, Neelam Aggarwal.

Matters arising – Julie to contact Nikkie Deeks – Debbie to contact Julie for an update.

Vicki Martin - OFPCC

The Duty

The Serious Violence Duty commenced on the 31^st January 2023 as defined in Chapter 1 of Part 2 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act 2022. It requires specified authorities to work together to prevent and reduce serious violence, including identifying the kinds of serious violence that occur in the area, the causes of that violence (so far as it is possible to do so), and to prepare and implement a strategy for preventing, and reducing serious violence in the area using a Public Health approach.

Specified Authorities are:

• Police                        Northamptonshire Police

• Justice                      Probation Services – Northamptonshire, East of England

Youth Offending Service - Northamptonshire Children’s Trust

• Fire and Rescue       Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service

 • Health                      Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board

 • Local authorities      North Northamptonshire Council – Community Safety Partnerships, Public Health & Education

                                    West Northamptonshire Council – Community Safety Partnerships, Public Health & Education

These specified authorities will work together as a group, called the Northamptonshire Serious Violence Alliance, and will promote and communicate their activities to the public and to partners. Communication arrangements are being made to ensure the Alliance can speak with one voice ensuring the public and stakeholders are regularly updated, increasing public confidence in the work taking place through the Alliance and in the activities of partners at keeping the public safe.

Educational institutions, prisons and youth custodial institutions will be under a separate duty to cooperate with duty holders, but they are not duty holders.

The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner will ensure the use of their convening powers to ensure Specified Authorities deliver on the statutory duties. The OPFCC shall also act as the recipient of Home Office Grant Funds for the duty and supply the monitoring information on behalf of the Specified Authorities.

The Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) for the county is Paul Fell (OPFCC) with each of the specified authorities having Executive level SROs also identified.

Specified Authorities will meet monthly via a steering group for the first year, to ensure the Serious Violence Duty infrastructure and approach are realised within Home Office timelines

Terms Of Reference (TOR)

The Home Office requires that Northamptonshire has a Strategic Needs Assessment, Strategy and Action Plan in place by 31^st January 2024.

The focus for year 1 of the Serious Violence Duty has been defined by the Specified Authorities as:

·         Personal Robbery

·         Knife Crime

·         Youth Violence - associated crime and behaviours especially for those ages 25 and under

·         Domestic Abuse

·         Rape and Serious Sexual Assault

·         Night Time Economy – associated crimes and behaviours

The Specified Authorities will ensure that an annual Strategic Needs Assessment (SNA) is produced following an evidence-based analysis of information relating to the violent crime types, the drivers of crime within the partnership area and the cohorts most vulnerable.

The Specified Authorities will ensure the findings of the SNA underpin the county’s first Serious Violence Duty Strategy and Action Plan.

Funding

All Specified Authorities  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81.

Vicki Martin - OFPCC

In-house projects included Voice for Victims & Witnesses and Sunflower Centre (for high risk DA victims) and MARAC.

As a response to Covid the Ministry of Justice put up some funding which has been continued until March 2025. 

·         NDAS children’s worker and a BAME worker.

·         Specialised IDVA for minority communities in Sunflower.

·         Additional capacity for Eve

·         RISE to deliver a project around child on parent DA violence

The above projects were in place until March 2025 and discussions would be held in the DA Board meeting as it was hoped to have clarification that they could continue.

Through the OFPCC it had also been possible to fund :-

·         Creating Equalz to run a specific piece of work for minority communities for the last 2 years.

·         Top up the RISE funding for child violence on parents to expand the service capacity

Enabled work with NHS England to work with primary schools and a healthy relationships programme.  Originally this had been part of a bid with NDAS which failed but managed to get it through NHS England.  Working with Life Education who were already working in the county with schools who could afford it.    They didn’t just deliver a session but also provided on-going support to the schools.  This had reached about 5,500 children so far this year.   Vicki stated they would like to hear from other schools and community groups with primary school aged children.

Enabled work to pick up the lower level DA reports.

Youth worker Team – outreach, work with schools, picking up young people experiencing DA.

OFPCC had worked with Rachel and around the perpetrator work which needs assessing as there wasn’t a satisfactory take up.  Eve also had a programme that was not utilised as much as it could be.  Both good programmes but workd required to increase participation.  Work with partners was needed to explore what opportunities there were with partners and what funding was available.

They were working to get things in order about DA and SV as it was election year next year and it was expected they would remain priorities whoever was elected.  A new victims’ strategy was being pulled together.

All the above information will shortly be available on the OFPCC website.

Rachel added that it was good to see more funding tranches and that more committed funding was needed to be able to achieve the real systemic change that was needed and was the biggest barrier.

Michelle introduced herself as the new CEO for C2C Social Action.  It was her first time at a forum meeting and was keen to get involved and work with everyone.

Rachel P – Currently recruiting and encouraging the protected characteristics as it was important the Force looked like the community it supported.  A lot of events were being advertised along with some ad hoc events – all welcome.

Emma – the Royal & Derngate had some funding from NCF extended and were in the position to make 5 bursary places available for the Saturday Youth Theatre or the Thursday Choir for adults.  These places were for refugees and asylum seekers.  The funding covered travel, free tickets for certain shows, youth Theatre sweatshirt for 8-13 year olds.  The choir was mainly female.  It was very good to help with vocabulary building.  Action: Debbie put Emma in touch with Resettlement Team Leader.

Debs – International Mens Day was coming up and nominations are now open – https://northamptonshire-self.achieveservice.com/service/Male_Role_Model_of_the_Year_2023

Plans were currently under development for the 16 Days campaign from 24 November until 10 December.  If anyone had anything for the newsletter it would be going out approximately the 1^st of every month so it in towards the end of each month.

Rachel D – newsletter was available to sign up to Subscribe to our Newsletter | Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Service (ndas.co) .   Information on which groups were running where and when, especially useful for those making referrals.  The perpetrator programme had started.  Fundraising pack had been updated – let Rachel know if you want it.                                                                                                                                                                              

Tina reported that the HMIC review on culture would be conducting interviews over the next few weeks.  The report should be out before Christmas.  Everyone would be attending a full days EDI training.  The recruitment for full-time fire fighters had closed and Tina would report back with a breakdown of applications.  Home fire safety checks continued.  Working with OFPCC around fire setting linked to DA which was increasing as were suicide attempts using fire.  Fires started through neglect was also on the rise.  They were also getting those started through the strange ways some people were using to keep warm during the cost of living crisis.

Laura gave an overview of some funds available on their website which can be found here Northamptonshire Community Foundation - Grants Available (ncf.uk.com)  and reported that the Hidden Needs report would be uploaded to the website the following week.

Pindy – Health Heart event on Sunday 1 October, 9.30-2pm for black/Asian/ Sikh community to identify undiagnosed heart conditions.  They would be referred on as appropriate.  She Speaks DA awareness event on 4 October, 7-9pm, £5 with Caroline Strawson on the panel.   Th event was open to all.  They had recently had about 35 attendees to a menopause event and those people had requested a DA event.

6pm, Tuesday 28 November, The Guildhall, Northampton or on Teams

6pm Tuesday 28 November 2023 at Northampton’s Guildhall and on Teams