CANNOCK CHASE COMMUNITY SAFETY PARTNERSHIP

PARTNERSHIP HUB

TERMS OF REFERENCE

1. Aim

1.1 By carrying out a multi agency tasking and coordinating role, the Partnership Hub aims to improve community safety across the CannockChaseDistrict by identifying and addressing immediate crime and disorder issues. These shall include vulnerable residents, domestic abuse, anti-social behaviour, crime trends and other community issues.

2. Responsibilities

2.1 To tackle community safety issues which require multi agency attention and which are more difficult to address through traditional methods.

2.2 To allocate and coordinate the resources of various partners.

2.3 To use real time intelligence to identify immediate community safety priorities and decide desirable outcomes.

2.4 To apply problem solving approaches to determine appropriate interventions and agree action plans to achieve these outcomes.

2.5 To monitor and assess the impact of actions and interventions.

2.6 To work with the Joint Operations Group by referring long term location based community safety issues to the meeting.

2.7 To recommend professionals meetings be held outside of the Partnership Hub where deemed necessary. In a situation where the Chair deems a case requires a professionals meeting, the lead agency, as allocated, shall be tasked and supported, if required, to facilitate the meeting. To ensure accountability, the lead agency shall be required to report back to the Partnership Hub with an update in a timescale considered appropriate by the Chair.

3. Method of Working

3.1 Meetings shall be held once a week on a Tuesday at 11:00 and shall last no longer than one hour.

3.2 At meetings, intelligence received from the following sources shall be considered:

  • Police data
  • Intelligence and information provided by partner agencies.

3.3 At each meeting, the current action plan shall be reviewed and updated. Emerging concerns shall be discussed and actions allocated to the appropriate partners.

3.4 Accountability for the delivery of interventions is a team responsibility.

3.5 Updates on current actions shall be required at every meeting until the problem is resolved or until the Partnership Hub judges that no further action can be taken.In the event of a member having responsibility for an action but being unable to attend a meeting, an update shall be sent to the Partnership inbox prior to the next meeting. In cases where there are protracted or regular delays, the issue shall be raised by the Chair with the Local Strategic Partnership Manager.

3.6 Partnership Hub minutes and updated action plan shall be sent out to all members on a weekly basis.

3.7 Emails received into the Partnership inbox become the responsibility of the officer allocated to monitoring the account on that particular day. The officer, having contacted relevant agencies, if necessary, shall exercise their professional judgement as to whether they believe escalation to the Partnership Hub is required or whether traditional working practices are more appropriate. Where the latter approach is adopted, escalation to the Partnership Hub can occur at a later date should the issue not be resolved. If an officer is unsure on which action to take, they are encouraged to discuss the matter with a Partnership colleague or Chair of the Partnership Hub.

4. Role of the Chair

4.1 The Chair shall be responsible for ensuring that meetings are run in accordance with the following standards:

  • Firmly but fairly chaired, permitting everyone to contribute in a wide-ranging debate, but where side issues are curtailed
  • Focused on the key issues, with a summary following each discussion and clarification of allocated actions
  • Having time to receive a presentation on an item of importance or interest
  • Held in a comfortable venue free from distraction
  • Adding value by being a pleasant occasion and strengthening the relationship between partners.

5. Membership

5.1 Membership of the group shall be open to voluntary and statutory organisations active in Cannock Chase and with a role to play in improving community safety.

5.2 All members shall be registered signatories to the Staffordshire One Protocol or a recognised agency under statutory information sharing protocols.

5.3 Members shall be of an appropriate level of seniority to ensure the delivery of any actions allocated to their organisation.

5.4 Membership shall include, where possible:

  • Anti-Social Behaviour Prevention Officer
  • CannockChaseDistrict Council - Benefits
  • CannockChaseDistrict Council - Central Control Unit
  • CannockChaseDistrict Council - Environmental Protection
  • CannockChaseDistrict Council – Housing
  • Housing Associations
  • Local Support Teams and Targeted Youth Support
  • Mental Health Services
  • Neighbourhood Watch
  • Social Care and Health
  • Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
  • Staffordshire Police
  • Staffordshire Probation
  • Staffordshire Women’s Aid
  • Staffordshire Youth Offending Service
  • Substance Misuse Teams
  • Support Agencies
  • Vulnerable Persons Champion.

5.5 Other partners shall be invited to attend the Partnership Hub, when necessary, at the discretion of the Chair.

6. Responsibilities of Group Members

6.1 Members listed above shall be fully engaged in the process and are expected to:

  • Be accountable for reporting back to their organisation, ensuring that it carries out any actions agreed at the meeting and then reporting on progress to the next meeting
  • Raise concerns constructively
  • Contribute ideas
  • Keep an open mind
  • Remember that the Partnership Hub is not a substitute for traditional interagency working
  • Feel comfortable to challenge decisions but to ultimately respect their colleagues’ professional judgement.

7. Information Sharing

7.1 Information shared between members of the Cannock Chase Community Safety Partnership Hub is only to be used in relation to crime and disorder purposes, as defined in the Staffordshire One Protocol.

7.2 The information will only be quoted or used in discussions of this group or in carrying out decisions of this group. It will not be used for any other purpose.

7.3 Any information will be treated as ‘restricted’. It will be kept and ultimately disposed of in a secure manner and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

Updated 31st October 2013