Young People’s Services Workshop Following the SPACE project which ran over the summer holidays the organisations involved evaluated the project and one of the issues highlighted was the lack of support and activities for young people outside the project. At the beginning of November over 30 people from different agencies including the Local Support Team, SCVYS, Support Staffordshire, Lichfield District Council, Staffordshire County Council, T3, Entrust, Fun Club, Positive Futures, representatives from local secondary schools and many others attended a workshop to look at local activities and services for young people. After collating the information it was clear that there are a lot of activities taking place across the district and there are services available but there is a lack of knowledge about what is going on as well as limited coordination between organisations. It was suggested a Youth Directory with a menu of activities for the district would be a very useful tool to have for young people, families and organisations. It was also clear that there is limited funding and what there is, is often short term (up to 12 months) and therefore not sustainable. Affordable venues was also considered an issue, particularly, as already stated there is such a limited amount of funding available. It was highlighted that we are more reliant on volunteers than ever but often they are not aware of the support available to them from groups such as SCVYS and Support Staffordshire. The following actions came out of the meeting: 1. 2.
Lucie Ferneyhough (Community Safety Officer) to contact all agencies that attended the meeting requesting information on provision they offer such as activities, venues, qualifications etc. Set up group to look at how best to tackle this issue. The group will look at the main issues of:
Understanding what activities are currently taking place, for what age group, when and where. Produce a format to publicise activities / groups etc. Understand what the need is (gap). Produce suggestions how to tackle the issue and the costs involved. Look at possible funding sources.
If you are interested in being part of the group to look at this issue and possible solutions; or have information on youth provision that you offer such as activities or qualifications please contact Lucie Ferneyhough on 01543 308777 or lucie.ferneyhough@lichfielddc.gov.uk
Where is your Child Tonight? Positive Futures are running ‘Where is Your Child tonight?’ on Thursday 10th December from 6.30— 8.00pm at Burntwood Leisure Centre. When your child is going out, make sure you know where they are, who they are with and what they are doing. Positive Futures run lots of activities for young people across the Burntwood and Lichfield areas – from dance and trampolining, to boxing and FreeG (Freestyle Gymnastics). To find out what is on offer please visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/positivefutures or contact Lichfield District Council’s Positive Futures: jenni.williams@lichfielddc.gov.uk / 01543 308835
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! 4
Winter 2015 Welcome Welcome to the Partnership Update for Lichfield District, produced by Lichfield District Council on behalf of Lichfield District Safer Community Partnership. In this issue we look at how to stay safe during the winter months, information on loan sharks, update on the meeting to discuss services for young people and much more. If you would like to contribute to the next issue of Partnership Update, due out in the Spring, please contact Lucie Ferneyhough, Community Safety Officer on 01543 308777 or lucie.ferneyhough@lichfielddc.gov.uk
Staying Safe during the Winter months Here are some tips to help you stay safe when you are out at night during the Festive Season: By taking some suitable safety precautions, you can reduce the opportunities and therefore the risk of becoming a victim. Plan ahead. Before you go out, think about how you are going to get home, e.g. Can you travel home with a friend? What time does the last bus/train leave? Always use a taxi or licensed minicab. Licensed minicabs cannot be hailed in the street. They must be pre-booked. The driver should have ID and the vehicle will have a license displayed on it. Always carry the telephone number of a trusted, licensed company with you. Never accept a lift from a stranger or someone you don’t know very well. Try to use well-lit, busy streets and use the route you know best and avoid quiet or badly-lit alleyways or isolated car parks. Walk down the middle of the pavement if the street is deserted. Keep your mind on your surroundings – remember if you are chatting on your mobile phone or wearing a personal stereo, you will not hear trouble approaching. Be extra careful when using cashpoint machines. Make sure nobody is hovering nearby and don’t count your money in the middle of the street. If you think you are being followed, trust your instincts and take action. As confidently as you can, cross the road, turning to see who is behind you. If you are still being followed, keep moving. Make for a busy area and tell people what is happening. If necessary, call the police. Consider carrying a personal safety alarm, which can be used to shock and disorientate an attacker giving you vital seconds to get away. Remember, alcohol can seriously affect your ability to make safe judgements. Remember, the most common date rape drug is alcohol, so keep an eye on your drinks so that neither drugs nor extra alcohol are added. If you are socialising with a group of people, then watch out for each other and make sure everyone stays safe.
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Prevent Strategy and WRAP Training Local authorities have responsibilities in relation to the delivery of the Prevent Strategy, which forms one of the four strands of the Government’s Counter-Terrorism strategy, known as CONTEST. The Prevent strategy aims to address non-violent as well as violent extremism by challenging the ideologies which provoke extremism, increasing support to institutions at risk of radicalisation and ensuring public funds cannot reach groups which support extremism. The Prevent Strategy has three stated objectives: • • •
Ideology: Responding to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat from those who pro mote it; Individuals: Preventing people from being drawn into terrorism and ensuring that they are given ap propriate advice and support; and Institutions: Working with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation.
Anyone can be a victim of a loan shark – your family, friends, neighbours and even you. It’s not always easy to spot a loan shark as they come in all shapes and sizes and will at first appear friendly, just part of the community. It is when you can’t pay that they will turn on you. A loan shark is someone who lends cash as an unauthorised business. If someone is struggling to pay a debt the loan shark will resort to threats, violence and intimidation to get what he thinks you owe, even if the debt has been paid off several times over. A loan shark will typically have little paperwork and, will add penalty charges for late payments. Sometimes they will add random sums to the bill.
As part of the strategy public and voluntary sector frontline staff in the Lichfield District have taken part in Workshop Raising Awareness of Prevent (WRAP) training. The introductory workshop to Prevent is about supporting and protecting those people that might be susceptible to radicalisation, ensuring that individuals and communities have the resilience to resist violent extremism. The aim is to provide frontline staff with the skills and knowledge required to identify when someone may be vulnerable to / at risk of radicalisation and a clear understanding of the Staffordshire referral process so they know when and how to raise any concerns. Jenni Coleman (Community Safety Manager) and Lucie Ferneyhough (Community Safety Officer) have also taken part in the WRAP Facilitator Awareness Programme which will enable them to run WRAP training sessions for partners. For more information please contact Jenni Coleman on 01543 308005 or jenni.coleman@lichfielddc.gov.uk
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Social Media Training
Many victims keep paying because they think they can afford the agreed weekly sum, but they don’t realise how much their continuing weekly payments add up to or they are to afraid to stop payments. Our advice is that you should never go to a loan shark. They do not provide a community service; they are simply out to make money. Loan sharks:
Are running an unauthorised business under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 Often refuse to tell the borrower how much they still owe when they will finish repayments. Often increase the debt or add additional amounts. May take items as security including passports, bank cards and driving licences. May resort to violence, threats and intimidation.
What is being done to stop this? The Illegal Money Lending Team investigates illegal money lending and any related offences which in the past this has included violence, blackmail, drugs offences, threats, kidnap and even rape.
If you think you may be involved with a loan shark, contact the team in confidence on 0300 555 2222, reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk or log on to www.direct.gov.uk/stoploansharks.
In September and October we held two workshops for partners around Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and ‘Understanding risks to children and families from online social media and smartphones’.
Positive Futures We are a social inclusion project which provides positive activities for 10-19 year olds. Traditionally we have run the project in Burntwood but as of 17th November we will also be running sessions for young people in Lichfield, from Minster Hall, with more sessions planned to start very soon.
The Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Sue Arnold opened the FGM workshop before Irene Crawford from 28toomany explained what FGM is, the extent of the issue both worldwide and nationally and the work going on to eradicate this practice. The workshop was very well attended with approximately 30 people from organisations including the police, LDC, Bromford, Pathway, Family Intervention Project and the NHS.
Boxing Sessions Streetcheer -
Dave Benford of Blackstage Forensics Limited ran the Social Media Training which again was excellent and included information on how to keep both you and your children safe when using social media and smartphones. He looked at how to keep your devices safe and ‘locked down’ as much as possible, the type of personal information that should not be put on social media and the appropriate measures to take to ensure your children are not putting themselves in danger when online. For more information about this please go on to the Blackstage Forensics website www.blackstage-forensics.co.uk.
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Tuesday 4pm to 5pm -£1 a session Tuesday 5pm to 7pm - £1 a session
Positive Futures main aims/objectives are: 1. To work towards reducing anti-social behaviour in the district’s wards that are recorded as hot spots. 2. To educate young people on the side effects and consequences of drug and alcohol misuse. 3. To encourage young people to gain accreditation and/or qualifications. 4. To raise the level of participation in sport and physical activity. 5. To organise a community focused event/project to help promote community cohesion, bridge intergenerational differences and enhance the local environment. 6. To work with local agencies to increase referrals on to the project For more information please contact Jenni Williams on 01543 308835 or jenni.williams@lichfielddc.gov.uk
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