Annual Report 23/24 Accessible Version

Work in partnership with the police and others to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour

 

Violence Reduction Unit (VRU)

The countywide VRU was set-up after the OPCC secured funding from the Home Office (HO) in 2019. The introduction of VRU’s in 18 local areas nationally is part of a focus on early intervention, as set out in the Government’s Serious Violence Strategy.

The Kent and Medway VRU is a partnership between the police, local councils, health service providers and other key partners. The aim of the VRU is to develop a public health, preventative approach to serious violence across the county. Its work is carried out in line with the HO’s ‘All Systems Approach’, and the elements that underpin it are:

1. Driving and coordinating a multi-agency response to serious violence.

2. Sophisticated data sharing.

3. Involving young people and communities.

4. Commissioning and delivering evidence-based activities and evaluating those activities where an evidence base does not yet exist.

The VRU identifies what is driving violent crime through the sharing of data. Using this model, it is better able to understand which partners are best able to support with a prevent or protect response.

Violence is not something that just happens, nor is it normal or acceptable in society. Many of the key risk factors that make individuals, families or communities vulnerable to violence are changeable, including exposure to adverse experiences in childhood and subsequently the environments in which individuals live, learn and work throughout youth, adulthood and older age.

The public health approach adopted by the VRU is an evidence-based four step process:

1. What’s the problem? - gather data to reveal the who, what, why, where and when of the problem. This can be crime data but also information from hospitals, schools and a range of other sources.

2. What are the causes? - look for evidence on the factors that put people at risk of experiencing, or perpetrating, violence as well as the factors that can protect them.

3. What works and for whom? - using the data gathered design, implement and (crucially) evaluate interventions.

4. Scale it up! - if an intervention works, then scale it up while evaluating how well it works and its cost-effectiveness.

In 2023/24, the VRU has worked with young people and used their feedback to address issues in places where they felt most at risk. The young people have also provided support by designing resources for campaigns. This work used a place-based approach to drive a contextual safeguarding response to harm, and focused on building strengths in individuals, families, communities, and spaces.

The VRU commissions county-wide and locally designed services to deliver its prevention and intervention approach. In some cases, this is supported through my Commissioning budget. In 2023/24, examples included:

a) Sports Connect, who to date have engaged with over 2,000 young people aged between 11 and 24 across eight districts. The programme creates bespoke sessions based on the needs of the area and the young people in attendance. It offers 1:1 mentoring and coaching sessions and delivers the Level 1 Sports Activator in Multi Skills course to increase social value and improve employment opportunities. Boxing sessions have also been rolled out and seen fantastic engagement.

b) Catch 22, co-commissioned with my own Commissioning budget this delivered both preventative and protective interventions, supporting those up to the age of 25 at risk of exploitation and county lines. Delivered by specialist caseworkers, the interventions took a holistic, trauma-informed approach appropriate to the age, risk and experiences of the young person.

c) The use of Buddi Tags for those at risk of gang / criminal exploitation or identified as high harm offenders with a wish to be supported to lower their risk of being exploited or reoffending. Over 80 young people up to the age of 25 engaged in the programme which supported partnership working to divert individuals away from the risks associated with crime.

 

Serious Violence Duty (SVD)

The SVD was introduced through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, and came into effect on 31 January 2023.

The duty identifies a number of partners including local authorities, the police, youth offending teams, Integrated Care System, probation, and the fire service. as specified authorities with a duty to reduce serious violence in their area.

The duty places several requirements upon these authorities including: agreeing a local partnership arrangement to lead on the duty; a shared definition of serious violence: having consistent data sharing and analytical processes to develop a Strategic Needs Assessment: and production of a strategy to set out how the duty will be implemented locally.

Although not a specified authority, the PCC as the receiver of HO funding for the duty has associated oversight and reporting responsibilities. These responsibilities, coordinated through the OPCC, enable me to use my convening powers to chair the Board meetings which support its development, implementation, and the sharing of best practice.

The VRU was chosen as the lead to create and agree a Strategic Needs Assessment and Strategy which were both finalised and published in January 2024. The three main strands of the Strategy are:

1) Serious Youth Violence – A 0-25 Approach (Board lead – KCC)

2) Sexual Violence (SV) and DA (Board lead – Kent Police)

3) Violence linked to Drugs and Alcohol (Board lead – Medway Public Health)

The Board leads have developed detailed plans for these strands to establish the actions required by the specified authorities in 2024/25.

 

Young Peoples Prevention Service (£75,000)

This was commissioned during 2022/23, with the service commencing on 1 October 2022. It is a 3-year contract to September 2025 with the option to extend.

The service provides age-appropriate messages to children and young people (C&YP) to support them make better, informed choices by highlighting risk factors which can increase the likelihood of a negative outcome. This approach also supports C&YP by showing them how they can de-escalate situations to help keep themselves and others safe.

Targeting C&YP aged 9 to 14 years, the service is delivered by two separate providers who cover the following topics:

1) Collaborate Digital: Healthy Relationships (attitudes, behaviours, and safety), Online Harms and Cyber Safety and Cyber Bullying.

2) St Giles Trust: Gangs, County Lines, Violence, Knife Crime and Criminal Exploitation.

Outcomes

Between September 2023 and January 2024, Collaborate Digital:

a) Delivered interactive assemblies and media workshops in 33 schools across North Kent – 18 primary and 15 secondary schools. To complete work commissioned earlier in the year, they also delivered to a further 3 primary and 5 secondary schools.

b) The assemblies covered the most relevant and up-to-date information on online harms and the impact on young people. They highlighted Kent case studies to emphasise the message and described potential consequence. In the workshops, students were guided through a creative writing process in which they researched and produced scripts for short podcasts as a way of ensuring their understanding of the material.

c) Of 629 surveys completed by students, the majority strongly agreed or agreed they had enjoyed the workshop, learnt new information and were more aware of issues around online harms.

d) Positive feedback was also received from teachers stating the young people found the assemblies and workshops to not only be highly relevant, but an easy, enjoyable way to engage with the topic.

Between September 2023 and July 2024, St Giles Trust:

a) Delivered 46 workshops across North Kent, reaching 5,276 young people.

b) Delivered 5 workshops in professional settings, with another 4 scheduled for the end of July 2024.

c) Feedback from school staff reflected a strong overall satisfaction with the student sessions.

d) After attending workshops, teachers reported feeling more empowered to support their students with exploitation issues. They also felt better equipped to identify the signs and indicators of young people involved with gangs and county lines.

 

Gangs and County Lines Preventative and Protective Interventions (£350,000)

This was commissioned in 2021, with the service commencing on 1 July 2022. It is a 3-year contract to 30 June 2025 with the option to extend.

The service is funded through the VRU funding I am allocated and my commissioning budget.

It provides age-appropriate, trauma informed, needs led support to C&YP and their close relatives or immediate support network to reduce risk and prevent serious youth violence, exploitation and gang and county line activity.

The service is divided into two elements:

1) Preventative interventions for those C&YP up to the age of 25 at risk of serious youth violence, knife offences, drug supply, criminal exploitation, or gangs.

2) Protective interventions for those C&YP up to the age of 25 involved in serious youth violence, knife offences, drug supply, criminal exploitation, or gangs.

During 2023/24, Catch22 extended provision to Maidstone whilst continuing to cover West Kent, Medway, Thanet, Swale, Canterbury and Ashford.

Outcomes

In 2023/24:

• The service received 168 referrals, with 59.8% of the C&YP having complex needs.
• 17 out of the 168 referrals were female – an increase of 10.1% on the previous year.
• 18 C&YP successfully re-entered an education setting and 3 were referred to Catch22’s Maidstone Skills Centre.
• 100% felt more confident in their ability to make positive changes in their life and 90% felt safer because of the support provided by Catch22.