Annual Report 22/23 Accessible Version
16. My Commitments as PCC (To be responsive to emerging issues and trends through innovation)
Be responsive to emerging issues and trends through innovation
Providing information to C&YP
Amelix ‘Is it worth it’ School Tour (£50,000)
The School Tour started in 2009 and I took over its management in 2017. The contract ended on 30 September 2022.
It was delivered in collaboration with the music industry which provided match funding and performers. The Tour was a unique offer with messages delivered in an engaging format capturing the attention of young people. The content delivered in 2022/23 focused on cyber-crime and e-safety.
Outcomes
Delivery in 2022/23:
a) 31 schools received 87 sessions reaching over 16,500 children aged 11-14 years.
b) 83% enjoyed the Tour and reported they had more awareness of online bullying and a greater understanding of what they were sharing online.
Re-commissioning of C&YP messaging
During 2022 I undertook engagement with young people, parents / carers, and schools to understand:
- what crime / safety and ASB issues were impacting on C&YP;
- what works when engaging with C&YP;
- at what age and when safety messages should be delivered; and
- what support should be provided to parents / carers and professionals.
Almost 70% of responses were from parents / carers, 10% from young people and 8% from teachers.
Key findings were the need to engage with C&YP earlier (e.g. within primary schools) and ensuring parents / carers, teachers, and other professionals understood the messages to enable continued support. The work also identified key topics of concern and what works when engaging with C&YP.
My team used these findings to support the commissioning process for a new Young Persons Prevention Service. The new contract was awarded to Collaborate Digital on 1 October 2022 for an initial 3-year period.
The service aims to provide age-appropriate messages for C&YP to support them in making better, informed choices by highlighting risk factors which can increase the likelihood of a negative outcome. It also supports C&YP by showing how they can de-escalate situations to help keep themselves and others safe.
The service covers the following topics for C&YP aged 9 to 14 years:
- Healthy relationships (attitudes, behaviours and safety), online harms, cyber safety and cyber bullying.
- Gangs, county lines, violence, knife crime and criminal exploitation.
Women in Justice (£27,164)
In October 2022, Kent Police and I submitted a collaborative bid to the MoJ to develop a Whole System Approach for improving the outcomes of women in, or at risk of contact with the CJS.
Kent was one of a small number of areas to secure funding until 30 March 2025; in total £208,954 for 2022/23 to 2024/25 (£27,164 for 2022/23). The funding will be used to support the development of a Kent Women’s Justice Strategy focused on reducing reoffending, early intervention to prevent women entering the CJS and capturing linked children for early support. It will also enable the design of a Women’s Justice multi-agency panel process to develop an evidence base of interventions with the aim of reducing re-offending and supporting early intervention.