Issue - meetings

At their combined meeting on the 18 September 2024, the Health and Wellbeing Board and Integrated Care Partnership agreed for work to commence to review the strategic governance arrangements for Community Safety across Surrey. The overwhelming response to the proposal to establish a dedicated Community Safety & Prevention Board with strategic oversight of community safety has been positive.

Agenda item for: HWB

Agenda item for: HWB

Speakers:

Sarah Grahame, Deputy Chief Constable, Surrey Police

Carl Bussey, Assistant Director - Safer Communities, SCC

Key points raised in the discussion:

1.        The report recommended transferring strategic oversight for community safety from the Health and Wellbeing Board to a new Community Safety & Prevention Board (CSPB) to be established in March 2025.

2.        The Chair noted the concerted effort made to ensure a strong connection was maintained between the HWB and the CSPB.

3.        The Assistant Chief Constable of Surrey Police noted that the proposal was supported by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Chief Constable of Surrey Police, and the Leader of Surrey County Council.

4.        The CSPB would provide strategic leadership and direction to community safety, crime, and disorder reduction across the county.

5.        The inaugural meeting would focus on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment chapter and combined data between partners.

6.        Opportunities: strong strategic links to local community safety partnerships, clarity on priority areas, detailed discussions of issues.

7.        The Assistant Chief Constable affirmed Surrey Police’s commitment to the HWB and Surrey Heartlands ICP and ongoing collaborative efforts through the Prevention and Wider Determinants of Health Delivery Board.

8.        The Police and Crime Commissioner would likely be the Chair of the CSPB.

9.        Work to determine the membership of the CSPB was ongoing. An interest was expressed that organisations representing survivors of domestic abuse, and those with lived experience be included.

10.    A HWB and ICP member suggested that the proposed membership of the CSPB be brought to a future meeting of the HWB and Surrey Heartlands ICP for review, which the Chair accepted.

11.    A Review of all meetings that included a community safety element would be performed to avoid duplication and ensure comprehensive oversight and strategic governance.

RESOLVED:

The HWB and Surrey Heartlands ICP:

1.      Agreed that responsibility for strategic oversight of community safety was removed from the HWB, with a March 2025 commencement of a dedicated Community Safety & Prevention Board.

2.     As part of the above, that the HWB members supported appropriate continued interface with the HWB and Prevention & Wider Determinants of Health Delivery Board (PWDHDB), continuing to recognise the impact that community safety had on wellbeing.

Actions/further information to be provided:

Membership of the Community Safety Partnership Board be presented at a future HWB and ICP meeting.

This report provides the Health and Wellbeing Board with an update on Surrey’s delivery against the Serious Violence Duty.

Witnesses:

Lisa Townsend - Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey

Sarah Haywood - Serious Violence Programme Lead, Office of the PCC 

Key points raised in the discussion:

1.    The PCC emphasised the importance of the second recommendation around endorsing the establishment of the Surrey Serious Violence Reduction Partnership, its establishment was necessary to provide the strategic leadership and governance needed. Reminded the Board that whilst the OPCC was a recipient of funding for the Serious Violence Duty, there were several partners which had a statutory responsibility to follow it to ensure all residents are and feel safe. Thanked the Serious Violence Programme Lead (OPCC) for her hard work.

2.    The Serious Violence Programme Lead (OPCC) noted that:

·         She was employed by and worked across the Partnership, with funding via the PCC from the Home Office.

·         The Serious Violence Duty came into force in January 2023 and required those specified authorities to work together to understand and then reduce violence locally. It required a whole system multi-agency approach to understand and address the drivers of serious violence, protecting people from becoming victims and perpetrators of violence.

·         A Strategic Needs Assessment and Surrey Serious Violence Reduction Strategy were being developed, working with partners such as the Surrey Office of Data Analytics (SODA), SCC and Surrey Police.

·         The needs assessment looked at hot spot areas and cohorts: those more at risk were males aged 30 to 34 years old, hot spots were in urban areas, and there was a growth in violence in the young female cohort; and identified gaps and areas requiring in-depth work. Police data would form the core, building around the contextual factors to understand the Surrey picture.

·         Whilst Surrey was safe and there was low crime, serious violence greatly impacted victims and communities; preventing the increase of crime numbers was vital and she would circulate a comprehensive PowerPoint Presentation.

·         Partnership connectivity and networking was crucial, whilst there were several mature workstreams around violence; having that single place through the Partnership to discuss serious violence, understand the risks, collect data and commission responses was vital. The Partnership had oversight of the strategy and the delivery plans, and four overarching priorities had been identified: leadership, evidence-based response, community connections and focused prevention.

·         The funding for this year’s Serious Violence Home Office grant had been assigned and there was an opportunity next year to use the insights from the needs assessment and learning to target support to projects and communities, linking into the towns and the place-based work.

3.    The Chair valued the extended presentation that she had received, she asked what the governance pathway was for the Partnership. The Serious Violence Programme Lead (OPCC) noted that the overarching governance sat with the Board where the Partnership would report to, as referenced in Priority Three with milestones built into those delivery plans. The Chair recognised the cross fertilisation of the Partnership’s work with many of the other activities under the Board’s remit and welcomed regular updates in the Highlight Report.

4.    A  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39