---
title: "Community Impact Team"
type: "pdf"
year: "2019"
canonical: "/projects/924"
---

# Goldstein Awards 2019  Application Form 

1. Title of the project:

The Community Impact Team - "aligning resources around common goals and objectives"
3. Key issue that the project is addressing:

Crime, Anti-social behaviour and Vulnerability

# Table of Contents

- [Goldstein Awards 2019  Application Form](#goldstein-awards-2019-application-form)
  - [Author contact details](#author-contact-details)
  - [Secondary project contact details](#secondary-project-contact-details)
  - [Endorsing representative contact details](#endorsing-representative-contact-details)
- [Section B: Summary of application](#section-b-summary-of-application)
  - [Scanning](#scanning)
  - [Analysis](#analysis)
  - [Response](#response)
  - [Assessment](#assessment)
- [Section C: Description of project](#section-c-description-of-project)
  - [Scanning](#scanning)
  - [Analysis](#analysis)
- [Response](#response)
- ["You will never change this area, it is a hole." - Priargate](#you-will-never-change-this-area-it-is-a-hole-priargate)
- [Assessment](#assessment)
- [alleviate some of the current issues.](#alleviate-some-of-the-current-issues)
- [Section D: Endorsement by Senior Representative](#section-d-endorsement-by-senior-representative)

## Author contact details

4. Name of application author: Sandra Rees
5. Name of lead organisation submitting the application: North Yorkshire Police
6. Full postal address: Town Hall, St Nicholas Street, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO11 2HG
7. Email address: Sandra.rees@scarborough.gov.uk
8. Telephone number:01723383627

## Secondary project contact details

9. Name of secondary contact involved in the project: Chief Inspector Rachel Wood
10. Secondary contact email address: Rachel.wood@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk
11. Secondary contact telephone number: 07876251679

## Endorsing representative contact details

12. Name of endorsing senior representative from lead organisation: Superintendent Alisdair Dey
13. Endorsing representative's email address: Alisdair.Dey@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk
14. List of agencies were actively involved in the project and underline the lead organisation:

- North Yorkshire Police
- Scarborough Borough Council Community Safety
- Probation Services
- Fire Service
- NYCC Preventative Services.
- Child Protection Midwife.

- Local schools for the area.
- Scarborough Borough Council Officers (housing, environmental health).
- Drug and alcohol services
- Housing providers including homeless accommodation.
- Homeless Health Visitor.
- Young Peoples accommodation and support provider - Foundation.
- Adult Offender accommodation and support provider - Foundation.
- Restorative Justice Provider ( REMIDI ).
- Supporting Victims
- Mental Health Services
- Voluntary Sector
- Adult Social Care

# Section B: Summary of application 

## Scanning

Creation of a truly multi-agency hub that alignes resources around common goals and objectives - to combine the expertise and front-line resources from public and voluntary sector organisations with a shared mission to:
"Work together to create a safer, stronger and desirable local community"

- By building better relationships with residents
- By improving the physical environment
- Through a proactive approach to tackling ASB and crime
- By identifying and safeguarding the vulnerable


## Analysis

The Community Impact Team (CIT) was formed in 2013 as a partnership response to long standing issues within a specific neighbourhood (Castle and North Bay). Partners shared information about the area and were honest about areas of collective failure. The area includes significant concentrations of deprivation, high levels of vulnerability, individuals with complex needs, high levels of crime and ASB and a poor physical environment in parts. Levels of resident satisfaction were low, there was increasing resident anger about crime and ASB and a perceived lack of action. Honest analysis identified a history of lots of activity from individual organisations but little integrated planning and action and poor outcomes.

## Response

The CIT was created to focus on creatively resolving issues together, using an evidence based approach, rather than as single organisations shifting responsibility. The approach was based on key principles of early intervention, effective information sharing, and building trust and confidence to:

- Tackle anti-social behaviour, including disruptive individuals, through effective use of tenancy conditions and other powers, investigation of anti-social behaviour and victim support.
- Improve the visible appearance of the area, individual properties and public space.
- Encourage personal responsibility and support residents and landlords to take responsibility for their property, gardens and personal behaviour.
- Improve the quality of the housing, in particular management and regulation of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
- Support vulnerable residents.


## Assessment

Assessment undertaken in 2015 and 2016 showed the approach was particularly positive in terms of resident feedback and engagement, the area looked better and the team had, had some success in tackling some long standing ASB and crime issues. The proactive approach was effective in increasing trust and confidence with residents working with the team to tackle issues in their community. Significantly the multi-agency model evolved, additional partners came on board and the approach has been extended across the Borough. Since 2015 this has been embedded as the "normal" way of working.

# Section C: Description of project 

## Scanning

The Community Impact Team, formed in October 2013 was a partnership response to long standing issues within a specific neighbourhood (Castle and Northbay). Prior to commencing with the initiative work was undertaken through established partnership arrangements (the Public Service Executive whose members include Scarborough Borough Council, North Yorkshire Police, Yorkshire Coast Homes, North Yorkshire County Council, Fire Service, local CCGs and the Acute Trust) to share information and data about the area and to honestly consider lessons learnt from previous activity.

The area includes significant concentrations of deprivation, high levels of vulnerability, individuals with complex needs, high levels of crime and ASB and a poor physical environment in parts.

The degree of deprivation in Castle Ward and North Bay.

| LSOA code | LSOA name | Wards | IMD Rank |
| :-- | :--: | :--: | :--: |
| E01027805 | Scarborough 006A | Castle | 318 |
| E01027806 | Scarborough 006B | Castle | 319 |
| E01027847 | Scarborough 006D | North Bay | 751 |

Note: LSOAs = Lower super output areas
Key conclusions from this work revealed:

- Long-standing, entrenched disadvantage, in an area with very high levels of private sector rented accommodation/Houses in multiple occupation and a risk of a further downward spiral of the area.
- A history of lots of activity and investment from individual agencies but little integrated action or evidence of improved outcomes as a result.
- High demand/high cost for the public sector - with concentrations of vulnerable people both within the social housing sector and within the large private rented sector.
- A tendency to pass issues between agencies, particularly the Council, police and social landlords.
- Negative resident feedback (the area had the lowest levels of satisfaction as a place to live in the Borough by some margin) with a lack of resident confidence in public agencies and a sense of not being listened to.
- Increasing resident anger about anti-social behavior and crime and a perceived lack of action
- Duplication of effort and resources
- Failure to reach and support the most vulnerable.


## Analysis

The team was introduced at a time of unprecedented change and financial pressure on public sector organisations. This was a huge challenge but also a driver to looking more radically at service delivery. Specifically it was clear that this new way of working needed to be a normal way of delivering day-to-day business, not a pilot, but a fundamental shift in how organisations work together to deliver services.

The team was established to resolve some of the most cross cutting and difficult issues facing communities. The aim was to use an evidence based approach, through effectively sharing information and pooling resources to solve shared problems rather than as single organisations working in silos, shifting responsibility between each other.
A number of keys areas of focus were identified for the team:

- Proactively tackling anti-social behavior, including disruptive families and individuals. To effectively use tenancy conditions and other powers, including the new powers in the Anti-Social behavior,

Crime and Policing Act, to investigate and deal with anti-social behavior.

- Improving the visible appearance of the area, both individual properties and public spaces
- Improving personal accountability by encouraging residents and landlords to take more responsibility for their property, gardens and personal behavior.
- Raising the quality of housing in the area and encourage effective management and regulation of HMO's.
- Supporting the most vulnerable, safeguarding vulnerable children and adults and improving support to victims
- Developing community resilience and confidence by working to develop strong sustainable community networks and less community tolerance of ASB.
- In the longer term reducing demand for public services and the cost of service provision.

The approach is based on the key principles of:

- Early intervention and prevention to improve outcomes for individuals and communities now and in the future.
- Effective and timely sharing of information to inform evidence based, joint problem solving
- Visibility - Building trust and confidence with residents and supporting community led decision making and solutions.


# Response 

The team is led by Scarborough Borough Council and North Yorkshire Police and originally included 9 core staff (from the Borough Council, North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and Yorkshire Coast Homes) co-located within the Town Hall. In addition a wider range of partners regularly worked from the hub and participated in twice weekly "tasking" meetings.

Co-located staff remain employed by their respective organisations, but the work of the team is managed and coordinated by the Council's Community Safety Manager and Police Inspector. A multi-agency "management group" made up of the senior managers of the core team was established to oversee progress, address any issues and develop the initiative. Several team building days were held to encourage the staff to get to know each other and to share ideas and approaches.

The team is primarily funded by pooling mainstream resources and does not receive any external funding other than $£ 8 \mathrm{k}$ from the NY Police and Crime Commissioner specifically for target hardening and communications within the community.

The team uses a version of the National Decision Making Model, developed by the team which ensures an evidence based approach. Information and intelligence is shared and an action plan is agreed with actions allocated to the most appropriate agency through a weekly tasking process. This has been central to the success of the model as it underpins the joint decision process and is critically dependent on timely access to as much multi-sourced information as possible. This process allows for all agencies powers to be considered, to agree which agency and power and to agree specific actions for all relevant agencies.

A key priority for the team in the first weeks and months of the project was to engage widely and to build trust and confidence with the community The team were and continue to be highly visible, engaging with a wide range of individuals, not just through established groups. The team started work during a particularly volatile period locally with residents angry and disillusioned at most agencies and there were serious problems with anti-social behaviour and crime - with a strong sense that the existing ways of responding were not working. Some of the comments from residents at the time included

# "You will never change this area, it is a hole." - Priargate 

Disillusionment with agencies was high and the Community Impact Team spent a considerable amount of time building up relationships with residents, meeting them as individuals, holding street briefings and walking around the area to build trust and confidence.

It was evident that the community was not contacting services, including the police. Residents described a community of fear, with open drug dealing, abusive behavior and being too scared to say anything. Children were not allowed to play out on the streets for fear of getting caught up in the ASB that was taking place and homes and public spaces in the area were looking neglected.
To gain trust the team built links with a faith based local charity based within the area, this organisation was seen as a safe haven for those who needed support and was well respected by the locals. The team spent a lot of time engaging with the service and its users and was the place that the first residents meeting took place. Agencies quite rightly had to ride a storm of negativity including 'yes we have heard this all before" scepticism about previous initiatives 'you come in for a month or two and then leave again how we know you won't do this again' as well as some "robustly expressed comments" about our collective failure we perhaps can't repeat!.
Multi agency visible patrols were undertaken on a daily basis to disrupt and enforce those that were causing the most harm in the community. In July 2014 the introduction of Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, 2014: Reform of Anti-Social Behaviour Powers, not only provided a rationalised/staged escalation process, but additionally emphasised the effects of progressive non-compliance as a very clear warning to offenders. Community Protection Notices, Closure Notices, Public Space Protection Orders, Dispersal Notices, Injunctions and Criminal Behaviour Orders have been used to deal with those causing alarm and distress in the Community. The method of enforcement is agreed at the weekly tasking meetings by all agencies involved and jointly served on the individual/s to send a clear message that their behaviour will not be tolerated.

Weekly tasking meetings were set up to discuss the cases that were referred into the team using a specifically designed referral form for the work of the team. These tasking meetings proved vital to timely information sharing with wider agencies. On average 55 cases a week are discussed at the Tasking meetings and all referrals are received by a referral matrix into the tasking process. Cases are discussed and actions are set at the meeting with timescales to ensure those that are vulnerable receive a service. Referrals are scored and are held within the tasking process until agencies and/or the person referred feels the issue has been resolved.

Operation Ambience was also developed and is one of several strands of interventions that the Community Impact Team is delivering in relation to vulnerability and anti-social behaviour. This operation is aimed at identifying and supporting young people and vulnerable adults, identifying, targeting and disrupting those that are exploiting them. Identifying locations that are being used to exploit or commit crime and ASB and use appropriate enforcement powers to deal with them.

The team has evolved significantly since 2013, with the philosophy that 'if you build it they will come'. And come they did, there are now an additional 15 key voluntary and statutory partners participating in the tasking process, coming together to resolve issues that they were previously unable to do as a single agency. The range of agencies now involved includes:

- Probation Services
- NYCC Preventative Services.
- Child Protection Midwife.
- Local schools for the area.
- Scarborough Borough Council Officers (housing, environmental health).
- Drug and alcohol service s
- Housing providers including homeless accommodation.
- Homeless Health Visitor.

- Young Peoples accommodation and support provider - Foundation.
- Adult Offender accommodation and support provider - Foundation.
- Restorative Justice Provider ( REMIDI ).
- Supporting Victims
- Mental Health Services
- Voluntary Sector
- Adult Social Care

The vision was always that this approach become embedded - a normal way of doing business and not a one off pilot. In 2015 the entire Scarborough Police Safer Neighbourhood Team of 27 staff relocated to the Town hall to join the co-located multi-agency team within the hub. The shared use of this open-plan accommodation proved to be absolutely invaluable. It not only created a joint team ethic based on mutual support and resulting trust, but also provided practical benefits such as shared use of radio links.

# Assessment 

Some of the key actions undertaken in the first months by the team include

- Arrests were made in relation to individual's drug dealing in some of the private and RSL properties.
- Closure notices and notices of improvement were served on several properties.
- Notices were served in relation to rubbish and rubble within properties
- CCTV was installed in key locations
- A home security campaign undertaken in relation to high-risk properties.

Raising the quality of housing and the physical environment was a key CIT priority. The team used housing management and environmental health expertise to tackle individual property issues, coupled with wider action to regulate Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). Selective Licensing was adopted by Scarborough Borough Council in 2015, starting in the Castle and North Bay Ward and since expanded with a further designated area. This supported the work of the team in working with private landlords in identifying ASB and crime linked to their properties and supporting them to deal with these issues as well as enforcing physical standards.

The team provided practical support to improve the appearance of the area by organising joint initiatives to clean up rubbish in conjunction with residents, volunteers and other groups. A pooled budget was created to assist with small scale improvement works such as providing additional fencing and improving communal areas with low maintenance planting and additional features. The resultant benefits were an increase in confidence and satisfaction with service provision that encouraged residents to take greater responsibility for their homes and gardens.

The area was a priority area for the fire service given the levels of vulnerability and an area where the team took a proactive approach to risk management. For example, over the first six month period the Fire and Rescue Service - a founder CIT member - carried out a Home Fire Risk Assessment programme covering 141 properties, fitting a number of monitoring and alarm/security systems and identifying a number of high risk individuals such as hoarders as a result.

In the same period the proactive work of the team in identifying and protecting vulnerable people resulted in the identification of 76 children and 52 adults to be at risk which were previously unknown to services and some of whom felt isolated and scared within the community.

Drug dealing was identified as an issue in a number of locations, generally linked to County lines and the organised crime that control much of the supply across the Borough. This has been an ongoing focus for

the team, with intelligence from the community based approach of the team contributing to regular drugs operations, resulting in the issue of drugs warrants, arrests and disruption of supply - although this remains an ongoing challenge.

Information shared through the initial multi-agency briefings also highlighted a problem with the use of New Psychoactive substances (NPS), particularly by young people. Though this was originally raised as an issue in the Castle / North Bay area, it soon became clear this was a Borough-wide issue, although little intelligence was available. The team initiated comprehensive intelligence gathering work undertaken during 2013/14 which informed the development of a partnership strategy and action plan. Key outcomes included:

- $2 \times$ shops removing sales of NPS from shelves through visits and requests by the team.
- Work with families affected by NPS use and the introduction of an awareness raising campaign - Legal Highs, Lethal Lows.
- An educational package was commissioned and delivered in all secondary schools, in addition to workshops delivered to almost 1,500 year 6 pupils.
Banning the sale of NPS products in premises owned and leased by the Borough Council, including the Market Hall.

The team is proactive in terms of sexual exploitation issues and have identified a number of potential concerns. Monthly VEMT (Vulnerable, Exploited, Missing and Trafficked) meetings are held and the team has also taken a strategic view to raise awareness about the issue with the delivery of safeguarding and CSE awareness to taxi drivers and local hotels. This has included:delivery of safeguarding training to over 500 licensed drivers and operators so they understood their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding the community. It included advice on how to report concerns around safeguarding children and young people, vulnerable adults, child sexual exploitation and domestic abuse.

The team worked to build relationships with the local primary school (Friarage). Staff from the team now regularly attends the school and a number of campaigns have been carried out focused on issues such as "Respect" following an incident of racist graffiti, safety around bonfire night and road safety work with parents. Following an intervention by the team at the local school on healthy lifestyles, several children entered a charity fun run for the first time and children from the school have worked with the team on action to reduce dog fouling (a significant resident concern).

More broadly the team has worked with the community to raise awareness about issues such as burglary and loan sharks.

As part of the evaluation process, local residents who have had involvement with the team were interviewed in 2015 and asked a series of structured questions. The residents interviewed described a series of serious and longstanding issues, all of which were having a significant impact on their quality of life. Residents made reference to "fear and intimidation", being "scared" and "stressed". One described feeling "depressed", several mentioned a physical impact because of the problems and stress, one interviewee described the impact on her business (holiday flats).

The interviewees were asked about the action of the team and what impact this had. All residents interviewed had seen an improvement in their situation, although some were still experiencing some issues. Interestingly, even when problems were still continuing (or recommenced after an initial improvement) residents had confidence they would be dealt with.

Residents also made reference to the benefits of a clear point of contact, of only having to tell one agency about an issue - not several - and of feeling heard and listened to and taken seriously. Several made reference to the team being helpful and available for them whenever they called and the feedback and regular presence were clearly valued. Several voluntary sector agencies were interviewed (Rainbow Centre and Changing Lives, both of who work with very vulnerable and chaotic residents). Both felt the work of the

team had really made a difference, in particular improving communication and in recognising and respecting the role of the voluntary sector.
"Relationships are more positive, we all work together well and communication has improved. It's been beneficial for the clients we work with."
"As a voluntary sector agency we are really pleased to be recognised and respected by the agencies that form the team, it makes us feel worthwhile and gives us a voice"
"The impact team circulating the whole area over a two-week period, since then it went very quiet" (resident, Central)
"There were visual patrols put in place by SBC and the police. We didn't give up, worked together and it's had a positive result." (resident, North
"Having a point of contact has been good." (resident, Castle)
"Glad that everybody has listened and things have been achieved, its now a nice, normal residential area." (resident, North Bay)
"People feel free and able to speak and things get taken forward." (resident, Castle)

The approach has continued to expand and evolve since the original model in 2013 and many lessons have been learnt. Multi-agency working, within a co-located team with a range of organizational cultures is not easy. There were misunderstandings along the way and it is easy to underestimate the amount of coordination required to manage multi-agency teams effectively - especially in the early years. Some police staff struggled initially with being tasked by the Council. Although senior managers were clear about lines of accountability there were difficulties filtering this down to the front line. The relocation of the entire safer neighbourhoods team significantly alleviated this issue and established tasking as a normal way of doing business.
Communication across organisations (and within larger organisations such as the police and the Council) has been a massive challenge and one which was hugely underestimated at the start. There was confusion amongst some agencies about the model, concerns about information sharing and in some cases an initial reluctance to engage fully. A clear and agreed information sharing agreement and communications plan from the start would have helped the process and avoided some misunderstandings.
It is also the case that proactive approaches have generated demand (or more accurately uncovered previously suppressed demand because people weren't reporting and agencies weren't seeing the problem). In the longer term more proactive interventions should reduce demand and prevent the escalation of problems but this is difficult to measure.
There were practical issues too - there were no shared ICT or case management systems and this has created some cumbersome and time consuming administrative processes. There are advanced plans for a shared case management system to be introduced in hubs across North Yorkshire in 2019 so this may

# alleviate some of the current issues. 

In 2015, the decision was made to extend the model across the Borough (based on evidence and need). In particular, there was a focus on Eastfield, Barrowcliff, South Cliff and Whitby areas. This way of working is now embedded across the Borough and the model has since been rolled out across North Yorkshire covering 7 other district councils. North Yorkshire Police have developed a Partnership Hub at a county level to support the implementation of the Hubs, supported by the Police and Crime Commissioner.
In 2016 the team recognized the need to be able to further evaluate individual cases that come into the hub and as such since May 2016 1,032 cases have been referred to the hub.
More recently the mental health triage team have joined the team. Given the high levels of need in the areas where the team is based and the prevalence of mental health issues encountered by the team, the additional of the mental health triage team has been particularly welcome. This had been identified as a key gap by the team and the presence of specialist mental health workers has increased knowledge and understanding and increased the confidence of the team in dealing with mental health issues.

In 2016 Professor Bryan Manning was approached by Scarborough Borough Council to undertake an independent evaluation of the CIT. Professor Manning summoned up his evaluation of the project in the following words.
"At the outset of this evaluation it rapidly became apparent that what had been achieved so far, and how this had been done was very special....namely:
Exemplary - best describes the way in which this whole operation was developed and turned into highly successful operation that continues to fulfill its mission.

Unique - in its practical and pragmatic approach creating a dynamic information sharing multi-agency team that overcame the twin problems of "siloised" organizational thinking, and dispelled much of the distrust of authority inherent in deprived communities.

Unconventional - in that it adopted a simple, straight forward "can do" approach, rather allow itself to become "bogged down" in administrative matters that could all too easily hinder such a major change in ways of working.

Cost-effective - since there were minimal direct on-costs, other than weekly tasking meetings and clerical support, as operational 'bronze' level staff were deployed fulfilling the roles for which they were already employed to undertake for their respective organizations."

This is borne out in comments received in recent survey responses, such as:
We always felt like something was been done and we were updated all the time, we had letters, people were always around visiting us and talking to us. The fact that people were always about the council, police force service is really reassuring. I know the PCSO's come on a night to check we are ok and I feel a lot safer now. Also now we have problems again you are all back and we will fight them together again.

The approach has also built the skills and confidence of staff. The problem-solving approach encourages the sharing of skills and knowledge and staff are empowered to work together on shared issues, to take risks and to try innovative solutions. Professor Manning's evaluation observes:-

[^0]
[^0]:    " What is particularly noticeable at tasking meetings is the high degree of mutual trust between all concerned; their willingness to take operational decisions accordingly; and the consistent quality of the results obtained - much of which comes down the excellent leadership qualities exhibited by the

chairperson"

The decision making model (DMM) is part of normal working practice for the team. For lower level cases, tasks are recorded through the tasking document, for medium to high level cases the full DMM is used and a lead agency allocated.
![img-0.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/19-33_scarborough_uk_community_impact_team/img-0.jpeg)

# Section D: Endorsement by Senior Representative 

Please see next page.

I cannot speak highly enough of how positive the Community Impact Team has been for community of the Borough of Scarborough.

The entire Neighbourhood Policing Team is co-located, along with other agencies, in the council building. This collaborative approach has led to improved working relations with numerous partners, improved

information sharing and led to more effective and rapid responses to issues that may be identified. It has been known for a long time that the issues that create demand for the police will similarly create demand for other partners such as the Health Service, Ambulance Service, the Council, FARS etc. By working through a shared tasking process we are able to support each other more effectively in addressing issues and thereby reducing demand and costs for the various agencies. In the current climate of budget restrictions this has been essential given the relatively deprived nature of the Borough of Scarborough. That last point is key, as this team was created and developed without a budget, through the willingness and sheer enthusiasm of those involved to work together.

It is difficult to quantify the amount of money that this approach has saved for the various agencies but this is something that we are working on. From a policing only perspective, this project has had some outstanding results in areas such as County Lines, Modern Day Slavery, Child Sexual Exploitation and Domestic Violence. In all of those areas we have managed to keep people safe that would not have been possible without this model and the people working in it.

However, we don't want to stand still - we are always looking to add to the team. Relatively recently we have seen the addition of voluntary groups who seek to identify and support those who are just below the level where they may need support from the public sector agencies. In supporting those people in this way, we hope to remove the future need for such services and thereby further reduce demand.

I think that this is an excellent nomination for this award and I support it without hesitation.

Alisdair Dey
Superintendent
Police Commander
Scarborough and Ryedale
E mail address - Alisdair.Dey @northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.