Middlesbrough’s Respect Action Plan

2007 - 2008


Contents

Page Number

What is the National Respect Action Plan?3

Delivering the Respect Agenda in Middlesbrough4

How Respect contributes to Middlesbrough Partnership Themes

  • Safer and Stronger Communities6
  • Supporting Children and Learning14

APPENDIX 1 National Respect Action Plan Priorities20

APPENDIX 2 Local Area Agreement (LAA) Respect Indicators and Targets23


What is the National Respect Action Plan?

The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, launched the Respect Action Plan in January 2006, to tackle anti-social behaviour. The plan recognises that anti-social behaviour is often a symptom of other underlying causes, such as poor parenting, chaotic family lives, ineffective enforcement and weak communities. The action plan contains a number of key actions that need to be undertaken by a variety of agencies to reduce anti-social behaviour.

In summary, the Respect Action Plan has six main Chapters:

  • Activities for children and young people
  • Improving behaviour and attendance in schools
  • Supporting families
  • A new approach to the most challenging families
  • Strengthening communities
  • Effective enforcement and community justice

Actions contained within the plan focus on

  • Challenging and supporting parents
  • Co-ordination of services around individuals with complex problems
  • Putting a stop to truancy, bullying and misbehaviour in schools
  • Making public services such as police, courts and local authorities accountable and responsible to local communities.

Action Plan 2007 – 2008

Delivering the Respect Agendain Middlesbrough

Respect recognises the importance of intervening early in families, homes and schools, to prevent and deter young people from becoming involved in crime and anti-social behaviour. Middlesbrough is committed to delivering on the whole of the Government’s Respect Action Plan, as it will raise the profile and add cohesion to a variety of activities that are already in place and included in the Local Area Agreement (LAA) . For example, for young people, key priorities reflect improving attendance in schools; and reducing bullying and discrimination are key priorities for Supporting Children and Learning, as well as a key feature in the Respect Action Plan.

In recognition of our holistic, problem solving interventionist approach to anti-social behaviour, we have also been chosen by the Home Office as a Respect Action Area. This means we have agreed to prioritise:

  • Establishing a Family Intervention Project that challenges and changes the most problematic households responsible for anti-social behaviour
  • Establishing parenting programmes for families at risk of/or behaving anti-socially
  • Increasing the quality and quantity of communication with local people thorough Face the People Sessions
  • Using the full range of available tools and powers to tackle both the causes and the symptoms of anti-social behaviour
  • Encouraging the adoption of a Respect Housing Standard by landlords in the area

Raising Hope, Reducing Fear

As well as responding to the national agenda, this action plan also contributes to the Mayor’s Reduction Agenda, which addresses;

  • Reducing anti-social behaviour
  • Reducing overall crime
  • Reducing absence from school
  • Reducing school exclusions
  • Reducing the number of children leaving school without qualifications

Middlesbrough’s Respect Action Plan

The national Respect chapters have been modified to reflect Middlesbrough Partnership’s priority themes ‘Safer and Stronger Communities’ and ‘Supporting Children and Learning’

The objectives contained within the plan can be referenced back to the National Respect Action Plan, for instance Respect Reference 6.8 refers to Chapter 6 Action 8. A summary of the National Respect Action Plan can be found in Appendix 1.

Performance Management

The action plan contains both Council and partner’s objectives for 2007/2008, and identifies accountable officers, milestones, targets and desired outcomes.

The action plan will be monitored and updated quarterly throughout 2007-2008 by Middlesbrough Partnership’s Safer and Stronger and Supporting Children and Learning thematic groups. This will ensure that the action plan is kept up to date, reflects partners additional commitments and emergent government initiatives.

Progress will also be monitored through the Local Area Agreement (LAA) Respect Indicators and targets. These can be found in Appendix 2. Baseline figures have been used to set targets up to 2009/10 and highlight current performance against other local authorities, top quartile being amongst the top performance (green), bottom quartile amongst the poorest performance (red).

Safer and Stronger Communities

Objective / Person Accountable /

Organisation

/ Milestones
Qtr 1 / Milestones
Qtr2 / Milestones
Qtr3 / Milestones
Qtr4 / Respect Ref /

Outcome

Establish Neighbourhood
Plans / Mandy Walker

Sarah Ross

Mary Mcdermott

Anne Hollifield

TBC / - STEM
Hemlington
Grove Hill
Gresham
Saltersgill
Beechwood / Neighbourhood Plan finalised
Neighbourhood Plan finalised / Neighbourhood
Plan finalised / Neighbourhood plans finalised / Neighbourhood
Plan finalised / 6:8 / Improved working at a neighbourhood level
Local priorities identified
Tracy Harvey / Easterside / Neighbourhood
Plan finalised
Pilot neighbourhood charter / Jan Lewis/Anne Hollifield / Gresham Neighbourhood Management / Gresham Neighbourhood charter adopted / Establish an accountable body to monitor the success of the charter / Evaluate the neighbourhood charter / 6:5 / Improved working at a neighbourhood level

Safer and Stronger Communities

Objective / Person Accountable /

Organisation

/ Milestones
Qr 1 / Milestones
Qr2 / Milestones
Qr3 / Milestones
Qr4 / Respect Ref /

Outcome

Ensure government funded regeneration schemes are accompanied by measures to manage behaviour / Mick McGreavy
Kevin Parkes / Mbro Council Regeneration/
Community Protection / Contact all neighbourhood managers
Identify areas requiring designing out crime advice
Incorporate priorities in neighbourhood plans / Identify all relevant government funded regeneration schemes that need to address anti-social behaviour
Consider merits of mainstreaming community safety adviser post / Prepare report outlining proposals to deal with problem buildings and derelict sites
Prepare NRF exit strategy for community safety adviser / Review progress of neighbourhood plans to combat anti-social behaviour and crime / 6.9 / Situational approaches in place to promote good behaviour and tackle bad behaviour
Reduce reports of anti-social behaviour in hot spot areas / Dave Brierley / Mbro Council - Health and Social Care / Appoint an engagement and activities co-ordinator / Develop a community engagement strategy and action plan for the warden service / Provide report detailing number of activities provided and number of young people taking part / Assess the success of the engagement strategy and prepare next years action plan based on findings / 6:8 / Perception that anti-social behaviour is a problem is reduced in hot spot areas

Safer and Stronger Communities

Objective / Person Accountable / Organisation / Milestones
Qtr 1 / Milestones
Qtr2 / Milestones
Qtr3 / Milestones
Qtr4 / Respect Ref /

Outcome

Enable RSL’s to sign up to the Respect Standard for Housing Management /
Debi Waite
/ Mbro Council - Community Protection / Consult with and engage with all RSL’s that own property in Middlesbrough / Identify gaps and barriers preventing RSL’s from signing up to the code / Support RSL’s willing to commit to the code
Provide an action plan detailing progress and milestones necessary to achieve sign up
Identify RSL’s ability to commit
Encourage RSL’s to support the Families Intervention / Establish a timetable for RSL’s signing up to the code / 6.4 / RSL’s signed up to the Respect Standard for Housing Management

Safer and Stronger Communities

Objective / Person Accountable /

Organisation

/ Milestones
Qtr 1 / Milestones
Qtr2 / Milestones
Qtr3 / Milestones
Qtr4 / Respect Ref /

Outcome

Increase support for the parents of children and young people at risk / Elaine Daglish / Mbro Council – Youth Offending Service / Youth Intervention Project (YIP) identify the most vulnerable 50 young people at risk of anti-social behaviour
Prioritise and assess specific needs of individuals / Using the directory of parenting services, develop support plans and refer individuals to the most appropriate support agencies / Develop support plan for individuals, monitor using soft and hard indicators / 4.8 / Parents and children at risk supported
50 children at risk supported
50 families supported
Number of parents accessing educational programmes
Number of parents gaining qualification

Safer and Stronger Communities

Objective / Person Accountable /

Organisation

/ Milestones
Qtr 1 / Milestones
Qtr2 / Milestones
Qtr3 / Milestones
Qtr4 / Respect Ref /

Outcome

Support schools that want to seek parenting contracts / Elaine Daglish/David Ball / Mbro Council Youth Offending Service / Identify and train key staff
Deliver workshops to demystify parenting contracts / Contact schools, offer support and issue packs / Identify and support schools who want to use parenting contracts / 4.8 / Number of information packs requested
Number of information packs issued
Number of parenting contracts established
Support schools who want to seek parenting orders / Lesley Smith – (Elaine Daglish) / Mbro Council - Children, Families and Learning / Youth Offending Service identify referred parents who are failing to engage parenting programmes on a voluntary basis / Encourage and support schools in applying for a parenting order / Monitor those with parenting orders on a quarterly basis and review the effectiveness
of these orders / Revisit and revise action plans on a quarterly basis to ensure lessons learnt are implemented operationally / 4.8 / Number of information packs requested
Number of information packs issued
Number of parenting orders established

Safer and Stronger Communities

Objective / Person Accountable /

Organisation

/ Milestones
Qtr 1 / Milestones
Qtr2 / Milestones
Qtr3 / Milestones
Qtr4 / Respect Ref /

Outcome

Build parenting into pre-sentence reports and national standards for young people / Elaine Daglish / Mbro Council Youth Offending Service / Train magistrates to challenge decisions of report writers
Establish a baseline for parenting orders / Raise awareness of stand alone parenting orders by distributing information and providing training courses / Recommend and monitor the number of parenting orders / Evaluate the use of parenting orders following sentence / 4.9 / Number of parenting orders issued increased
Improved understanding of stand alone parenting orders
Include Intensive family support project in LAA / Joy Nolan / Mbro Council – Community Protection / Intensive family support included in LAA / N/A / N/A / N/A / 5.1 / Intensive family support project included in LAA
Jobcentre plus assign a dedicated officer in each district to work with intervention projects / Neil Walker / Jobcentre Plus / Meet with dedicated officer – identify areas of interest / Arrange familiarisation meeting with the families project team / Take up membership of Families Intervention Steering Group / Steering group membership reviewed / 5.1 / Nominated jobcentre worker identified
Nominate a health care professional to act as a contact for project work. / Mike Lauerman / GONE / Meet with dedicated officer – identify areas of interest / Arrange familiarisation meeting with the families project team / Take up membership of Families Intervention Steering Group / Steering group membership reviewed / 5.1 / Nominated health professional identified

Safer and Stronger Communities

Objective / Person Accountable /

Organisation

/ Milestones
Qr 1 / Milestones
Qr2 / Milestones
Qr3 / Milestones
Qtr4 / Respect Ref /

Outcome

Mainstream family intervention project / Lynsey Jones/Helen Burton / Tees Valley Housing / Review consultants report and recommendations / Develop action plan in response to recommendations
Explore the possibility of trust status for the Families Project / Provide scrutiny with a detailed cost benefit analysis of the project. / Prepare case for mainstreaming/
continuance of funding / 5.2 / Family intervention project mainstreamed
Identify and address gaps in service provision / Lynsey Jones/Helen Burton / Tees Valley Housing / Review consultants report and recommendations / Prioritise gaps in service provision
Identify possible funding sources to plug gaps / Prepare funding bids to plug priority gaps / 5.2 / Gaps in service provision addressed
Evaluate approaches to identify cost savings / Lynsey Jones/Helen Burton / Tees Valley Housing / Review consultants report and recommendations / Prepare case for mainstreaming
continuance of funding / 5.2 / More effective and efficient services provided for challenging families
Include mandatory respect and anti-social behaviour outcome in LAA / Joy Nolan / M’bro Council / Mandatory Respect Indicators included in LAA / N/A / N/A / N/A / 6.1 / Mandatory respect and anti-social behaviour outcomes included in LAA

Safer and Stronger Communities

Objective / Person Accountable /

Organisation

/ Milestones
Qtr 1 / Milestones
Qtr2 / Milestones
Qtr3 / Milestones
Qtr4 / Respect Ref /

Outcome

Improve anti-social behaviour orders / Joy Nolan / Middlesbrough Council – / Review current practices and standardise prohibitions / Review existing
anti-social behaviour orders, breaches and appropriateness / Submit annual report to Safer Middlesbrough Partnership on asbo orders and implement recommendations for improvement / 7.7 / Anti-social behaviour orders improved
Promote the take up of support orders such as intervention orders and individual support orders / Jane Hill
Paul Harrison / Middlesbrough Council – Community Protection - YOS / Develop protocol between services / Establish baselines to monitor take up / Review the effectiveness of the protocol / Implement recommendations following review / 7.14 / Increased take up of support orders

Supporting Children and Learning

Objective / Person Accountable /

Organisation

/ Milestones
Qtr 1 / Milestones
Qtr2 / Milestones
Qtr3 / Milestones
Qtr4 / Respect Ref /

Outcome

Improve parenting provision / Heather Mcneill / Mbro Council - Children, Families and Learning / Preparatory work and appointment of third tier lead
Establish multi-agency steering group to oversee parenting strategy / Third tier lead Induction
Develop and finalise implementation plan following audit of parent provision / Project manage implementation strands
Develop performance management framework to report and monitor progress / Provide a report and table proposals for the future or exit strategy if no additional funding is made available / 4.2 / Parenting provision improved
Improve parents ability to get help and support / Heather Mcneill /

Mbro Council - Children, Families and Learning

/ Review and develop proposals to collate different sources of information
Identify central and local access to information / Identify funding needed to roll out and widen access to information
Develop plan to improve parents ability to get help and support / Implement plan / Evaluate the implementation- plan – and identify gaps and take up of service / 4.5 / Increased support for parents and young people at risk

Supporting Children and Learning

Objective / Person Accountable / Organisation / Milestones
Qr 1 / Milestones
Qr2 / Milestones
Qr3 / Milestones
Qr4 / Respect Ref /

Outcome

To ensure the participation of every school in Middlesbrough as extended schools / Julie McGee /

Children, Families and Learning - Extended Schools

/ Complete tranche 2 training / Begin tranche 3 training / Monitor extended schools / Action plan for further development / 4.1 / Every school participate in extended schools
Introduce support parent advisors / Heather Mcneill /

Mbro Council - Children, Families and Learning

/ All advisers recruited
Induction Programme x 2
Recruit an additional 4 as agreed with Training and Development Agency (TDA)
Define outcome measures / Ongoing training and supervision arrangements in place
Develop and implement parents questionnaire / Stakeholder review involving schools and CFL staff / Develop sustainability strategy / 4.1 / Improved parenting provision
Early identification of anti-social behaviour
Support needs addressed
Tailored support reflects customers requirements

Supporting Children and Learning

Objective / Person Accountable /

Organisation

/ Milestones
Qtr 1 / Milestones
Qtr2 / Milestones
Qtr3 / Milestones
Qtr4 / Respect Ref /

Outcome

Identify and utilise the most suitable parenting programmes / Heather
Mcneill /

Mbro Council - Children, Families and Learning

/ Using audit - evaluate outcomes from existing programmes
Recommend the preferred options / Provide training for the trainers / Establishing a rolling programme and referral route for families / Evaluate the programmes using user feedback and impact assessments
Parenting programme framework established / 4.2 / Improved local authority parenting provision
30 practitioners trained
100 families referred and offered support
Identify a senior ‘parents champion’ / Heather Mcneill /

Mbro Council - Children, Families and Learning

/ Develop job description and advertise post
Appoint officer
Agree work plan / Produce draft town wide strategy / Establish parenting partnership to support intervention/
prevention packages to avoid families at risk becoming involved in anti-social behaviour and crime. / 4.2 / Senior parents champion identified
Families at risk becoming involved in anti-social behaviour and crime supported

Supporting Children and Learning

Objective / Person Accountable /

Organisation

/ Milestones
Qr 1 / Milestones
Qr2 / Milestones
Qr3 / Milestones
Qr4 / Respect Ref /

Outcome

Monitor progress through integrated inspection arrangements / Heather Mcneill /

Mbro Council Children, Families and Learning

/ Local monitoring via the local multi-agency steering group / Set up framework for parent evaluation / Train parents to undertake lay inspections/
evaluations / Implement parental inspection and evaluation programme / 4.2 / Improved delivery of local authority parenting programmes
Develop the work force to meet new challenges
Respond to the introduction of national occupational standards / Heather Mcneill (Children and young peoples partnership)
Linked to workforce development above /

Mbro Council Children, Families and Learning

/ Develop the children’s workforce strategy
Establish a multi-agency group to oversee the strategy / Determine priorities (for groups and timescales) and action plan
Commission training / Implement multi-agency training programme / Annual report to the multi-agency steering group and children and young people’s strategic partnership (CYPSP)
Revise 08/09 workforce plan / 4.3
4.3 / Workforce able to respond to new challenges
Multi-agency agreement of the training programme

Supporting Children and Learning

Objective / Person Accountable /

Organisation

/ Milestones
Qtr 1 / Milestones Qtr2 / Milestones
Qtr3 / Milestones
Qr4 / Respect Ref /

Outcome

Increase support for parents of children at risk / Jane Hill
Paul Harrison / Middlesbrough Council – Community Protection and YOS / Appoint a parenting practitioner,
and 2 early intervention workers
Develop referral process and terms of reference for parenting officers
Establish parenting training course programme / Commission action research to monitor and review the effectiveness of support for parents and children at risk of anti-social behaviour / 4.5 / Increase referrals to Families Project
Increase use of parental ABCs/Parenting contracts
Include parents in diversionary activities
Link in with YOS re voluntary parenting programmes

Supporting Children and Learning