Agenda item 7
BOROUGH OF POOLE
LICENSING COMMITTEE
21 OCTOBER 2015
REPORT OF HEAD OF TRANSPORTATION SERVICES ON
TAXI AND PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER TRAINING
PART OF THE PUBLISHED FORWARD PLAN NO
STATUS Strategic
1. PURPOSE
The report considers the introduction of an additional requirement for compulsory Safeguarding and Dementia Awareness training for new and existing Taxi and Private hire drivers.
2. DECISION(S) REQUIRED
That the Committee approve:
(i) With the effect from 1st April 2016 the licensing conditions for new hackney carriage (taxi) and private hire drivers be amended to make a compulsory requirement for all new applicants to have undertaken the proposed Safeguarding, Dementia and Disability Awareness training before licensing.
(ii) With the effect from 1st April 2018 the licensing conditions for hackney carriage (taxi) and private hire drivers be amended to make a compulsory requirement for all existing applicants to have undertaken the proposed Safeguarding, Dementia and Disability Awareness training. In addition this would be repeated every three years as a condition of licensing.
3. BACKGROUND/INFORMATION
3.1 The publication of the Alexis Jay report into Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in Rotherham and cases of CSE in Rochdale, Derby, Oxford and other towns and cities, have highlighted the role of the licensed trades as critical eyes and ears in the community. Taxis were identified as being used for collecting children from outside schools, trafficking children between towns, and as places where children were forced to perform sex acts.
3.2 Ofsted’s inspection of CSE noted the following regarding councils: “The better performing local authorities were making it clear that CSE is everybody’s business. Awareness raising was being targeted at people working in hotels, hostels, taxi companies, licensed premises, restaurants and fast food outlets.”
3.3 In Rochdale, all 1,600 licensed drivers have received mandatory training on CSE. A number of other taxi and private hire licensing authorities have introduced similar driver training or are planning to do so in the future.
3.4 The Bournemouth and Poole Local Safeguarding Children Board and the Dorset Safeguarding Children Board produce Pan Dorset Inter-Agency Safeguarding Procedures including Sexual Exploitation of Children and Young People. CSE is happening across Dorset although there is no known involvement of Poole’s taxi trade. However, given the evidence from elsewhere in the country it is felt appropriate that taxi drivers receive mandatory training in CSE awareness as part of the licensing process. The training will also help drivers adopt safety measures for assisting lone vulnerable passengers travelling late at night and provide sign posting to relevant agencies should they have concerns.
3.5 A training need has also been identified for disability awareness and in particular for dementia awareness. Around 700,000 people in England are living with dementia and as the risk increases significantly with age, the numbers living in Poole are expected to increase in line with the numbers of older people. The on-set of dementia has a number of stages and it is important that taxi drivers are able to recognise this to be able to provide appropriate support. The taxi and private hire trade undertake much work providing Adult Social Care and Special Educational Needs transport on behalf of the Council and this training will enhance the service delivered.
3.6 It is therefore proposed to introduce a mandatory training course for taxi drivers to incorporate safeguarding training (including CSE) and disability awareness including dementia awareness. The training course will last approximately 2 hours and will include an assessment of learning on the day.
3.7 It is recommended that from 1st April 2016 all new applicants will be required to undertake the training before they are issued with their licence. A programme will be developed to ensure that all 372 existing licenced drivers undertake the training within 2 years so that all drivers will be trained by 1st April 2018. In addition all drivers will be required to repeat the training every 3 years as a condition of their licence.
3.8 A Steering Group of relevant officers from across the Council has been brought together to design the taxi driver training course. The draft course will also be shared with Dorset Police who will be asked to help finalise the content. Representatives of the Taxi Trade will also be consulted on the format of the training and have provided feedback after a pilot of the Dementia Awareness course.
3.9 Delivery of the training will be undertaken in-house by the Transportation Services Training and Compliance Officer and an officer from the Housing and Community Safer Poole Partnership.
4. PLANNING IMPLICATIONS
4.1. None.
5. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
5.1 It is proposed that a fee is charged to drivers to support the additional officer time required to manage and deliver the training programme. This will be on the basis of full cost recovery and will be included in the 2016/17 Scale of Charges report.
6. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
6.1 None.
7. RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
7.1 None.
8. EQUALITIES IMPLICATIONS
8.1 Taxis and private hire vehicles are used frequently by elderly residents and those with disabilities including mobility impairments. In addition they are more likely to use taxis /private hire services for essential journeys such as shopping and medical appointments.
9. CONCLUSION
9.1 The introduction of formal training for taxi and private drivers in Safeguarding, Dementia and Disability Awareness as a condition of licence will provide additional safety for the public. Members are asked to support the proposal to introduce this mandatory training.
Julian McLaughlin
Head of Transportation Services
Background Papers: Independent Enquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham 1997-2013, Alexis Jay OBE
The Sexual Exploitation of Children: It couldn’t happen here, could it? Ofstead, November 2014
Name and Telephone Number of Officer Contact:
Karen Fry (01202) 262242