Ambition 3 Keeping children, vulnerable adults and communities safe
We play an essential role in keeping all residents - especially children and vulnerable adults - safe and supported in our communities.
We take our responsibilities very seriously, and we’re working hard with partners like the police, district and borough councils, the NHS and Government agencies, both to improve our support and tackle some of the challenges that Covid-19 has brought about.
The Big Notts Survey
- Over 1 in 3 (37%) said that one of their top ambitions for their local area would be lower crime and safer streets.
Over the next four years we will:
Work in partnership to reduce crime, the fear of crime and victimisation
We’ll lead and coordinate the Safer Nottinghamshire Board, working with the Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner, the Fire and Rescue Service and district/borough councils to tackle and prevent crime in our communities.
Lead efforts to reduce domestic abuse and violence against women and girls
We’ll lead work with the Police and Crime Commissioner and other partners to reduce domestic abuse and violence against women and girls. We’ll also strengthen and develop our services for people experiencing domestic abuse.
Tackle knife crime and violence with our partners
We’ll work with the Nottinghamshire Violence Reduction Unit to deal with the underlying causes of knife crime and violence and find solutions that help protect young people from harm.
Protect the vulnerable against fraud
We’ll focus resources on preventing vulnerable people from becoming victims of fraud and tackle more businesses that trade fraudulently.
Tackle loneliness, isolation and vulnerability
Building on our work to develop Nottinghamshire’s Community Hub during the pandemic, we’ll work with our partners to join up our support for vulnerable people and communities. This will help us offer better support and reduce loneliness and isolation.
Protect communities from flooding
With our partners, we’ll protect communities most at risk of flooding through:
- securing funding to develop flood protection schemes
- designing new developments with flood protection
- responding quickly to flood emergencies
- communicating with communities at risk
- supporting the most vulnerable.
Provide the right support for families to reduce the need for vulnerable children to go into foster or residential care
We’ll develop and deliver our cross-Council transformation programme, ‘Whole Family Safeguarding’. This will improve the support we can offer to vulnerable families, so they can bounce back from difficulties faster and fewer children will need to go into foster or residential care.
Expand the number of foster placements available to children
We’ll increase the number and diversity of foster placements for children in our care, and support those children and families better, so they can stay in happy and stable homes.
Ensure children in our residential homes have stability, support and protection to meet their needs
We’ll provide consistent care to children and young people in residential homes, and make sure they feel safe, happy and secure. We’ll also support them with well-trained and empathetic staff and give them opportunities to learn and have fun. Where possible and when the time is right, we’ll help them move to a family home.
Ensure that our care leavers have somewhere safe and stable to call home
We’ll support young people leaving care to prepare them for adulthood, commissioning services to meet their needs and help them to stay safe, healthy, happy and fulfil their potential.
Support adults with learning disabilities, mental health issues, autism spectrum disorders or physical disabilities to live independently
We’ll support people with social care needs to find and maintain a safe place they call home. We’ll provide the right level of support to our vulnerable adults, at the right time in their lives, and look to make best use of the strengths and resources people have in their family, friends and community to help them to live as independently as possible.
Work to prevent homelessness
With our partners, we’ll commission services that help to prevent homelessness, supporting national plans to end rough sleeping altogether.
Keep improving our support for vulnerable people
We’ll keep improving our support for vulnerable children and adults:
- Through our Adult Safeguarding Board and Safeguarding Children Partnership, we’ll review what works well and where we can make improvements, helping support our most vulnerable children and adults. We’ll deliver annual improvement plans to make sure our work keeps getting better.
- Our new councillor-led Children Looked After Board will drive our work to keep children safe in our care.
- We’ll make our Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) more efficient and effective. We’ll focus our resources on protecting those most at risk, and will work with partners to make sure those most in need are referred to the MASH.
- Through the cross-Council ‘All Age Approaches’ transformation programme we’ll improve support for people with disabilities, providing the right support at key points in people’s lives.
Success means:
- Crime levels are reduced in Nottinghamshire
- People feel safer in their communities
- Fewer homes and businesses are affected by flooding
- The Council’s Ofsted rating for children’s services is ‘good’ or above
- The Care Quality Commission ratings for all our adult social care services is ‘good’ or above
- People who use our adult social care services feel safe and secure
- Children and adults at risk are identified, supported and protected
- Children in our care remain in long-term stable placements.
In 2022-23, to achieve this, we will deliver the following actions:
Establish the Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board and deliver the Domestic Abuse Strategy 2021- 2024
We will establish the Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board and deliver the Domestic Abuse Strategy 2021-2024. Our focus for 2022-23 will improve community services for survivors and their families, and strengthen the prevention of domestic abuse.
Develop joint protocols to identify and address child criminal exploitation
We will develop joint protocols to identify and address child criminal exploitation. This means that young people who are at risk of exploitation, and therefore involvement with County Lines and/or knife crime, can access support to prevent them entering the youth justice system or reoffending.
Increase the number of foster carers and residential homes supported by Nottinghamshire County Council and recommission supported accommodation for children in our care aged 16+
We will increase the number of foster carers and residential homes supported by Nottinghamshire County Council and recommission supported accommodation for children in our care aged 16+, so that we are better able to find high quality, safe and stable homes that meet the needs of children in our care.
Promote stronger partnerships and joint commissioning arrangements to prevent homelessness
We will work with district partners to promote stronger partnerships and joint commissioning arrangements to prevent homelessness, reduce rough sleeping and provide good accommodation options, particularly for our most vulnerable residents eg care leavers.
Develop long-term plans for people with mental health needs, learning disabilities and autism to support their independence
We will develop long-term plans for people with mental health needs, learning disabilities and autism to support their independence.
Implement the recommendations of Adult Departmental Safeguarding Review
We will implement the recommendations of Adult Departmental Safeguarding Review to improve people’s experience and outcomes.
To find out more about what we’ve got planned for the current year, you can read our full Annual Delivery Plan 2022/23 [PDF].