North SomersetViolence Reduction Partnership

AnOverview

The North Somerset Violence Reduction Partnership operates with a public health approach to violence reduction, focusing on understanding the causes of violence and the reasons why people get drawn into a life of crime.

The team comprises of a:

• VRP Coordinator,
• VRP Project Officer,
• Embedded police, which includes:
  • Sergeant,
  • Police Officers,
  • Police Community Support Officers.

North Somerset VRP 2023-24Achievements

With its partners, the North Somerset VRP works to identify risk and vulnerability; in doing so, it works to address the underlying causes of violent crime, deliver bespoke care plans, offer specialist interventions, and/or work with the family or education service to ensure diversion is achieved.

• Over 6,500 individuals have engaged and learnt about the VRP through a variety of community engagements.

• Over 6,100 primary and secondary school students received in-school interventions and projects, including Blunt Truth, Social Media Awareness, and Mini Police.

• Over 200 local professionals (who work with young people) attended the ‘Risk Outside The Home’ conference in January 2024. They learnt about the risks young people face outside the home.

North Somerset VRP successfully delivered 15 interventions, as well as additional projects and support, these interventions included.

• 5-pound Bike Shop: two schools supported the creation of a low-cost bike repair shop, enabling 74 students to build communication skills and practical skills in repairing a bike.
• Art Therapy: 3 secondary school-aged young people who have been identified with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and/or past Trauma received support from a specialist therapist. Therapy is in an art-based setting and includes art activities with a focus on behavioural and emotion management.
• Blunt Truth: 990 secondary school aged young people and 30 professionals received this workshop to increase their awareness around reporting, knowledge of medical consequences, and the impacts violent crime has on young people.
• Community Engagement Roadshow Events: Included a variety of activities from community engagement days/events, thematic engagement workshops, primary and secondary school pop-up shops, and days and/or weeks of action. This work reached 4,047 young people (under 24 years), 1,040 individuals (over 25 years), and 129 professionals.
• Community Sports: Set in areas with high deprivation and serious violence. 293 young people were supported into local community projects; this included those whose families may not otherwise be able to afford to send them.
• Mini Police: 1,102 primary school-aged young people had a local PCSO attend their school and run mini police sessions as part of the National Volunteer Police Cadets. Providing a fun and interactive way to introduce children to a positive experience of policing and to get them involved in their local community.
• Play Therapy: A specialist therapist worked with five primary school-aged young people who were identified with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and/or past trauma. Therapy is in a play-based setting and includes role play, activities, and behavioural and emotion management.
• Social Media Awareness: NSVRP youth insight established a need for both students and professionals to receive social media awareness training, due to social media being increasingly used to coordinate and arrange violence. Collaborate Digital delivered their workshop to 2,300 young people (aged under 24 years) and 20 professionals.
• Conference: In January 2024, NSVRP funded and supported the organisation and delivery of a professionals’ conference in Weston Super Mare, including St Giles Trust training two hundred professionals on county lines and knife crime.
• Giles Trust in schools: County lines and knife crime awareness sessions delivered to 1,876 young people in school years 5-7 and 44 professionals.
• Start to Finish: Funding a Start to Finish worker who supported forty-two young people aged between 16 and 25 years involved in or at risk of being involved in violence who had been identified by VRP, Social Care, Youth Offending Service, and others. Wraparound support included finding employment, securing accommodation, reducing criminal involvement, addressing substance misuse, and improving social skills.
• The Hangar: During term time, thirty-six young people (aged under 24 years) attended The Hangar to learn new life skills, such as carpentry, metal work, cooking, and managing money (to name a few). Each session is followed by physical exercise within the gym.
• YMCA Project: The southward area of Weston has a high level of deprivation and is one of North Somerset’s highest demand areas. The YMCA delivered a peer mentoring project in the area to identify twenty-six local young people aged between 16-21 years. The young people are supported into becoming peer mentors for a younger peer(s).

North Somerset VRP2024-25 Plans

North Somerset VRP have a range of interventions planned, including but not limited to:

• Hosting Knife Angel in May 2024 in Weston Super Mare, with a month-long program of events including awareness sessions, education, and engagement throughout NS.
• Expanding youth detached outreach, supporting more local young people.
• Reaching more young people through St. Giles Trust, delivering 40 sessions focussing on gangs and county lines.

North Somerset VRP2024-25 Interventions

Blunt Truth Project

Blunt Truth sessions will be delivered in secondary schools across North Somerset; supported by British Army medics and VRP staff. Students participanting will recieve merchandise that re-enforces the key messaging around Fearless.org (the youth arm of CrimeStoppers).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Support Projects

North Somerset VRP and partners will support identified young people  with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and similar support therapy to increase engagement, confidence, and reduce offending behaviours.

St Giles Trust

St. Giles Trust deliver in person education and awareness sessions to primary and/or secondary schools on county lines, drugs, gangs and violence. They also provide a session for parents, carers, and seperate one for professionals.

Their award-winning approach uses trained professionals with lived experience of the criminal justice system to de-glamorise gang involvement and expose the harsh realities of crime and violence.  As they know these issues first-hand, they can speak from their own experiences and have high levels of engagement from the young people.

Start to Finish

The ‘Start to Finish’ project provides bespoke long term intensive support for referred young people aged between 16 and 25 years old.

A Start to Finish Worker facilitates wraparound support including but not limited to finding employment, securing accommodation, reducing criminal involvement, addressing substance misuse and improving social skills.

This worker sits within a team with 3 other Start to Finish Workers.

Targeted Detached Youth Outreach

Detached Youth Outreach Workers and youth provisions focus on provisind provisions to young people in the Weston-Super-Mare and Worle areas of North Somerset. This outreach uses an outreach van to enable mobility of the services.

The Youth Voice – Community Engagement

Offering a range of structured engagement activities to young people (and their community) in order to make sure their views are heard and taken into consideration when making strategic decisions.

Activities include working with parents and carers, participating in community awareness events, and engaging secondary schools, among other things.

Worle Hub

North Somerset VRP works with Children’s Services colleagues inside existing public building (children’s centre) to create a youth hub/area for young people to use.

Support is provided to ensure the space is made suitable for this purpose.