Agenda item

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer introduced Group Manager Kirsty McCreesh who presented the report which provided Members with an update on progress against the Serious Violence Duty (the Duty). 

The Duty was part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 which came into force on 31 January 2023. This new legislation required a range of specified authorities to work together to share information and allow them to target their interventions. Within the Duty Statutory Guidance it was stated that ideally this should be done through existing partnership structures and these structures should be used to collaborate and plan to prevent and reduce serious violence within their local communities.

The Duty identified the Police, Probation Services, Youth Offending Teams, Integrated Care Boards and local authorities in addition to Fire and Rescue Authorities as being specified authorities. (Prison and Education Authorities were known as Relevant Authorities able to co?operate with Specified Authorities as necessary.) 

Specified authorities must identify the types of serious violence that occurred in the area and, so far as was possible to do so, identify the causes of that violence. To do so, specified authorities should undertake an evidence-based analysis of the causes of serious violence and use this analysis to develop a local strategic needs assessment which should inform the local strategy. The strategy, which specified authorities must prepare and implement, should contain bespoke solutions to prevent and reduce serious violence in their area.  The Duty did not specify a lead organisation however the statutory guidance identified the Police and Crime Commissioner as being the lead convener for local partner agencies. It was for the specified authorities to come together to decide on the appropriate lead and structure of collaboration for their area.

At a meeting of the specified authorities on the 5th January 2023 it was agreed that the responsibility for the delivery of the Duty would sit with all Lancashire Community Safety Partnerships.

It was noted that Lancashire was fortunate to have the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network (LVRN), as not all localities throughout the country had a Violence Reduction Unit. Through the LVRN, Lancashire had a Serious Violence Strategic Needs Assessment and Lancashire Serious Violence Strategy. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) was represented within the LVRN and local district needs assessments produced by the Violence Reduction Network were included within the district planning process to ensure discharge at a local level through targeted risk reduction activities.

It was also noted that the Crest Advisory Board had been commissioned by Home Office to conduct a readiness assessment across the country. LFRS had contributed to the Lancashire return which aimed to identify barriers and areas requiring additional support as well as progress across the country in comparison to other localities.

LFRS had signed a Lancashire Partnership agreement and would be represented at a newly formed Lancashire Serious Violence and Community Safety Board.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service

The Duty guidance recognised that Fire and Rescue Services were established in engaging with local communities to promote fire safety as well as wider models of community and individual engagement to support citizenship, community cohesion and direct support to vulnerable individuals and communities. Therefore, work with young people and safeguarding, in addition to fire reduction strategies such as the sector’s work to reduce deliberate fires, should be recognised as part of the Duty.

LFRS had an established Prince’s Trust and Fire Cadet offering. The Prince’s Trust worked in partnership with LFRS, working towards a shared vision that would contribute to better outcomes for young people and local communities. LFRS had one of the strongest Prince’s Trust offerings across all other Fire and Rescue Services in the country. Prince’s Trust was used as a case study within the statutory guidance for responsible authorities, produced by Home Office to demonstrate how Fire and Rescue Services engagement can strengthen protective factors and allow opportunities for positive behaviour change.

LFRS also delivered education packages in schools.  This was offered to all schools across Lancashire in years’ 2 and 6 with a comprehensive uptake. LFRS also picked up tertiary prevention work for example Arson Threat Referrals, an intervention session delivered to young fire setters (FIRES) and bespoke work with Youth Offending Teams.

Safeguarding was a core function of LFRS, working across all levels and in all areas to support, and in some cases lead risk reduction services to those identified as vulnerable and at risk from exploitation or abuse. LFRS was represented at Local Authority Safeguarding Boards which was recognised within the Duty.

National Fire Chiefs Council

It was noted that during the consultation period for the Duty, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) held a number of meetings with the Home Office to ensure the role of the Fire and Rescue Service was fully realised as part of the Duty. NFCC released a paper in November 2022 presented by the NFCC Prevention Lead, CFO Neil Odin.

NFCC identified the primary role for Fire and Rescue Services in the Duty to be the well-established work that was already undertaken with Children and Young People and the Duty was referenced within the NFCC Early Intervention Implementation Framework. Existing safeguarding work and arson risk reduction was also referenced as being key to Fire and Rescue Services involvement in the Duty.     

In response to a question from CC Shedwick regarding membership of the Lancashire Community Safety Partnerships, GM McCreesh advised this would normally be the relevant Station Manager or Community Fire Safety Team Leader.

In response to a question from CC Hennessy regarding membership of the newly formed Lancashire Serious Violence and Community Safety Board, GM McCreesh advised that the Chair was the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner with Area Manager Hamer representing LFRS alongside GM Liam Wilson who was now the single point of contact for the Service.   In response to a further question from CC Hennessy, GM McCreesh advised that partnership work presented an opportunity to raise awareness of the breadth of work undertaken.  In response to a further question from CC Hennessy, GM McCreesh advised that cadet units were located in conjunction with partnerships and were aligned to risk with recruitment currently ongoing for a unit at Skelmersdale.

CC Singleton commended the work of the Service in relation to the Prince’s Trust programme where the focus was on improved opportunities for young people.

Resolved: That the Planning Committee noted and endorsed the ongoing actions.