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Threads of Success Executive Summary

Introduction and definition

The study team are indebted to the five community safety partnerships who participated in the study.

The findings and recommendations contained in this report emerge from the open discussion and views expressed by those who took part.

Since the late 1980's there has been a political willingness and drive to create safer and healthier communities where individuals, families and organisations can thrive. However inter-related issues such as crime, unemployment, poverty and a lack of equal opportunity can undermine public safety.

definition

Community safety has different meanings to different people at different stages of their lives. From protecting children, keeping teenagers out of crime, protecting property to addressing fears in older years - community safety is an essential element. Although there is no universally agreed definition of community safety most partnerships have accepted, in broad terms, the COSLA definition of 'protecting people's right to live in confidence and without fear for their own or other people's safety'. This embraces a range of issues from crime prevention, domestic abuse, drug abuse, road safety, fire safety, accident prevention etc.

The case for working in partnership to create safer communities is strong and well documented. (Safer Communities in Scotland, Scottish Executive, 1999; Safe and Sound, Accounts Commision, 2000) In recent years there has been a growth in partnership working and an upsurge in local community safety activity. However it has been recognised that community safety partnerships are struggling to develop sufficiently to enable them to maximise and sustain their efforts.

Pathfinder Areas

The pathfinder study team visited each of the community safety partnerships on three occasions over a seven month period to consult partners and review the work of the partnerships. This study builds on previous work around community safety and looks at 5 Community Safety Partnerships in detail. The partnerships were:

Angus
City of Edinburgh
East Dunbartonshire
Fife
South Ayrshire

Study aim and objectives

The overall aim of the study was to 'assess the current status of the partnerships, review progress and realign future direction towards achieving an integrated preventive community safety strategy that achieves maximum local impact.'

In order to achieve the overall aim the study set the following objectives;

To review, in detail, partnership arrangements and developments

Identify strengths and weaknesses of the partnerships

Suggest steps required to build and sustain effective community safety working

Identify national and local recommendations to improve the impact of community safety

Share lessons learned across Scotland

Main Findings

The study team identified five main findings in community safety partnership working;

Community safety partnership structures are emerging across Scotland but their form, stage of development, potential and effectiveness vary

Partnerships are struggling at 2 stages;

• into effective existence and
• from reactive project work into planned, programmed preventive work.

An Upsurge in project-based community safety activity in Scotland is evident but in most instances is not yet:

• built on joint local audit or joint planned action
• connected to mainstream service delivery
• accessing regular, recurring resources

Under-investment in establishing and sustaining a local platform for partnership, particularly in the following areas;

• partnership building,
• information sharing,
• joint auditing and planning,
• communication within or between partners at all levels,
• core development funding and in
• monitoring and evaluating performance and impact.

Pathfinder partnerships are currently setting mechanisms in place and are aspiring to better structural organisation. Priority is also being given to partner commitment and involvement, securing funding, integration into mainstream decision-making and measurable service delivery across partners.

5 Key Local Issues

The interviews and partnership discussions revealed that, in order to address the main findings, action was required at both local and national levels.

During the study it became apparent that there were 5 key local issues to be addressed immediately.

build a platform for partnership by investing time and energy in building the capabilities and competencies of the partnership, and securing resources to provide staff and financial support for community safety

plan preventive community safety by conducting a community safety audit and jointly planning community safety priorities

communicate the community safety message within and between partners by joint training and setting up local operational networks

mainstream community safety by integrating it into community planning, best value, service planning and service delivery for all partners

evaluate the partnership's work by applying the Audit Scotland (Safe and Sound, 2000) Balanced Scorecard and measuring performance and impact.

3 Key National Issues

While working with the partnerships it was apparent that, in order to achieve maximum local impact there was a role for the national organisations, namely the Scottish Executive, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the Association of Chief Police Officers for Scotland (ACPOS) to lend their support in the following areas;

reinforce community safety as a national priority, strengthen the Scotland wide strategy for community safety partnerships and undertake an annual scrutiny process.

share success, encourage innovation and build partnership quality by managing the development of information-sharing protocols, providing a national data base of credible practice, building a Scottish training knowledge and skills base and supporting innovation and partnership through a review of the community safety challenge funds.

mainstream community safety in the Scottish Executive, COSLA and ACPOS by ensuring relevant departments and agencies maximise their community safety impact, and by reviewing financial incentives to support a preventive community safety agenda.

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