Agenda and minutes

There were no Declarations of Interest to record. 

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 19th November, 2012, were considered. 

Resolved: -  That the minutes of the previous meeting be agreed as a correct record for signature by the Cabinet Member. 

• Councillor J. Burton, Adviser, Communities and Cohesion, to provide a verbal update. 

Councillor Jo Burton, Adviser to the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion, provided an update about the conference she attended on 4th December, 2012, entitled ‘Forced Marriages and ‘Honour’ based Violence’.  Councillor Burton had attended the conference in order to learn and share best practice with other organisations. 

Main issues arising included: -

• The Forced Marriages Act, 2007, provided a specific civil remedy to prevent forced marriage and assist victims where a marriage had already taken place;
• Consultation on whether forced marriage should be criminalised had concluded, and responses were wide-ranging;
• Greater clarification was required on the numbers of forced marriages that had / were taking place;
• Better national use of existing reporting mechanisms was required;
• Nationally, better identification/knowledge of perpetrators, victims and communities where forced marriage and honour-based violence occurred was needed;
• Working with agencies abroad;
• Key partners in the U.K. included schools, public health, and health and wellbeing boards. 

Resolved: -  That the information shared be noted. 

• Officers from the Community Engagement Unit, Commissioning, Policy and Performance, Resources Directorate, and the Vulnerable Persons’ Unit, South Yorkshire Police, to present. 

The Cabinet Member welcomed Carol Adamson, Community Engagement Officer, Commissioning, Policy and Performance, Resources Directorate, and PC Nick Knowles, South Yorkshire Police, to the meeting.  Carol and Nick had prepared a presentation about Rotherham’s Vulnerable Persons’ Unit (VPU).

The VPU had been set up in response to national and local Serious Case Reviews surrounding issues of repeat anti-social behaviour and hate crimes affecting vulnerable people, and issues related to the PREVENT agenda (anti-terrorism).  The VPU also linked in to the One Town One Community and community cohesion and integration work streams, Rotherham’s Think Family initiative and Early Help Strategies, the Hidden in Plain Sight report, the Government’s Hate Crime Action Plan and Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks).

Vulnerable people would be identified by Police cal handlers using three questions: -

• The Police case manager then completed a fifteen question risk assessment;

• The VPU would ensure that risk assessments were completed to identify anti-social behaviour and hate crime incidents affecting vulnerable people;
• They would monitor cases assessed as medium or high risk and ensure appropriate partnership responses were put in place.

The aims of the VPU included: -

• To improved identification of medium and high risk repeat victims;
• To Develop structured responses to repeat incidents – including liaison with Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) and Vulnerable Adult Risk Management Conferences (VARMs);
•  To ensure appropriate professionals had ownership of cases/issues and outcomes;
• To ensure that there was an audit trail of decision making and accountability;
• To reduced demand on Police and Partner Agency resources through the co-ordination of multi-agency risk management plans. 

PREVENT: -

• The VPU co-ordinated a partnership approach to the 2012 Counter Terrorism Local Profile (CTLP) and supported Safer Neighbourhood Teams to: -

Progress of the VPU: -

• Weekly community tension assessments undertaken – review of effectiveness and establishing improved links;
• Anti-social behaviour case management;
• Quality checking how hate incidents had been dealt with;
• Hate Crime Scrutiny Group – review cases with stakeholders and make recommendations for improvement/s;
• Re-establishment of hate crime third party reporting centres – separate from the Police and Council Services;
• Re-establishing processes with RMBC Streetpride for removing graffiti linked to hate/hostility;
• Support for the new Vulnerability and PREVENT Silver Joint Area Group sub-group. 

Statistical evidence had shown an increase in recorded hate crimes and non-crimes.  It was thought that the increase was due to increased reporting, rather than increased incidents.  In 2011, 211 incidents had been reported.  In 2012, there were 265 recorded incidents. 

Discussion ensued and the following issues were raised: -

• Development of a robust case management database that all Partners could access;
• Joint working  ...  view the full minutes text for item 35.

• Head of the Integrated Youth Support Service, Schools and Lifelong Learning, Children and Young People’s Services, to provide a verbal update.

This item was deferred in the absence of the Head of the Integrated Youth Support Service.

Resolved: - That a written update report on the Rotherham Integrated Youth Support Service be presented to the next meeting of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion to be held on Monday 25th February, 2013.  

• Community Engagement Manager, Commissioning, Policy and Performance, Resources Directorate, to report. 

Consideration was given to the report presented by the Community Engagement Manager, Commissioning, Policy and Performance, Resources Directorate, which outlined applications received to the One Town One Community Small Grants initiative for the 2012/13 financial year. 

The report outlined the purpose of the One Town One Community Small Grants initiative.  During the 2011/12 financial year, £13,000 had been awarded to twenty-two groups under Phase One of the programme.  The submitted report outlined the requests that had been received for Phase Two of the programme for the 2012/13 financial year. 

It was noted that £3,000 was available to be awarded during the financial year and that the maximum small grant available was £1,000.  The Programme aimed to support small, independent community groups who did not have any major source of income and or employ paid workers. 

In addition to the applications published on the agenda, the following applications were also requested for consideration by the Cabinet Member: -

• Military Community Group;
• Pride of Rotherham;
• Rotherham Cultural Group;
• Treeton Cyber Café. 

Discussion ensued on the applications as submitted. 

Resolved: -  (1)  That the following applications be approved, and the amounts indicated be awarded from the One Town One Community Small Grants initiative (Programme Two) for the 2012/13 financial year: -

• Assist Rotherham - £1,000;
• St. James’ Parochial Church Council - £250;
• Early Days Playgroup - £250;
• Pride of Rotherham - £200;
• Treeton Cyber Café - £250.

(2)  That a decision in relation to the following applications be deferred pending further clarification: -

• Military Community Group;
• Rotherham Cultural Group. 

• Monday 25th February, 2013, to start at 12.00 noon in the Rotherham Town Hall. 

Resolved; -  That the next meeting of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion take place on Monday 25th February, 2013, to start at 12.00 noon in the Rotherham Town Hall.