Change in Control after Election Results - Bassetlaw District Council

18 www.bassetlaw.gov.ukHelp at hand for familiesBassetlaw families that have to cope withmembers behaving so badly that they aresubject to court discipline are able to get helpfrom the Nottinghamshire Family InterventionProject. This is a multi-agency partnershipthat works with affected families referred to it.Families referred will usually be known cases tothe Youth Offending Service, Probation, ASBOfficers, Police and/or Children’s Services. Asa minimum, families are referred when thereare real concerns around eviction and one ormore family members are currently subject toenforcement actions for anti-social behaviour,are known to the Youth Justice System or areresponsible for a child under the age of 18.Each family referred to the Project will havea comprehensive support package that willaddress the needs of each family member.Depending on the individual circumstances ofeach of the referred families this support willbe of three broad kinds:• Outreach service: the key partnership workerprovides structured individual and familysessions to work with the family on a rangeof issues as identified to causing theirantisocial or criminal behaviour• Dispersed service: families are providedwith non-secure accommodation out ofthe immediate area .where the key workerwill provide the same kind of structuredindividual and family sessions. If thefamily complies with the intervention andbehaviour significantly improves then thetenancy can be made secure• Family Intervention Tenancy: may be usedfor the purpose of providing behavioursupport services that have been outlinedin a written behaviour support agreement.The behaviour support agreement will be anagreement between the tenant, the FamilyIntervention Project, the social landlordand all agencies that are providing support.Again the accommodation is to be providedaway from their local area.In all cases, the key partnership workerinstigates the plan with time scales andcoordinates the involvement of thenecessary agencies to ensure the needs ofthe family regarding time tabling and diaryappointments are met.There is a clear process of escalation withrespect to safeguarding and child protectionand the Family Intervention Project sits acrossSocial Care and Bassetlaw District Council.Bev McKay, Bassetlaw’s Family InterventionWorker commented, “I’m working closely withA1 Housing, ASB Officers, Youth OffendingServices and the local schools regardingthe families I am currently supporting. Thepolice are vital partners in helping to be eyesand ears in the community regarding thesefamilies and the multi-agency approach isworking very well”.I’m also working with Bassetlaw SpecialistOne family exercise is building robots outof through away household items.... andthen racing them.Parenting Practitioner, Cheverne Lewis-Cromwell, to organise a couple of RowdyRobots workshops. This activity is especiallygood for engaging dads and teenage boys.In these workshops Robots are built anddecorated, they are battery powered andextremely good fun. We are trialing it withsome of the families we are currently workingwith and will let you know how it goes. We areaiming to run this at half term but dates havenot yet been confirmed.FIP have access to an Activities Co-ordinator,whose is able to provide either one-to-one orgroup sessions. This can include organisingevents for FIP worker families. The most recentevent was climbing at The Mill AdventureBase Sutton In Ashfield.For further information contact Bev McKay,Family Intervention Worker, CommunitySafety Team, Queen’s Buildings,Worksop, 01909 533 722 or e-mailbeverley.mckay@bassetlaw.gov.uk.Parking onSchool Zig-Zags –GuidanceThere is a widely held perceptionthat our school children areparticularly vulnerable to beingstruck by vehicles outsideschools during drop off and pickup times.The introduction of ‘SaferRoutes to School‘ programmes,which include parking andspeeding restrictions, and areoften accompanied by trafficcalming measures.In addition, severalNeighbourhood PolicingTeams have to includechecking on vehicles parkingon ‘No Parking’ yellow zig-zaglines outside schools as part oftheir policing priorities.Police officers and PCSO’s havesome official guidance to helpthem decide what action to takewhen dealing with complaints ofparking outside schools.Motorists should be remindedthat any unnecessaryobstruction of the highway thatreduces or restricts free passagecan result in prosecution by wayof a fixed penalty notice.Parking on zig-zag lines outsideschools is irresponsible at anytime and in the interests ofchild safety nobody shoulddo so.Nottingham named as an electricity meter crime hotspotCrimestoppers offers up to a £10,000reward for informationNottingham is one of the UK’s hotspots for a crimetargeting people who have prepayment electricitymeters. More than 2,370 incidents have beenreported in the area to date.The Top-up Safe campaign visited Nottinghamin March 2011 to warn customers to steer clearof the criminal gangs behind a doorstep crimeoffering people electricity top-ups what seem tobe reduced prices. Electricity customers have paidover £7 million to criminal gangs who are targetingprepayment meter users in a nationwide fraud.The campaign is urging prepayment metercustomers not to get involved, as buying creditfrom one of these fraudsters is a criminal offenceand in the end, it is the customer who loses out.They will end up paying for their electricity twice,once to the criminal and again to their energycompany who can detect this crime. So far, morethan 120,000 customers have been affected, butthe number could increase further because thereare over 3.5 million prepayment meter customersacross Britain.Energy companies never sell electricity top-ups onthe doorstep. Customers can buy electricity topupsonly from official outlets including: PayPoint,Payzone or the Post Office. Further information canbe found at www.top-upsafe.com. Customers canalso contact their energy company or call ConsumerDirect on 08454 04 05 06.A reward of up to £10,000 is now being offeredin partnership with Crimestoppers to anyone whocan provide information leading to the arrest andconviction of these criminals.Dave Cording, Director of Operations atCrimestoppers, said: “I would like to take thisopportunity to warn the public about this crimeand would urge anyone who is approached withan energy meter top-up at their doorstep not toget involved. We are offering a reward of £10,000to anyone who can supply us with informationleading to the arrest and conviction of thoseinvolved in this crime.“I would urge anyone with information aboutcriminals selling illegal top-ups to contactCrimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 orvia the online service at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.”