Safer York Partnership Terms of Reference 2021

Purpose of Safer York Partnership Board (SYP)

Making York a Safer City

The purpose of Safer York Partnership is to develop a strategic vision and direction that will enable a diverse range of agencies and organisations to work in partnership to support York and its communities to feel safer.

Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs)

CSPs are made up of representatives from the ‘responsible authorities’;

· Police

· Local Authorities

· Fire and Rescue

· York Probation Service

· Health (Public Health, Foundation Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Mental Health Services).

The responsible authorities work together to protect their local communities from crime and to help people feel safer. CSPs annually assess local crime priorities and develop a three year strategy supported by detailed action plans that addresses those priorities and delivers positive outcomes.  Delivery is driven through a number of local and sub regional (York and North Yorkshire) task groups aligned to each priority.

Background to Safer York Partnership

Partnership work between the police and the local authority in York stems back to the Safe City scheme of the 1980s.  Safer York Partnership was formally established under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 as the statutory Community Safety Partnership for the City of York.

Roles and Responsibilities of Safer York Partnership

· To ensure SYP compliance with the statutory duties and responsibilities stated in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, the Police and Justice Act 2006, Policing and Crime Act 2009, the Crime and Social Responsibility Act 2011 and any subsequent Home Office regulations.

· To fulfil statutory responsibilities in relation to Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs), in accordance with Home office guidance.

· To consider the Strategic Intelligence Assessment for policing and ensure that relevant priorities are reflected in the three year Community Safety Strategy for York

· To oversee performance in relation to the SYP outcomes within the agreed performance framework, and to instigate any necessary action to address areas of under-performance.

· To hold partners to account for the delivery of agreed outcomes. Issues requiring consideration by Board members will be highlighted in reports.

· To ensure clear communication exists between SYP and other strategic partnerships through the Systems Leadership Group

· Communicate and consult with the communities of York, on community safety matters and ensure any feedback received follows an appropriate channel to influence the work of SYP.

· To maintain an overview of funding against the agreed partnership priorities.

· To work in partnership to provide advice and support to the Police Fire & Crime Commissioner in the development of the Police and Crime Plan, commissioning strategy and Fire and Rescue Service Plan.

Chairing Arrangements

a. Chair - from one of the responsible authorities, elected annually by the representatives of the responsible authorities;

b. Deputy Chair - from one of the responsible authorities, elected annually by the representatives of the responsible authorities;

c. Secretariat support for meetings of SYP - provided by City of York Council.

The Chair will be expected to represent SYP at events where appropriate.

The Chair will ensure that new representatives, or members of the Board have an induction process, which ensures they understand the roles and responsibilities and terms of reference, and the role that their organisation has to play in the delivery of SYP outcomes.

Membership

a. City of York Council

b. North Yorkshire Police

c. Humberside, Lincolnshire, and North Yorkshire Community Rehabilitation Company

d. National Probation Service

e. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority

f. Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group

Interface and connectivity with other partnerships

a. Office of the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner

b. North Yorkshire (Local) Criminal Justice Partnership

c. Youth Justice Service

d. York CVS

e. North Yorkshire Community Safety Partnership

f. York Local Safeguarding Children Partnership

g. York Safeguarding Adults Board

h. York Health & Wellbeing Board

i. Other organisations as agreed from time to time by the responsible authorities

Roles and Responsibilities of Members and Organisations

All representatives attending Board meetings must have a sufficient seniority within their own organisations to be able to make decisions, implement change and commit resources within their own organisations’ governance arrangements.

All members of the Board should be able to commit to regular attendance and represent their organisation effectively by;

· Bringing strong influence to bear on the objectives, targets and allocated resources in their organisations’ own plans and activities;

· Communicating and championing the work of SYP within their individual agencies and organisations;

· Discussing potential conflicts and differences to seek the most effective solutions;

· Identifying and committing resources to deliver actions they have agreed their organisation will undertake to support the implementation of the SYP Community Safety Plan.

Deputising is permitted, when necessary, but only to a nominated and agreed deputy. It is the expectation of each member to ensure that they communicate key community safety messages to their deputies and in key partnership meetings they attend.  Any organisation failing to send a representative for two consecutive meetings will be asked to confirm their commitment. The Board will keep its membership under review and has the right to invite additional members to join.

Meeting Arrangements

SYP will meet bi-annually, in October as a six month review of performance and to agree the priorities for the forthcoming year and in March to ratify the refreshed Strategy and review annual performance against the previous strategy.  Additional meetings may be called by the Chair and shall be called with agreement of representatives of at least four responsible authorities.

Meetings will be quorate if representatives of at least at four responsible authorities are present.

Every reasonable effort will be made to ensure that decisions are made by consensus. In the event of a consensus not being reached, a decision will be reached by a simple majority of representatives of responsible authorities present and voting at the meeting, with each responsible authority having one vote. In the event of it not being possible to reach a decision by a simple majority of members present and voting, the Chair will have an additional casting vote. Voting shall be by show of hands.

The Chair will determine the content and structure of meeting agendas. Any member may suggest items for inclusion on the agenda by contacting Head of Community Safety City of York Council at least ten working days before the meeting. Items not identified on the agenda may be raised by representatives under the ‘Any Other Business’.

Agendas and papers for a meeting should normally be circulated five working days before the meeting is due to take place. The minutes of meetings should normally be circulated within ten working days after the meeting.

All information included with agendas, papers and minutes of meetings must comply with all relevant public information legislation.

If any dispute or difference arises, members are expected to respect each other’s views and seek to identify and deal with the issues of concern.  If necessary, the Chair will identify a mutually acceptable person or process to guide the relevant members to a resolution.

All representatives of responsible authorities and all representatives of relevant organisations must declare any interests which could influence the decisions they make as part of SYP.

SYP may establish sub-groups to deliver specific pieces of work.  Every sub-group must have terms of reference agreed by SYP that clarify the remit, purpose and membership; and must be disestablished once the purpose has been achieved. 

Whilst the work of SYP may influence the decision and policy making of the responsible authorities and relevant organisations, the responsible authorities and relevant organisations appreciate that they are independent of each other and need to make their own decisions in relation to the work of SYP in accordance with their own authority’s or organisation’s procedures. These responsibilities cannot be delegated to SYP. Each representative therefore remains accountable to their own authority or organisation.

Links to Other Boards

There are cross cutting themes which are common to a number of strategic boards. In relation to Community Safety these are:

· Health & Wellbeing Board

· YorOK Board

· York Local Childrens Safeguarding Partnership

· York Adult Safeguarding Board

· Local Criminal Justice Partnership

The membership of the Safer York Partnership Board includes representation from each of these boards.  It is the responsibility of those board members to ensure the two way flow of relevant information between each of the boards.

The Chair and members of the Safer York Partnership Board also link in with other strategic and operational meetings where issues relating to community safety are considered.  It is the responsibility of board members to ensure that relevant information from these meetings is conveyed to the remainder of the board.

Review

Terms of reference to be reviewed annually, all changes must be agreed by SYP.

Drafted by: Head of Community Safety City of York Council