TITLE: New Service Level Agreement for School Based Police Officers. DATE: 12 June 2015

Transcription

1 Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Briefing Paper TITLE: New Service Level Agreement for School Based Police Officers. DATE: 12 June 2015 Protective Marking: There are no restrictions on this document. GMP s numbers of officers (including SBPOs) directly working with schools has previously been a subject of FOI. Overview: This report is seeking the Commissioner s approval to progress to formal signing of new Service Level Agreements (SLA content agreed in previous meeting) with schools. Those schools have indicated they wish to proceed in principle to externally fund a Schools Based Police Officer (SBPO) during the next academic year. This report provides the Commissioner with an overview of the aims of the role of a SBPO and identifies both the previous and new model and service level agreement that has been established. The report shows the numbers of officers deployed under these arrangements and the schools they operate in. It also highlights the impact that transition to the new arrangements has had on the numbers of schools now wishing to engage in the programme. Detail: The force has been working to develop a universal model for the implementation of externally funded SBPOs. The aim has been to define a consistent offer to schools whilst maintaining the flexibility for divisions to determine, based on levels of demand, where there is possible benefit for an SBPO to work in partnership with a school on strategies to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour.

2 SBPO Role Background The role of SBPO has been in existence for some time across GMP to work closely in partnership with schools, to engage with pupils and the wider school community to prevent and reduce crime within the school and its community. SBPOs have created effective partnership relationships, working with schools to reduce victimisation of pupils across different aspects of risk, reduce offending behavior and to develop responses to key risks that the school and its pupils are experiencing. SBPOs, in recent years, have played a crucial role in working with schools on safeguarding issues relating to pupils within the school. SBPOS have been focused in secondary level educational institutions and their relationship with schools and other educational institutions has been primarily managed by general neighbourhood resources. The aims of the SBPOs role, working in partnership with schools and local community, are to:- Improve relationships with young people. Increase intelligence from pupils and staff. Reduce levels of youth crime and offending. Increase ability to reach vulnerable young people. Improve relationships with schools and communities. These aims align closely with a number of aspects of the refreshed Police and Crime Plan objectives in areas of Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour; Putting victims at the centre; Protecting vulnerable people; Dealing with terrorism, serious organised crime and maintaining public safety; Investing in and delivering high quality policing services; Building and strengthening partnerships. Pupils benefit through:- Better relationships with the Police. Feeling safer in and around school. Reduced offending behaviour and truancy. Higher achievement. Exposure to positive role models. Decreased perceptions of bullying. Schools benefit by:- Improved behaviour and school environment. Support with discipline and crime. Lower criminality in and around school. Improved relationships with Police. Reduced exclusions and increased attendance. Safer and supported staff.

3 The wider community benefits by:- More positive attitude towards schools. Improved relationships with schools and Police Less negative views of young people. Less criminality outside school. Existing SBPO Model In the past, under devolved responsibility, divisions have been able to negotiate locally on partnership working and models that they operate with schools in their area, including local agreements on the role and deployment of SBPOs. This has resulted in differing approaches, roles, levels of deployment and varied service level agreements. Under those local agreements we have seen the number of divisions deploying SBPOs within schools reducing in recent years due to schools choosing not to fund. There are currently two Partnership Teams covering 3 divisions that have externally funded SBPOs working in partnership with schools within two boroughs Manchester and Wigan. Some of these schools were identified as a priority through a tiering method defined in previous Home Office guidance; others have come from more recent partnership assessment of needs and benefits locally. The Manchester Partnership Team supports SBPOs for North and South Manchester divisions. Until April 2014, there was a central team of 3 police staff supporting 11 SBPOs in 13 schools with an SLA in place under the Safer Schools Partnership (SSP) scheme. The central team has since been dissolved as there was no longer funding to continue to support the central functions. The SBPOs have since remained in the same schools aligned to the proposed new SLA and are wholly line managed by the relevant INPT. The Tables below show the schools that SBPOs are currently working in partnership with across both North and South Manchester. The North Manchester schools are (April 2015) - Our Lady's Roman Catholic Sports College St Matthew's Roman Catholic High School The Co-operative Academy of Manchester Cedar Mount Academy Wright Robinson College

4 The South Manchester schools are (April 2015) Manchester Academy St Peter's Roman Catholic High School Trinity C of E High School Levenshulme High School Whalley Range High School and Business and Enterprise William Hulme Academy Newall Green High School St Paul's Catholic High School (Including Piper Hill Specialist Education) Wigan Partnership Team currently have 9 externally funded SBPOs servicing 11 schools and have been operating to a standard service level agreement for about 1 year. The corporate service level agreement has been based primarily on the SLA developed within the Wigan Partnership Team. Wigan Division do not have central resources supporting the SBPOs and are line managed and supported by the relevant INPT. Shevington High School Abraham Guest High School Bedford High School Hawkley Hall High School Deanery High School St John Fisher High School St Edmund Arrowsmith High School Byrchall High School Cansfield High School. Standish High School Fred Longworth High School Indications of funded SBPOs for Academic Year 2015/16 All the divisions have had the opportunity to assess schools against a national tiering system to determine if levels of demand and risk are such that an offer of an externally funded SBPO is appropriate. Divisions have therefore approached existing and new schools that they feel may benefit from a partnership arrangement in the form of an SBPO. The schools have been approached on the basis of the approved Service Level Agreement and divisions have established an in principle position in each area.

5 The charging arrangements for schools will be aligned to the academic year not the financial year to allow for schools to annually assess their budget positions to determine if continued yearly funding is viable. The schools that have indicated in principle support to fund an SBPO have therefore been able to plan this into their budget position. The in principle conversations, within the two boroughs, has generated a change in the numbers of SBPOs being deployed in the future in these areas. However, this is not directly as a result of the new SLA, rather as result of the schools determining that their funding position has changed, or due to divisions determining that there is no longer a viable business case to justify dedicated SBPO resources. Within Manchester the position, following in principle conversations is detailed below:- North Manchester: 1 x school has withdrawn from the scheme already due to existing budget constraints, 2 x will continue to fund SBPOs under the new SLA, 2 x are unable to commit to funding but remain willing to consider if budgets allow, and 2 x new schools have indicated their wish to fund SBPO s. South Manchester: 2 x schools have indicated that they will no longer fund SBPO s, 4 x schools will continue sharing two officers; 2 x schools will continue each with one officer. Within Wigan, the division have determined that there is no longer a viable case for offering dedicated SBPOs to schools within the borough and will be returning existing officers to INPT duties. There will be some school partnership coordination provided within the division at borough level, and working closely with the schools within each INPT area. All other divisions do not currently have SBPOs in schools. They have considered the benefits of possible externally funded SBPOs and identified key schools and consulted on the new SLA and the option for funding SBPOs in the new academic year. Below is a summary of the position across those divisions:- Trafford: All schools were approached. All felt there were significant advantages in having an SBPO in schools, however none felt unable to afford an SBPO (or share with another school). Oldham: Currently not operating with SBPO s but have unique partnership arrangements in the form of the Challenge and Support Officers. These undertake a significantly different role to an SBPO and the division continues to support this arrangement with 2 x officers deployed to this team. These 2 officers provide extra support to all secondary schools and are a division budgeted resource. Salford: 1 x school prepared to fund a fulltime SBPO; 2 x schools prepared to share the cost of funding one SBPO.

6 Stockport: 4 x schools indicated interest only and prepared to consider in funding both full / part-time SBPO. Tameside: 2 x schools indicated interest only and are prepared to consider funding an SBPO. Bury: No schools currently considering funding an SBPO service. Rochdale: 5 x schools have shown an interest. Both the division and the schools accept that need is not full time and are would looking to agree part time provision or schools share an SBPO. Bolton: No schools currently considering funding an SBPO service. Following approval of the recommendations within this report, all divisions will swiftly seek to complete final discussions with schools and complete signing of service level agreements. Partnership Working with Schools All schools across Greater Manchester have an existing relationship with their INPTs. This ensures that schools will still be able to build close and effective joint working relationships when needed with a named police officer or PCSO, whom they are able to contact for help and advice. Primary schools all have a nominated PCSO with whom they can exchange information and seek help and advice. Secondary schools have a nominated INPT officer usually an NBO, but sometimes a PCSO with whom they can exchange information, seek advice etc. These relationships are reinforced by regular contact, which is dependent on calls to service, officer availability etc. Some schools, INPTs and divisions have further developed relationships where there has been a greater need due to increased calls to service or Police need to support that particular community. The relationship between Police and young people is enhanced through contact with young people in education. For those schools that do not now fund and don t wish to consider an externally funded SBPO scheme, the position of an identified lead contact from within an INPT remains the same under the new SLA. The majority of calls to service generated from schools with an externally funded SBPO will be dealt with (wherever possible) by the SBPO. For schools that don t fund an SBPO, their service need is core business that will be dealt with by either divisional response officers or INPT officers depending on the nature of the service need.

7 Assessment of Impact and Effectiveness of the SBPO role To date there has been no independent evaluation of the impact that SBPOs have had within Greater Manchester. GMP is currently seeking to work with an academic partner to develop and implement an evaluation of the role and effectiveness of the SBPOs deployed under the new SLA in the next academic year. Risk: There is a risk that some schools will choose not to continue to fund SBPOs in schools where the Police feel there is a sound justification for having one based on levels of risk and demand. Legal and Financial Advice: Liaison with Finance in relation to the detail of the charging approaches contained within the SLA and practicalities in relation to the charging process. Recommendations: 1. The Commissioner approves that divisions can proceed to sign the new service level agreement with schools that have indicated their interest in continuing to fund an existing SBPO or funding a new SBPO for the new academic year 2015/16. Wider Communications: The outcome of this report will need to be communicated to individual schools. This process will be handled by the divisions following briefing and guidance being issued from the NCE team. Attachments: None. Tracking: Date Issued to By Status 12/06/2015 Governance Claire Light Pending Chief

8 Officer approval