(a)

·         to review the existing arrangements for the Partnership and decide on a focus and a clear way ahead;

·         to look at important issues and deal with them accordingly;

·         to focus on key issues and vision;

·         to engage partners;

A lengthy discussion followed regarding the future of the Safer Plymouth Partnership Board.  Points of discussion and issues raised included -

(b)

·         there needed to be clearer communication between community groups and the board.  Safer Plymouth were not aware of everything that was happening in the city; 

·         the board needed to be realistic about what they were doing and put plans in place;

·         there needed to be a robust audit trail of any work the board undertook;

·         the board needed to focus on what they wanted to achieve – it would be helpful to have SMART objectives with clear outcomes;

·         the ‘Don’t walk by’ initiative had been successful,  and people had taken responsibility for reporting issues;

·         People need to do something and report back to the meeting;

·         there was no parent board to this board.  Safer Plymouth is a statutory board although there is some flexibility on how things are run;

·         accountability -  Relationship between this board and scrutiny – twice a year and webcast.  Relationship with the PCC.  None of them have particularly added anything.  One Plymouth is not a formally constituted group.  Need to determine what we need to be looking at and we need to build relationships.   These relationships are really important;

·         some members viewed attendance at meetings as a ‘tick box’ exercise;

·         have to have LSCB at the moment.  Board has a QA role but also it’s own objectives and drives work from sub groups.  Need to make sure work is aligned.  We are accountable but partners not in a relationship where they are bound to be directed to the board.  Could be some confusion.  Who is delivering work?  Who is driving work? 

·         communication is key - need to decide where is the best place to discuss things and position things.  There are a lot of things happening, and conversations are taking place.  Communication is vital and we need to focus on this – need to get information out to the community.  We need to get people to do the work for us, to spend more time talking, doing and thinking and spend less time on papers and plans; 

·         some members think sub groups are irrelevant, and this needs to be sorted out;

·         need to tell groups what we are doing;

·         what are we trying to achieve?  We need to come up with a joint view and people need to go away and do the work.  We need to measure progress and offer additional help where needed.  We need to establish what help people need;

·         if the board has the right level of networking things will progress and people will know of any issues or problems – we need to find out where there is a blockage and help to unblock it.  People need to tell us where the problems are so we can help them.  This board must sit as it is a statutory requirement.  Current environment has provided us with a good network.  We need to be more flexible and more ‘fleet of foot’ to recognise that our focus needs to change.  There is a requirement for the Police and Crime Commissioner to sign off how we spend our money. 

·         what is the relationship between the board and the people who deliver it;

·         we need to deliver - and not just discuss - an action plan;

·         we need to look at neighbourhoods – some are suffering as resources are focused on other areas and issues;

·         where is the link between the board, sub groups and the community we represent? 

·         how are we talking to the public about what we do? 

·         we need to look at how we engage better with communities;

·         we are poor at promoting our outcomes.  There is a lot going on across the peninsular and we could learn from this.  Some of these issues are being with in different organisations in different areas;

·         we need to go out to talk to agencies and find out what is good and what is working,  we need to know about other initiatives and to bring this all in together;

·         partnership working is working – but what else can we do?   How can we progress things?  

·         we need to challenge people that are coming to these meetings so that we can answer the questions.  We need to know what is going in this city now, and we need to bring people together to get a balanced view;

·         these meetings are important – and it is important to bring in fresh blood to have fresh conversations;

·         what should this board offer to other people?

·         the board has become less relevant to the city,  and we need to raise it’s profile;

(c)

the Chair thanked members for their valuable contribution to the conversation.  He highlighted the importance of establishing what is going on and getting a view on things.  It is important to reach a joint decision of direction, and identify a focus and direction.  We need to acknowledge this is not about answering a problem – we need to seek an outcome and know that we have sorted it.  How do we bring in new viewpoints?  Invite openness and accountability.  We need to identify when things are uncomfortable or when people are not contributing.  We want to reach a point where we have unfettered and open access in to Safer Plymouth, and we need an open invite to bring in things that the board would benefit from listening to.  It is important to ensure that there is some vested listening time at each meeting.  Members must be prepared to come along and take the floor for a period of time and inform us of opportunities and threats. 

(1)

will prioritise community safety issues that evidence shows pose the greatest threat, risk and harm, taking account of things which are most important in making our communities feel safe and secure;

(2)

commissions the next Strategic Assessment to focus on this priority, move away from themes, and make outcome focused recommendations for evidence based interventions, considering individuals (offenders and victims), communities and key issues;

(3)

develops and champions an outcomes framework covering: individuals, communities and key issues;

(4)

champions a systems leadership approach across organisations, to support delivery towards the outcomes framework (rather than formal recognition of sub groups);

(5)

the Strategic Assessment and outcomes framework is considered as Safer Plymouth’s Community Safety Plan, under the Plymouth Plan;

(6)

invites discussion with the Adult’s Safeguarding, Children’s Safeguarding and Health & Well-being Boards, about aligning governance and promoting prevention, early intervention and wider well-being;

(7)

considers how the voice of the community is included in Safer Plymouth’s prioritisation;

8)

considers what Safer Plymouth can offer to partners with regard to ensure the community is taken into account in major decisions.