Memorandum of Understanding between Sussex Police and SHORE November 2014

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDINGRough Sleeping and Street Community

Sussex PoliceSussex Homeless Outreach Reconnection & Engagement (SHORE)Crime Reduction Initiatives (CRI) - Rough Sleeper Street Services Relocation Team (RSSSRT) St Mungo’s Broadway - Sussex Outreach Service (SOS)

November 2014

1. Introduction1

Memorandum of Understanding between Sussex Police and SHORE November 2014

This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Sussex Police, SHORE, CRI RSSSRT and St Mungo’s Broadway SOS identifies a collaborative strategic and operational approach to tackling rough sleeping and street nuisance. This includes joint work with a range of partners to protect both vulnerable people and the settled community, by tackling the homelessness, ill health, crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB) associated with rough sleeping and street nuisance.

The intention is to invite East Sussex CC, West Sussex CC, Kent, Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to sign up to the MOU in 2015.

2. Definitions

A rough sleeper is someone who sleeps in the open air (such as on the streets, in doorways, parks or bus shelters) or in buildings not designed for human habitation such as barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations or "bashes" (DCLG, Evaluating the extent of rough sleeping, 2010).

A member of the street community is someone who spends a significant amount of time on the streets or in other public areas and who may or may not have accommodation. They will have a substance misuse issue and/or a mental health issue and have a chaotic history (Sussex Police, Operation Packet 2012).

Not all members of a Street Community will be rough sleepers. Many members of the street community have accommodation, though it is often short term and insecure and they are at risk of rough sleeping.

3. Purpose

The purpose of this MoU is to agree a common understanding of the street population, including rough sleepers, and the individual and collective roles and responsibilities of all signatories to:

reduce risk and harm perpetrated by and against the street community relating to crime and disorder;

prevent and reduce rough sleeping by the effective co-ordinated delivery of public services.

4. Statement of Intent

To agree joint work to

• Identify and assess risk and harm• Use E-CINS to manage cases swiftly and effectively to reduce risk and

harm relating to anti-social behavior (ASB)

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Memorandum of Understanding between Sussex Police and SHORE November 2014

• Identify rough sleepers, those at risk of rough sleeping, and members of the street community

• Use resources available, including SHORE funding, to improve access to emergency and move-on accommodation

• Agree and use SHORE and UKBA funds to resource a robust national and international reconnections protocol

• Develop a robust data sharing protocol to promote effective joint work• Improve access to health, drug, alcohol, mental health and other relevant

services for rough sleepers and members of the street community• Reduce offending and re-offending

5. Role of the MoU partners

a) SHORE

Priorities of the SHORE Action Plan and Reconnections Protocol are reflected in this MoU:http://shorehomeless.wordpress.com/publications/

The 13 Sussex local authorities within SHORE will:

• Use resources available, including DCLG funding, to ensure that outreach teams have access to emergency accommodation for people sleeping rough, including those with no recourse to public funds

• Provide an accessible homelessness and housing options service for people with chaotic lifestyles

• Agree and use SHORE funds to resource a robust national and international reconnections protocol

• Agree a data sharing protocol• Support multi agency initiatives such as regular street outreach services

and pop-up hubs for rough sleepers or the street community • Achieve better outcomes by supporting the case management process for

named individuals with entrenched behaviour by sharing relevant personal information on clients (with their consent) to other agencies providing support and enforcement, using E-CINS as the main management tool in Sussex (CRI also use InForm in Brighton & Hove)

• Assess the viability and options of developing new accommodation options such as The Lodge, SHORE personalised budgets and Housing First to improve accommodation outcomes and report back to MOU signatories within six months.

• Develop a joint media strategy to manage the perceptions of the public around the street community and rough sleepers

• Carry out an annual count of rough sleepers in the autumn of each year.

b) Sussex Police

Priorities of the Police and Crime Commissioner's Plan are reflected in this MoU

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Memorandum of Understanding between Sussex Police and SHORE November 2014

http://www.sussex-pcc.gov.uk/police-crime-plan/ Priorities for Sussex Police are set out in the Operational Delivery Plan:http://www.sussex-pcc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ODP_2014_v08_High-Res.pdf

Sussex Police will:

• Carry out an annual street community audit, with outreach services, to identify hot spots and numbers.

• Produce an annual street community report with recommendations to reduce crime and ASB disorder, for consideration by signatories of this MOU.

• Identify the offending behaviour and vulnerabilities of the street communities across Sussex and in Brighton and Hove.

• Promote the use of E-CINS to assist in the case management process• Support rough sleeper outreach teams with counts, estimates and hot spot

counts.• Support outreach services in the roll out of multi agency initiatives such as

regular street outreach shifts and pop up hubs across Sussex.• Work in partnership with CRI and BHT to deliver rolling Emergency

Assessment Centres in Brighton & Hove• Identify best practice in tackling rough sleeping and street nuisance across

Sussex and further afield nationally to reduce offending and vulnerability.• Develop a joint media strategy to manage the perceptions of the public

around the street community and rough sleepers.• Agree a data sharing protocol

c) CRI RSSSRT will:

• Provide assertive outreach services to rough sleepers in Brighton & Hove• Verify rough sleepers in Brighton and Hove• Coordinate the annual street counts on behalf of the local authority• Provide quarterly reports to the local authority• Signpost rough sleepers to local support services and day centres• Refer rough sleepers with local connection to Band 2 hostel voids where

appropriate• Refer and reconnect rough sleepers to their area of local connection, via St

Mungo’s Broadway for Sussex residents• Provide No Second Night Out (NSNO) services with the aim of

accommodating clients within 48 hours of referral• Support destitute economic migrants into employment where appropriate• Refer destitute economic migrants to UKBA where removal is required• Case co-ordinate interventions to tackle street nuisance using E-CINS• Provide specialist services for clients with complex needs• Support delivery of severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP) provision

in Brighton and Hove• Co-ordinate Emergency Assessment Centres with BHT and Sussex Police• Co chair the strategic working groups that support the Brighton and Hove

Homelessness Strategy• Agree a data sharing protocol

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Memorandum of Understanding between Sussex Police and SHORE November 2014

d) St Mungo’s Broadway will:

• Provide assertive outreach rough sleeper services in identified hotspots across Sussex and a reactive service in other areas in Sussex

• With Sussex Police and local authorities, identify and work with members of the street community especially those at risk of rough sleeping, and agree support plans to meet their needs, including the use of SHORE funds for emergency accommodation

• Carry out assessments of the housing, support and healthcare needs of rough sleepers across Sussex

• Lead a multi-agency approach to run pop up hubs across Sussex• Provide a point of contact for members of the public and agencies

concerned about rough sleepers, including referrals from Street Link and other agreed channels

• Implement the SHORE Reconnection Protocol, in partnership with local authorities and other agencies

• Take part in multi agency case conferences on support planning and resettlement of clients

• Identify, track and maintain accurate and up to date records of rough sleepers in Sussex, to help develop a comprehensive performance monitoring system• Agree a data sharing protocol• Identify the most entrenched rough sleepers across Sussex who are most

likely to benefit from SHORE funded personal budgets (PB45)

6. Information sharing

Joint work with rough sleepers and members of the street community necessitates the collecting and sharing of personal data. There is a requirement for the safe and secure handling of such information and the signatories of this MoU will need to agree and adopt a data sharing protocol. This should cover:

• Objectives• Legal requirements• Designated officers• Sharing of routine and non routine information• Personal data• Organisational responsibilities • Complaints procedure.

SHORE has developed a draft multi agency data sharing protocol which is attached at Appendix 1. This will form the basis of the data sharing agreement between the signatories of this MoU.

7. Signatures

1. Signed by:5

Memorandum of Understanding between Sussex Police and SHORE November 2014

Sussex Police, Chief Inspector Steve Biglands

2. Signed by:

SHORE, Peter Gaimster (Chair)

3. Signed by:

CRI, Sarah Mitchell (ISP Cluster Manager)

3. Signed by

St Mungo’s Broadway, Petra Salva (Director)

November 21st 2014

Appendix 1

Draft SHORE data sharing protocol September 2014

Appendix 2

Sussex Police Operation Packet 11 profile 2013

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