Minutes:
Click here to view a recording of this item on You Tube
The Chair then invited Ben Griffin, PC Chloe Geary and PC Patryck Polom to give a presentation to the Committee on NCC Targeted Youth Support Services. She also introduced Jeff Rafter and Chris Forster to the meeting.
Ben Griffin explained that he wanted to raise awareness of what they were doing and what detached Youth Work was which aimed to engage young people in places and spaces of their choice. He explained that the approaches for engagement were:
· Street based outreach
· Relationship building
· Peer Support
· Skill development
· Advocacy
Detached youth work in King’s Lynn began in January 2021, and had development strong relationships with a core group of people in King’s Lynn, who see the team regularly (3 times a week).
One of the targeted sessions related to Pizza Projects which was a youth drop-in session aimed at promoting positive well-being. The session helped to promote:
· Informal education
· Education through fun activities
· Access to professionals they could trust
· Social and emotional development
· Confidence
· Signposting
· Safe space for parents
There was also another project The Beacon Garden.
During the Pizza Projects session PC Patryk Polom had been a regular attendee and had built up a strong rapport with the young people which had helped to increase the respect for himself and the Police in general.
PC Patryk Polom went through Police Intervention statistics which demonstrated the positive impact of the projects. He also outlined the positive outcomes that had arisen out of the Beacon.
Jeff Rafter provided information to the Committee on the Targeted Youth Support Service (TYSS).
Ben Griffin stated that they would like to expand to other areas in King’s Lynn and Fairstead was the next area they would like to work in.
PC Chloe Geary, Beat Manager for Gaywood, Fairstead and Reffley and looking at the crime stats there had not been a significant reduction as seen in North Lynn, which demonstrated that something was working well there. There was antisocial behaviour taking place in Fairstead in the form of off-road bikes, and she believed that by bringing Pizza projects to Fairstead it would bring children from Fairstead and Gaywood off the streets and help to address the issues. She added that face to face talking with the children and adults really helped the Police.
The Chair thanked, Ben, Patryk, Chloe, Chris and Jeff for the presentation. She added that herself and several other Councillors attended the Creating Communities event at the Beacon Church and saw first-hand the relationship that was had with the young people. She added that Chloe and Patryk would more accurately represent and reflect young people and also the input the Churches Together were having.
Councillor Bartrum added that she knew first hand what the team did for young people. She thanked the team and encouraged the expansion of the scheme into Fairstead.
Councillor Heneghan stated that it was amazing work that was being carried out and asked if there was anything stopping it being carried out.
It was explained that it was resources that stopped it rolling out into other areas. It was explained that there were Youth Workers available but there were not the finances to employ them.
The Chair reminded the Committee that she had applied for Shared Prosperity Funding, one for North Lynn and one for South Lynn and was informed that the application had been passed to the second stage. She advised that further consideration was needed around the applications.
Councillor Bone stated that this was an amazing project and commended the team on the work carried out. He asked what the Committee could do to be involved. Ben advised contact could be made with the line manager.
The Chair pointed out that this was not a statutory service and she believed that it could be funded and work towards the Corporate Plan. She added that would also link well to the Marmot initiative.
Councillor Heneghan added that this project would save money in the long-term.
Councillor Jones who attended the Pizza project commented that the respect that the young people had for the team was very noticeable and the change for the young people would be dramatic not only in the statistics but in everything else.
Councillor Mrs Collop asked if other Ward Councillors could be invited along to one of the sessions. It was advised that the sessions took place at 3.30 pm on a Friday afternoon.
Councillor Kemp commended the project and asked if there was anything that elected members could do.
Councillor Colwell referred to the statistic and stated that it was very encouraging. As he was the County Councillor for the Fairstead area he asked to be involved.
The Chair commented that a Youth Group did take place at the community hub at St Faith’s and the Reverend Kyla was keen for it to be held at Centre Point in Fairstead.
Councillor Mrs Wilkinson, Ward Member for Fairstead, added that she was fully on board with the project and any money that she had left in her Councillor Community Fund would go towards this project.
Councillor Everett, Ward Member for Fairstead, again echoed that anything left in his Councillor allowance would go towards the project. He added that the young people needed something to do.
Councillor Mrs Collop asked that any leftover money from the King’s Lynn Councillors Community Fund could go towards the project. The Chair advised that she had been advised that it would not be appropriate for the money to go towards one-off projects. She added that the shared prosperity funding application could go towards it.
She advised that the newly formed Committee could apply for funding.
She hoped that the team had heard how much they were appreciated and thanked them for attending and the presentation given to the Committee and looked forward to doing more work with them in the future.