News

Read the latest news about the Safer Hastings Partnership, our recent achievements and new initiatives here…

Scheme can make your home safer

EVERYONE wants to feel secure in their homes, but for some people, the costs of improving home security are too much. That’s where the ground-breaking Secure Accommodation Scheme (SAS) can help. SAS offers all local private tenants, owner-occupiers, landlords and Managing Agents an opportunity to improve the overall security of residential accommodation and minimise the risk of break-ins. A number of local partners work together to make the Scheme a success, including Hastings Borough Council, In Touch home improvement agency, the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit and Sussex Police. SAS is also supported by the Safer Hastings Partnership. The Scheme’s Security Advisor can meet with you to survey your home at no cost and with no obligation. We can advise you, in writing, as to what security measures can help to reduce incidents of property-related crime and help you to feel more secure in your home and reduce the fear of crime.

If you receive of one of the following benefits, you may be eligible for FREE equipment and installation as recommended by our Security Advisor:

• Income Support
• Housing Benefit
• Council Tax Benefit
• Income-based Job Seekers’ Allowance
• Pensions Guarantee Credit

Even if you do not receive any of the above benefits, you can still apply for assistance and advice, but you will be asked tocover the cost of materials and pay an administration fee of £10 (plus VAT).
If you have been a victim of domestic violence, burglary, hate crime or are a pensioner or disabled and would like to feel safer and more secure in your home, SAS may be able to help.

The Scheme can provide additional security to residential accommodation to prevent an intruder entering premises within 20 minutes to enable the police to respond (where appropriate). In addition, if you require EMERGENCY assistance to secure your property, the Scheme will endeavour to respond to your enquiry within 48 hours.

The Secure Accommodation Scheme has a proven track record and will work on its continuing success to provide high-quality security.
We can advise on and carry out (where appropriate) the fitting of British Standard Approved door locks, window locks, door chains, spy-holes, key safes, letterbox security hoods, and the fitting of smoke alarms in conjunction with East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service. Fitting of memo minders, door bells for the hard-of-hearing and renewal of broken glazing panels is also available.

Where appropriate, 50 per cent grants are available for Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO) for front entrance doors, door entry phone systems and replacement glass in all windows surrounding the communal door.

If you are a tenant living in an HMO, the freeholder’s permission
for communal doors is required. Please note the installation of
some security equipment may require the permission of your landlord and you would need to allow us to seek this.

If you are a Managing Agent or landlord you will qualify for a 75 per cent discount on security hardware and free installation. For example, a five lever escape mortise lock that costs around £75 would be supplied to you at a cost of £18.75, saving a total of £56.25. Likewise, security hardware totalling £136 would cost you just £34.

More than 400 local properties have already benefited from this heavily discounted scheme. If you want to make your property more secure, please call the Secure Accommodation Scheme on: 0845 274 1101. Alternatively, you can email us at sas@saferhastings.co.uk and our team will be happy to help and advise you.

Hillcrest tackles bullying with range of measures

PEER MEDIATORS, senior students, antibullying videos and even a police officer on staff are just some of the initiatives employed by Hillcrest School to continue their work to make a Hillcrest a school that’s free of bullying.

Hastings Police Community Support Officer Carlos Fernando has joined Hillcrest to work with staff, parents and students to prevent bullying and antisocial behaviour and to combat truancy. Having a police officer on staff is the latest in a raft of measures at Hillcrest. Peer mediation is already in place, with 23 pupils having already completed a one-week training course to enable them to help fellow students who are experiencing problems at the school.

Supported by an experienced outside adult mediator, Hillcrest’s volunteer peer mediators help students in dispute to resolve their problems with mutually agreeable solutions. Hillcrest is the first local secondary school to have a peer mediation scheme set up by Hastings & Rother Mediation Service.

The University of Brighton’s peer mediation training involved Hillcrest students working through case studies dealing with bullying, teacher/pupil conflict and home situations affecting school life. Hastings Neighbourhood Renewal Fund facilitated the project.

Ann Bullen, Assistant Head Teacher, said, “Peer mediation offers many benefits to pupils, teachers and to schools as a whole. By reducing tension, a more positive teaching environment is created. Conflicts are reduced, which in turn leads to lower truancy levels.

“When students show each other respect, it also increases self-esteem among pupils. In addition, it gives them valuable life skills as they have learned to deal with conflict in a positive way.”

taff at Hillcrest also appointed 60 ‘Senior Students’. This status recognises the contributions individual pupils in years 10 and 11 make to the school, and gives them certain privileges and responsibilities.

The selection of Senior Students is based on a variety of criteria, such as excellent attendance, being supportive and helpful to their fellow students, and/or always working to the best of their ability.

Local youth develop manual

TV CELEBRITY Julian Clary met young people from Hastings & St Leonards at a national conference focusing on selfharm in June. Following estimates from the Office of National Statistics that three children in every school class self-harm to some degree, young people from Hastings & St Leonards helped to develop a training manual for those working with young people who self-harm.

They joined Julian Clary to launch the manual at the ‘See Beyond the Label’ conference in London, organised by YoungMinds, the leading national charity committed to improving the mental health of children and young people. Local young people worked with agencies to develop the training manual, which uses innovative work in Hastings and St Leonards in the area of self-harm as an example of good practice. They were also very involved with organising the conference.

The day itself included young people reading their own poetry, a performance from Dab Arts called ‘SHED’ (self-harm eating disorders) and the national premiere of a DVD entitled ‘Sh!!’ that can be used to enhance training. Local work concerning self-harm was started some years ago by Pulse, the Primary Care Trust and other partner organisations when it became apparent that staff did not know how to deal with young people who self-harm. It has included the development of a multi-agency protocol.

Self-harm is not an illness, but is an expression of personal distress. There are many reasons why a person might self-harm. It is often linked to low self-esteem and, while some people self-harm to cope with a specific problem and stop once that problem is resolved, others self-harm for years as a way of coping whenever certain kinds of pressure or feelings arise. Self-harm by young people has a dual impact for community safety. Firstly, it is often used as a coping response to bullying, an issue that partners in education, health, the Youth Service and the Police are working to address.

Secondly, young people who selfharm are more likely to feel excluded from society, which increases the risks of them becoming involved in risky, anti-social or offending behaviour, either as victim or perpetrator.

Local work has brought together more than 30 organisations, who have worked in partnership, led by Pulse. One crucial element to its success has been the involvement of young people from Hastings & St Leonards from the very beginning of the project.

Local teenager Jane, 17, has worked on developing the model and shared her experiences at the conference. She said, “I started self-harming as a way to cope with bullying at school. I didn’t actually know that what I was doing was called self-harm, it was just something I did as a way to take away the stress and pain.

“Getting involved with this project has been really good. We want people to understand what self-harm is, instead of panicking when they are faced with it, and we want people to treat us with respect.

“This has given us the chance to put our voices across and hopefully other young people will be able to get involved in setting up groups around the country.”

The conference was aimed at those who work directly with young people. Louise South, Pulse Project Manager, added, “It’s very pleasing that all the hard work in Hastings and Rother by young people, Pulse, the Primary Care Trust and staff from other organisations has been recognised at this national ‘See Beyond the Label’ conference. “The launch of this training pack can only further increase the skills of frontline workers to respond appropriately to young people who are self-harming.”