This document summarizes the efforts of a task force in Cliftonville, UK to address social issues through community engagement. It describes the many agencies involved in the task force and challenges they faced such as poverty, homelessness, and health inequalities. It provides details on gang activity and the housing situation. The task force used a collaborative approach, first holding a listening event to understand community needs and then a feedback event to share plans. Their goal was to empower the community and reduce strain on public services by addressing root causes of issues.

1. Unleashing Community Potential
Releasing latent community capacity to strengthen your community
www.c2connectingcommunities.co.uk
SOCIETY LOCAL COUNCIL CLERKS
WEBINAR 3
THE STORY OF ABC: A BETTER CLIFTONVILLE: ‘THE
POWER OF SIMPLY LISTENING TO A COMMUNITY’
WITH HAZEL STUTELEY, PAUL MORGAN, MARTIN SKEET & KAY BYATT
’

3. Group Manager Martin Skeet
Kent Fire & Rescue Service
Tactical Lead Officer
Inspector Mark Pearson
Kent Police
Deputy Lead Officer

4. Margate Task Force - 30 Staff
Kent County Council (KCC) Community
Wardens
KCC Social Services (Children)
KCC Trading Standards
Police
Kent Fire & Rescue Service
Probation Service
Job Centre Plus (DWP)
TDC Housing
NHS – Public Health (GP, Health Trainers,
Health Visitor, Community Psychiatric
Nurse)
Family Intervention Workers (Troubled
Families)
Kent Council for Addiction ( KCA &
Turning Point)
Thanet District Council (TDC)
Enforcement Services
Global Generation – Pipeline,
Community Action Teams, Community
Pastors
United Kingdom Border Agency
CXK (16-18 yo NEETS)
Thanet Community Networks

5. Challenges/Problem Spaces
• Benefit Changes
• Placement of Vulnerable People &
Poverty
• Homes of Multiple Occupancy
• Organised Crime
• Extreme Health Inequalities

6. Case Study 1.

7. Case Study 2.

11. Gangs’ Co-operative
Russians, Lithuanians, Latvians, Orientals, local white English – Cannabis
Cultivation
Czechs, Slovaks, Czech Roma, Slovak Roma, local white English, Local
Afro-Caribbeans, London Afro-Caribbeans – supply and distribution
Heroin, Cocaine, Pervitin, MDMA
Local and London Borough Polish – organised Shoplifting
Pakistanis and Czech/Slovak Roma – Handling Stolen Goods from drug
generated crime and ‘Sham Marriages’
London Afro-Caribbeans and London white English – transportation of
Class A Drugs into Thanet from London

12. Housing Profile
80+% privately rented
45% single person occupancy
60% of dwellings are flats
Numerous HMOs
50+% fail Decent Homes
Standard
800+ empty properties

13. Youth Crime
Financial Year 2011/12.
Looked After Children (LAC) known to Youth Offending Service: -
52 LAC (10 Kent, 42 Other Local Authority)
Registered Childrens Homes (current residents 11 in total): -
1 Kent, the remainder - 3 Suffolk, 1 Essex, 1 Southwark, 1 Lambeth, 1
Wokingham, 1 Barnet, 1 Buckinghamshire, 1 Warwickshire
Thanet Youth Court (1 week sample): -
Total of 9 clients (6 LAC - 1 Southwark, 2 Medway, 2 Essex, 1 Kent)
Justice Cost of LAC in one week - £15,000 plus associated JCP and medical
costs locally
Thanet Annual LAC Cost £780,000

15. Almost 600 Ambulance Pick-Ups (only 4 specific categories): -
Assault
Overdose & Poisoning
Mental Health – Suicide Attempt
Stab/Shot/Penetrative Trauma (incl. Arm and Hand Stabbing)
Mental Health ‘Heat Map’ (based on 1 local Surgery’s data)
Ambulance Pick-Ups (1 year period)

16. Drain on public resources
Social services
◦ Vulnerable adults
◦ Looked After Children
◦ Drug and alcohol abusers
◦ Mental health problems
PCT
◦ Health inequalities
◦ Admissions to A&E
Police
- Crime levels
- Social cohesion
Probation Service
- Management of ex-offenders
Education
-Poor attainment
- High turnover in schools
- Teenage pregnancies
Thanet DC
- Street cleaning
- Waste management
- Homelessness
- Supported housing
- HMO registration
- Empty Properties
- Regulation of private
landlords
- Housing Benefits

17. Cliftonville postcard invite
translated into 12 different languages!!

18. ABC
A Better
Cliftonville
OUR LISTENING EVENT

23. ABC
OUR FEEDBACK EVENT

30. ‘Right up your Alley’