Youth Safe Haven

Each Thursday evening 6.30pm – 9pm the Youth Safe Haven Team open the Safe Haven at a local Forum Building situated on the Four Dwellings High School Site, Dwellings Lane, Quinton, Birmingham.

The Youth Safe Haven provides a safe environment for some 80-90  young people between the ages of 10- 17 years, who attend the each week, where they engage in a variety of positive activities. The Youth Safe Haven Team is supported each week by Police Staff from the local Police Neighbourhood Teams, Connexions Personal Advisors, Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators and parents. Each month a Safe Haven disco is held.

Youth Safe Haven Trouble Busters Club

This is a very exciting and rather unique initiative, which was officially launched by Superintendent Glover, F2 Police Operational Command Unit on 8th February 2007

The launch of the Youth Safe Haven Trouble Busters Club

“Trouble Busters” Youth Safe Haven Club, was an idea of a young person at Four Dwellings Primary School, and is an after school club for year-five pupils, where young persons meet the Youth Safe Haven officers, supported by teachers, and engage in positive activities to provide the young people skills to be a positive member of their community and to “stay out of trouble”. Trouble Busters supports the Extended Provisions In and Around the Quinton Schools.

Off-Site and Summer Activity Programmes

Young People on top of a mountain during a recent trip to the Lake District

During the last 18 months the Quinzone ~ Police Youth Safe Haven Team have secured funding and established an excellent working partnership with Birmingham Outdoor Education Centre, which has provided an opportunity to take young people off-site to Wales, the Lake District and Derbyshire, where the young people have engaged in:

1. Canoeing ( canal & white water)
2. Sailing
3. Hill -walking
4. Problem solving
5. Rock climbing (Indoor and Outdoor)
6. Mountain biking
7. Camping and night walk.

The activities are designed to develop their:

• Self Esteem
• Motivation
• Confidence
• Decision Making
• Self Discipline
• Communication Skills
• Patience
• Group Awareness
• Team Works Skills

 

During the 2008 school summer holidays the Youth Safe Have Team worked with 30 young people who, during the last twelve months, had been:

• Referred to the Quinton Youth Inclusion Support Panel (YISP) and Common Assessment Framework (CAF) Panel
• Encountered by the police at locations of anti social behaviour and/or crime.
• Exclusions from school & Connexions referrals.
• Participating in the FLIP Programme -South West School’s -“Exclusion Prevention Programme”
• Post 16+ (SEN/Vulnerable) Young People ( Pilot scheme by Four Dwellings High School)
• Local NEETs young people (Not in Employment, Education or Training)

In partnership with the Birmingham Outdoor Education Centre the 30 young people engaged in a four-week programme during the summer holidays where taken to a number of off-site adventure activity centres

• Canoeing ( canal & white water)
• Sailing
• Hill -walking
• Problem solving
• Rock climbing (Indoor and Outdoor)
• Mountain biking
• Camping and night walk

Although the full assessment of the impact these activities had on the behaviour of these young people has not been completed to-date, early information and evidence indicates that many of the group have shown a positive behavioural change both in school, the home environment and their neighbourhood, and that crime and anti social behaviour was reduced significantly during the school holidays

Young People enjoying a dip in Edgbaston Reservoir during the Summer Holidays Activity Programme

During the last few years the Youth Safe Haven Team have supported the local Police Neighbourhood Team and have organised and delivered  football tournaments involving hundreds of children and young people from 18 local schools and the local neighbourhoods

This exciting initiative has now developed a much-cherished partnership with the English Football Association.

Local Young People enjoying Halloween Night

In October 2007 the Youth Safe Haven Team, supported by the local Police Neighbourhood Team, led an innovative and exciting new initiative held on Halloween Night. The initiative was aimed at keeping young people safe on this ever increasing popular night, reducing anti social behaviour and reassuring residents, particularly the elderly.

The Safe Haven Team organised Halloween related activities for the local young people on the night thus reducing the ‘trick’ or treat’ and nuisance. The Safe Haven Team took a number of elderly residents out of the area for an evening meal and entertainment, which helped to reduce their anxiety during the ‘trick’ or treat’ visits.

 So successful was the event that this initiative is being used as best practice by the West Midlands Police and the Youth Safe Haven Halloween Night is now a regular date in the diary.

This year the Safe Haven Team and local Neighbourhood Police Team secured a local Community Day Centre where they held a Halloween themed disco accompanied by numerous Halloween themed activities. All the staff of Safe Haven and Police Team where dressed in the appropriate scary attire for such an event.