The council wants to work with
the community to protect young people. There are many things the
council can do itself, but there also many other agencies and
organisations that have a role to play in keeping young people safe
in Southwark. To get a better understanding of the issues and the
best way these can be addressed by the community, Southwark Council
has decided to establish a youth violence cross-party panel. The
Panel will investigate the root causes of youth violence
(particularly knife crime) and explore possible solutions. The
Panel will be chaired by the council’s Cabinet Member for
Community Safety and Public Health and will be made up of 6
politicians (4 Labour and 2 Liberal Democrat councillors) as well
as inviting two young people from local youth organisations to be
Panel members.
The Panel will meet around six
times over the next 6 months and will produce a final report
afterwards. At each session, the Panel will be presented with
evidence (written and verbal) from public bodies, community
organisations and individuals. The Panel will decide from whom it
receives evidence and can ask questions of those giving
evidence.
Though set up by the council to
inform its work, the Panel will examine the role and activities of
a wide variety of agencies and organisations, including the police,
health services, schools and youth services, community groups, as
well as the experiences of individuals such as parents and young
people. The Panel will gather and assess the evidence to build a
picture of youth violence and knife crime in Southwark, what is
being done to reduce violence and to make recommendations to the
council that can lead to more effective interventions.
The Panel will meet for the
first time on 13 December at 5pm-7:30pm at 160 Tooley Street. At that
meeting, the Panel will agree its agenda and timetable It will also
be presented with a detailed case study that illustrates the range
of issues that can be involved in a particular incidence of
violence. The Panel will then hear evidence about the location and
levels of violent crime in Southwark and the different roles and
capacities of public authorities.
Terms of Reference
1.
To lead and co-ordinate evidence
gathering from local stakeholders and responsible public sector
organisations.
2.
To build a picture of the current
status of youth violence and knife crime in Southwark.
3.
To use this evidence to inform the
council’s response to tackling youth violence and knife
crime.
4.
The panel will identify and agree
specific issues to consider in their first meeting.
5.
The panel will agree a final report
back to the cabinet / cabinet member for community safety and
public health including any recommendations by the end of the
2018/19 municipal year.
6.
Following the final report back ,
the panel shall come to an end.