North Yorkshire Safe Places

Background• Safe Places - A community

initiative that is nationally

recognised.

• It is for people who may need

more help and support to feel

safe in their local community

• North Yorkshire County Council

are working in partnership with

North Yorkshire Police and other

statutory and voluntary sector

organisations

Safe Places Symbol

This is the Safe Place symbol

It is nationally recognised and

is used to identify a Safe

Place by being displayed in

their door or window

Learning Disability Partnership

Board • The North Yorkshire Learning

Disability Partnership Board

supported work on a project

around people’s experience of

Hate Crime.

• This project highlighted that

people with a Learning

Disability were anxious about

accessing the community they

lived in due to harassment and

bullying.

What we did about this…

Develop a DVD as part of the

“Stand By Me” Mencap project

in partnership with NYCC and

North Yorkshire Police.

People who have a Learning

disability in North Yorkshire

took part in sharing their

experiences and the effect this

had on their lives.

The feedback from people with a

Learning Disability was:

People wanted to feel more

confident when out in the

community.

People wanted somewhere

to go for help, advice and

support.

Feedback Continued…

People wanted a card to help

them explain what their

personal circumstances are

i.e. they get distressed or

struggle with communication.

We responded to this by

piloting a Keep Safe Card.

The feedback was very

positive.

Feedback Continued…

The North Yorkshire Learning Disability

Partnership Board and NYCC formed a

wider project group with North Yorkshire

Police and other statutory and voluntary

sector organisations to set up the Safe

Places scheme

It was decided to open North Yorkshire

Safe Places up to all people who may feel

vulnerable

Members can also opt for a wristband

instead of a keep safe card

Managing the Scheme:

• NYCC have commissioned an organisation : SPS, to

provide support to register members and organisations

• SPS will manage the call centre and responder service

• SPS will monitor the use of cards and wristbands and

escalate issues to health and adult services as

appropriate.

Phase 1

Phase 1 of the scheme involved signing up

organisations across the county to be a Safe

Place. These organisations include:

• County Council Buildings

• Libraries

• Pharmacies

• District Council Buildings

• Extra Care Housing

• Job Centres

• Citizens Advice Bureaus

• Trans Pennine & Northern

Rail Stations

Phase 1 Continued…

• We asked for volunteer’s to sign up as members to

trial the scheme

• We received feedback and used this to improve the

scheme

• We have set up a webpage which contains all the

information about Safe Places

• We made a short film clip which is available on the

webpage to view

www.northyorks.gov.uk/safeplaces

Safe Places Launch

We launched the scheme to the public on 5th May

2016

Guidance

• When you have signed up as a

member or as a Safe Place you will be

sent a membership pack containing all

the required information & guidance

• A presentation you can carry out with staff is available

on our webpage under the ‘Safe Places Guidance and

Information’ section

• This phase involves signing up

more Safe Places and more

members

• We want commercial

organisations and High Street

shops to get involved

• We want people and businesses to recognise the value

of working as a community to help and support

vulnerable people

Phase 2

• A dementia friendly community is where local businesses,

organisations and individuals are working together to help

make their community a place where people living with

dementia and their carers can be a part of, and better enjoy

their lives and communities.

• It is a community where people with dementia are

understood, respected and supported, and confident they can

contribute to community life.

We are working closely with Dementia Friends as we recognise how the

two initiatives are both working to improve the lives of those in need of

support in their communities.

For more information visit:

www.alzheimers.org.uk/dementiafriendlycommunities

Phone: 03307 260 260

or

Email:

safeplaces@spsdoorguard.com

How do I sign up?

To register as a member or as a Safe Place: