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Just two weeks after the success of the E-CINS National Conference, Sussex Police held their own User Group Conference in Slaugham with 120 representatives from across the county attending the event.

Review of the Sussex E-CINS User Group Conference held 5 December 2013

Feedback from attendees:

a groundswell of positivity from all attendees

created a lot of discussion and reflection

this seems to be too good to be true, it appears to be an

excellent solutionthat needs robust

partnership participation

91% thought that a Multi Agency Casework System

was essential

82% thought that E-CINS was the appropriate solution

“ “The Sussex conference, which focused on Engaging Partners, was spearheaded by E-CINS Champion and practitioner, Sergeant Melanie Locke of Sussex Police.

Speaking after the event Sergeant Locke said “We had a tremendous turnout and were delighted with the feedback we received. We have been using E-CINS for 2 and a half years now, for ASB and Hate Crime, and we felt it was important to run a dedicated E-CINS event to give others the opportunity to see the benefits it creates for us.

There were several questions raised on feedback with many attendees focussing on how and when Sussex Police will take this forward. This is our next challenge and we will be working with each of the districts in the early part of this year to manage this. Several new areas of business have requested that they start to work with E-CINS.”

Delegates in attendance included Katy Bourne - Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner, Deputy Chief Constable Giles York, Sussex Police Force’s Information Manager, the Force Diversity Manager, Inspectors across the whole force, a representative from each of the Neighbourhood Policing Teams, the Community Safety Manager for each area, Fire Brigade, Mental Health Services, Police Officers, Council Employees and Partners from across the board.

Representatives from IOM, restorative justice and domestic violence were also present and expressed an interest in using E-CINS.

Sergeant Locke said “We engage with a range of partners via E-CINS and we were delighted to welcome so many of them to the conference”.

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Partners in attendance included:Sanctuary Housing ● YMCA ● Moat Housing ● Think Family Commissioning Manager ● RISE (Domestic Violence) ● Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust ● Representatives from Barnardos ● Local Safeguarding Childrens Board Manager (LSCB) ● Policy Manager for East Sussex County Council ● Representatives from Brighton and Hove Council ● Southern Housing ● Think Family Expansion Business Improvement Manager ● Police Licensing.

Sergeant Locke continued “My experience of working with E-CINS began when I was ASB and Hate Crime Co-ordinator within the city of Brighton and, ever since, I've been instrumental in promoting its benefits to other areas of the force, partners and external agencies.

E-CINS has revolutionised partnership working in Sussex by creating an environment where everyone knows what everyone else is doing, enabling bespoke care plans to be developed by multiple agencies who are all aware of the bigger picture.

A prime example of how E-CINS has helped us is by drastically reducing the referrals timescale. The referral process for DV MARAC can take up to 8 days whereas with ECINS you can take it down to sometimes as little as 2 hours.

The purpose of the conference was to assist those who are already using E-CINS to share their good practice, for those who were thinking about adopting E-CINS to see it in action and for partners and staff who had no understanding, to give them their first introduction.

The format took a range of presentations in the morning followed by workshops in the afternoon where open discussions took place on subjects including Getting Started; Domestic Abuse; Street Community; ASB and Hate.

We are now very close to getting 60-70% of the force signed up and, following the conference, we are now proposing to move into new business areas of IOM, Restorative Justice, repeat DV perpetrators under Clare's Law and Signature, which runs across the whole force as part of Operation Jessica.

One of the key messages I wanted to get across at the conference is that E-CINS really does revolutionise information sharing. Eventually I would hope to see an E-CINS Team in every force nationally and for those teams to establish a Think Tank to standardise a way of us all working together. Already the conference has inspired other forces to look at running a similar event so that they can encourage others across the country to sign up to E-CINS.

The key outcome of the conference was that itreinforced the message that E-CINS is the preferred

multi-agency system across Sussex

Sergeant Melanie Locke, Sussex Police

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I would hope to see an E-CINS Team in every force nationally and for those teams to establish a Think Tank to standardise a way of us all working together.

Sgt Melanie LockeSussex Police

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Biography

Gary Dewey is acting Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator for Adur and Worthing Councils and has been a member of the Council’s Safer Communities Team since 2009. Gary has been instrumental in developing and embedding a number of initiatives and approaches in the management and reduction of Anti-Social Behaviour.

A retired Police Officer, Gary has undertaken a variety of roles and responsibilities within both the Metropolitan and Thames Valley Police Services. Since 1998 and the implementation of the Crime and Disorder Act, Gary has been involved with and gained significant experience in partnership working and his expertise has focused on developing multi-agency responses, directed at crime and disorder reduction. 

Gary is a member of the Institute of Community Justice Professionals and has studied Law at the University of Southampton and Business Management at the University of Sussex.    

Speaker SummaryAdur and Worthing Safer Communities Team have been using E-CINS for 14 months to support and deliver multi-agency interventions to case manage instances of ASB. Gary spoke about his own experiences of working with the system and the benefits it has brought to his team and partners.

"We recognised that we were not always working as efficiently as we could from a partnership and multi-agency perspective and that there is always room for improvement. E-CINS has positively changed the way we work and is the perfect platform for us to adapt and grow our responses to all aspects of ASB case management.

Prior to adopting E-CINS we were embroiled in the constant exchange of e-mail and telephone communications between professionals that were not always efficiently documented, recorded and easily auditable. Data analysis and the retrieval and sharing of information with partners was difficult and time consuming. We were holding regular multi-agency problem solving meetings, but there were often logistical difficulties in getting the right people around the table and a lack of relevant information arose on a number of occasions. NPT staff were using hard copy Orange Problem Solving Files and if the author of the PSF was absent or out of the office, it was difficult to resolve any concerns. Often information contained in PSFs was incomplete, out of date and invariably deficient in detail concerning information owned by other agencies.

Another problem we had was that there was a culture of fear amongst professionals surrounding the sharing of information which created a 'bubble effect'. Team members would be asked to provide information about an individual and, without the ability to see the bigger picture, would be cautious or confused around the rights and responsibilities concerning data protection and whether they could provide the information requested of them.

It became clear that we had no specific mechanism for overseeing, co-ordinating and auditing Multi-Agency ASB Case Working and that it was essential we make some significant changes.

Also speaking at the event was Gary Dewey, Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator, Adur & Worthing Safer Communities Team.

Here’s a summary of Gary’s presentation.

“E-CINS has positively

changed the way we work

and is the perfect

platform for us to adapt and

grow our responses to all aspects of

ASB case management”.

Gary Dewey, ASB Co-ordinator

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Why Have Adur and Worthing Adopted the use of E-CINS?We came to adopt E-CINS because we had specific goals we needed to achieve and we felt that a multi-agency case management system was required. However, what we actually have with E-CINS is more than just a case management tool. E-CINS for us is essentially a problem-solving tool. It has allowed us to achieve our main objectives of reducing the need for meetings, saving time, speeding up efficiencies and improving communication with partners and it has enabled us to achieve so much more.

• We have increased our joint capabilities in managing cases involving repeat and vulnerable victims of ASB. Because everything is shared electronically via E-CINS we have also reduced paper based multi-agency ASB case working and management and dispensed with our Orange File system.

• We can now provide partners with easy and expedient access to up-to-date, important and relevant facts and information from a variety of sources. This has led to increased engagement and consultation with key partners before jointly agreeing the way forward.

• Because all the information is uploaded directly to E-CINS we have been able to reduce the continual exchange of e-mail and telephone communications between partners when seeking case updates and information. The data security features integrated within the E-CINS platform dispense with the need for secure e-mail to e-mail pathways between professionals, such as GCSX and as such, makes secure e-mail communication between professionals less cumbersome.

• A huge benefit in using E-CINS is that it has allowed partners to see the bigger picture and understand how their work fits into it. In the past it was often difficult to identify the lead agency on a case, now we can clearly identify the lead agency and all professionals involved in the case. The setting and completion of case related actions and tasks are simple and efficient. E-CINS also assists with Identifying, discussing and evaluating

proposed solutions by allowing partners to see what is currently being achieved

and by whom.

• By creating an environment where everyone knows what everyone else is doing it has removed the fear of partners surrounding information sharing and create an easily accessible point of reference for any information held.

This has led to directed and time efficient action planning in

the management of vulnerable and repeat victims, who are

experiencing ASB. E-CINS has also enabled quick identification and

assessment of potential risk of harm to repeat and vulnerable victims whist assisting in the way we respond to and manage such reports.

Engaging PartnersWe have been able to engage with many more partners since adopting E-CINS. We are currently working with the following agencies as part of our multi-agency team:

Adur and Worthing Safer Communities Team

Adur and Worthing Neighbourhood Policing Teams

Registered Social Landlords

Adur and Worthing Environmental Protection Team

Worthing Homes

Adur Homes

Individual Social Care Practitioners

Think Family Key Workers

Young Persons Drug and Alcohol Worker

Police Response Team Sergeants

Council Housing Temporary Accommodation Team

As cases arise I invite new partners to come on board but I also have a list of potential partners

“what we actually have

with E-CINS is more than just a case

management tool. E-CINS for us is essentially a

problem-solving tool”.Gary Dewey, Adur & Worthing Safer

Communities Team

E-CINS has made practitioners' lives easier and it has been positively embraced by all the people who use it.

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that I am actively looking to engage with including third sector, adjoining districts, fire service, pastoral managers, schools, adult social care and mental health.

To sign up new partners I invite them along to a problem solving meeting and show them E-CINS in operation. When they see the system working for themselves, the benefits are clear to see and the professionals go back to their team and communicate the benefits for us.

It is inspiring because of its simplicity - in fact it's automated in many respects.

What do we use E-CINS for?Adur and Worthing Partners utilise E-CINS as our primary victim and perpetrator, ASB Case Management tool and is used to support our –

• ASBRAC – Anti-Social Behaviour Risk Assessment Conference (Multi-agency platform which delivers the management of repeat and vulnerable, Medium and High Risk ASB Victims)

• EIP – Early Intervention Project.

• Street Community - Op-Group

• Think Family work.

• Day to day Multi-Agency ASB reporting/recording and case management.

• Management of data/reports/information concerning ASB Hotspots.

Adur and Worthing are seen as pioneers in ASB Case Working, which is being greatly enhanced through our ever increasing use and application of E-CINS. We have been called upon by other teams seeking to adopt and implement our approach to our E-CINS facilitated, Multi-Agency - ASB Case Working method.

E-CINS has given us a visual representation of what we should be doing and what we are responsible for. It has made practitioners' lives easier and it has been positively embraced by

all the people who use it. There isn't a day that goes by without someone mentioning E-CINS, it's become a feature of my daily life and is absolutely central to helping us achieve better outcomes for repeat and vulnerable people cases”.

Contact:

Gary Dewey – ASB Co-ordinator, Adur & Worthing Safer Communities Team.

Tel - 01273 446402Email - gary.dewey@adur-worthing.gov.uk

“E-CINS, has become a feature of my daily life and is absolutely central to helping us achieve better outcomes for repeat and vulnerable

We have been able to reduce the continual exchange of e-mail and telephone communications between partners

when seeking case updates and information

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Case Study:Vulnerable Adult and ASB

The issue: The subject presented with a learning disability, suffered long standing depression and was anxious about an ongoing dispute between himself and his neighbours (some 10 years), involving allegation and counter allegation between all parties concerned.

Allegations made to a variety of agencies included the subject –

• Being verbally abusive/threatening towards his neighbours

• Making offensive hand gestures towards his neighbours

• Staring at his neighbours

• Frightening the neighbours children

• Threatening to cause damage to neighbours property

• Counter allegations made by the subject against his neighbours included –

• Being verbally abused by the teenage children of his neighbours

• Threats of assault being levelled at him by his neighbours

• Episodes of low level intimidation and harassment

The subject presented as an ASB perpetrator based on witness testimony and although an ASB perpetrator, agencies were aware of the potential for the subject being a victim of ‘hate crime’ based on concerns that his neighbours provoked him into shouting at them and then they would call the police.

The subject was known to a variety of agencies including the SCT and local NPT, who quickly

recognised that he was in fact a vulnerable person and a victim of misunderstanding and some intolerance levelled at him by his neighbours, potentially connected with his learning disability and mental health issues.

The Approach:In identifying the vulnerability of the perpetrator, agencies adopted an early intervention/prevention based approach to managing the situation between the perpetrator and his neighbours. The E-CINS platform provided the vehicle for a joined up multi-agency approach to the management of a complex and challenging Hate/ASB related case.

E-CINS played a vital role in enabling agencies to talk to each other and manage the many and complex issues surrounding this case and helped direct and facilitate -

• Multi-agency Problem Solving Meeting

• Management and dissemination of feedback from residents (including perpetrator) in relation to circulation of ASB Matrix – Response from perpetrator identified his counter allegations against his neighbours

• ASB Risk Assessments

• Consultation with Mediation Service

• Engagement with Social Services and perpetrators GP (through his informed consent), in order to facilitate a MH assessment.

• Identification of Advocate to represent/support subject initiated.

• Referral of the perpetrator to MENCAP for on-going support.

The Result:Post case conclusion, the E-CINS platform enables professionals to easily remain actively connected to ongoing developments and monitor -

• Progress surrounding specialist learning support being provided to the subject

• MENCAP support being provided to subject

• Monitoring of any ASB reporting in order to identify any emerging issues and deal with them expediently.

Although the subject is identified as a perpetrator of ASB, his MH and learning disability issues coupled with the intolerance shown to him by his neighbours identified the subject as a victim / vulnerable individual. E-CINS enabled agencies to ensure that any harm associated risk factors/vulnerability factors were quickly identified, resulting in multi-agency support and protective measures being expediently delivered.

by Gary Dewey, Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator, Adur & Worthing Safer Communities Team

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Celebrating Renewals

Going Live

Thank you to Ashfield in Nottinghamshire and Chichester in West Sussex who have renewed with E-CINS for another year and to Tamworth, Staffs who are going into their 3rd year with E-CINS. Here's what Chichester’s Pam Bushby said about E-CINS:

"Since implementing ECINS in January 2013 we have extended its use from initially ASB case management to supporting the work of our Rough Sleeper Panel around vulnerable people and also to track unlawful encampments.  

E-CINS is being used by a variety of Partners and internal departments and is proving an effective and secure way of sharing information.

ECINS has been invaluable in tracking unlawful encampments and allowing us to prepare for the year ahead. We have been so impressed by the system that it is now embedded in our daily work routines. We have funded ECINS for another year and are discussing with partners the value of sustaining this funding for the coming years."

Pam Bushby, Communities Interventions Manager, Community Safety, Chichester District Council

We are pleased to welcome Warwickshire and Poole in Dorset to the E-CINS Family this month.

Here’s what the Borough of Poole’s Ian Cooke has to say about his county adopting E-CINS for ASB:“For a number of years all the agencies working in the field of anti-social behaviour in Poole have operated a victim centred approach based on assessing risk and vulnerability.  We then create plans around those assessed most vulnerable at a monthly multi-agency Vulnerable Victims Conference with a referral to our Victim Support Officer.

Those of us with a strategic responsibility for ASB are confident we have this part of the equation “nailed” but a gaping hole was information sharing.  It was not a case of a lack of information sharing or a reluctance to do so but one based on relationships rather than a consistent, regular approach.

Poole now has the opportunity to join the E-CINS Family and take information sharing in the town to a different level. Poole Council’s Safer Communities Team and the Families with Futures Programme have signed up to E-CINS alongside Poole Housing Partnership, the local ALMO, and Dorset Police.

Poole agreed to pilot E-CINS as part of a Dorset wide plan to introduce an information sharing platform whilst a couple of other agencies tried

alternative systems already in place. In March we will feedback to the PCC where decisions will be made over which system could be rolled out Dorset wide.

Already we are seeing the potential benefits of E-CINS in improving case management  and in improved communications between partners. As a result we will be able to act more quickly to changing circumstances, be more efficient and effective, but more importantly be able to protect and support vulnerable and repeat victims of ASB much better.

I am really looking forward to utilising all that E-CINS has to offer and to it being rolled out much wider in terms of Poole’s agencies and across Dorset in the near future”

Ian Cooke, Safer Communities ManagerBorough of Poole, Dorset

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Rachael Slack: Deaths 'could have been prevented'The partner of a woman murdered with her young son insists that the deaths could have been prevented if information had been shared amongst agencies.

Andrew Cairns stabbed his pregnant ex-partner Rachael Slack and their 23-month-old son Auden in 2010 at their Derbyshire home before killing himself.

A Serious Case Review found that authorities could not have predicted that he would kill them but Ms Slack's partner Robert Barlow and charity Refuge attacked the report, saying more could have been done.

Sandra Horley, chief executive of the national domestic violence charity, said the findings of the review "contradicted" the outcome of last year's inquest, which found police failure to impress on Ms Slack the danger she and Auden faced "more than minimally contributed" to their deaths.

"The coroner at the inquest found that, despite making an assessment that Rachael and Auden were both at high risk of homicide, Derbyshire Police failed to discuss with Rachael adequate steps that could have been taken to address the risks to Auden," Ms Horley said.

"The police also failed to inform Rachael that they had assessed her and Auden as being at high risk of homicide. As a result, Rachael was denied the opportunity to make an informed choice about her and Auden's safety."

Ms Slack's partner at the time, Mr Barlow, said if information about Mr Cairns had been better shared between professionals, the deaths could have been prevented.

He said: "There were too many mistakes made throughout Andrew's care and too many mistakes made with Rachael's safety back at home after he was arrested.

Agencies and individuals didn't have, or didn't share information - it meant they couldn't make whole judgements on decisions," he said.

Their safety relied on those decisions being made properly."

Robert Barlow said his ex-partner and her son were at high risk of homicide

On 27 May he was arrested after making threats to kill Ms Slack but released on police bail after denying the accusations.

The report by the Derby Safeguarding Children Board (DSCB) said officers had no contact with Ms Slack or Mr Cairns about his mental health issues. They were also not told of his behaviour after his release from custody or that he had been hanging around outside Ms Slack's home after his release.

"Other agencies and professionals had, at most, partial information regarding these events," the report said.

The DSCB has made a number of recommendations, which include better sharing of information and monitoring of informal carers who provide support to people with mental health problems, particularly where children are involved.

E-CINS Founder Gary Pettengell said “this case sadly echoes ACC Mark Hopkins of Cambs Police’s words at the E-CINS Conference in November when he said “the consistent message around any review or any perceived failing is frequently that somebody, somewhere knew something and didn't share it. Or that the association with one piece of information in one context wasn't clear and a failing occurred. The whole E-CINS process is about engaging partners and making sure that we don't lose those opportunities”.

Contact UsEmpowering-CommunitiesRiverside Business Centre,Riverside Road,Lowestoft, Suffolk,NR33 0TQ

Tel: +44(0)1502 537719Fax: +44(0)1502 531988Email: info@empowering-communities.orgwww.empowering-communities.org

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Current UsersBelow are just some of the organisations accessing and sharing information on E-CINS There are

more joining all the time

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