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Wardens
The Hull Community Wardens Scheme was set up in 2001 with the aim of improving the lives of the residents of Hull. This national award winning service was the first national Home Office approved scheme and is cited as an example of best practice by the Department of Communities and Local Government.
The warden schemes were introduced to Hull as a means of deterring anti social behaviour, tackling crime and the fear of crime, improving the environment and to aid the regeneration of local communities. This has so far been very successful and many people in the city have benefited from the service that is provided.
Story So Far
Recently the Hull Community Warden Scheme has experienced a cut in funding which has resulted in redundancy procedures. Previously, there were 110 wardens employed, across 12 teams. This has now fallen to 38 wardens, working in 7 teams. Although the wardens will be stretched, we will endeavour to maintain a high quality service.
The Wardens’ approach is unique because of their ability to access ‘hard to reach’ groups by building relationships on the street. They become part of the community and quality of life is improved.
What the Wardens’ Provide
The Community Wardens’ contribution to the community falls under four distinct headings;
- Environmental Issues
- Crime Prevention
- Social Inclusion and Older People
- Community Cohesion
From April 2008 to March 2009, the wardens removed 10928 instances of graffiti, carried out 4380 community surveys and collected 12278 needles, as well as 1252 items of drug paraphernalia. They collected 1100 condoms, reported 1415 instances of dumped rubbish and also carried out 4380 community environmental surveys. This has made a huge impact on the areas in which they work and they will continue to carry out these essential services.
With reference to Crime Prevention, the wardens carried out 276 fire surveys, fitted 331 smoke alarms, carried out 1711 car park surveys and gave out 1150 Smartwater kits. They also marked 807 cycles, to deter them from being stolen. There were also 854 referrals to the Anti Social Behaviour Team and 762 reports to the police.
In the last financial year, a big effort was made to support residents, particularly those considered elderly and/or vulnerable. There were 14170 visits to the over 55 year old population as well as 3729 referrals to other organisations. Some of the agencies referred to are Social Services, the Royal British Legion and the Occupational Therapy team. Without the help of the Wardens, it is likely that most of the people we were able to help would not have been reached.
Junior Wardens
This year, our final Junior Wardens schemes have been run throughout the warden areas. We achieved engagement with more than 300 young people, which is a great achievement. The scheme was run on the same basis as last year, whereby teams utilised the facilities in their own communities and schools.
The scheme aimed to deliver within the following ‘Every Child Matters’ guidelines;
- Be healthy
- Stay safe
- Enjoy and achieve
- Make a positive contribution
- Achieve economic wellbeing
Some teams carried out Young First Aiders sessions which were run by St John Ambulance. These were well received and as a result, saw 62 young people become Young First Aiders as a result.
Another activity involving some of the Junior Wardens was visiting the East Hull Dental Practice. This was an addition to the activities for this year and was delivered enthusiastically by the practice. The visits resulted in identifying three young people who had never visited a dentist before. The result was that the practice sent letters to parents and the young people were booked in for check ups.
Old favourites were very much in evidence such as visits to the fire station, museums and Andrew Marvell farm as well as more new visits, such as to Humber Rescue, Humberside Police Dive Unit and Pet Respect received an equally enthusiastic response. Northern Hull wardens also had a session during which a visually impaired resident came into the shop and spoke with the young people about the difficulties suffered by blind people.
Created on: 06/10/2009
Last updated: 13/10/2009
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