Driven by volunteers does not have to mean delivered by amateurs
Neighbourhood Watch is a volunteer-driven, democratic network. promoting social inclusion, cohesion and resilience by helping neighbours look after neighbours.
Volunteers do not have to be amateurs. Those leading Associations and co-ordinating Groups include current and former health, welfare, law enforcement and security professionals.
Teenagers can join in their own right and become co-ordinators at 16 (though they will need a parent or guardian as co-cordinator for safe-guarding purposes until 18).
The only requirement of participants is that they live or work in Lambeth and follow codes of conduct.
The objective of the Lambeth Association (still under development and not yet formally launched) is to put the National Strategy into multi-cultural, multi faith context, with activities to attract and harness the full diversity of local talent.
We seek to involve those living and working locally who have professional skills and responsibilities for community safety, health and welfare. We particularly welcome those who would like to use Neighbourhood Watch to help them work across professional and/or funding silos. We aim to follow best practice in co-operation under shared governance, safety and safeguarding processes (details on national website).
The Association operates in line with a nationally agreed Memorandum of Association and Framework Document for Local Police Neighbourhood Watch Liaison, with locally agreed processes for information sharing and co-operation, including via the Neighbourhood Alert system used by both NHW and Met Engage.
We have three work streams:
- street by street, estate by estate, face to face, recruitment to improve community communication with ward police teams and safer neighbourhood panels and support vulnerable neighbours too scared of being scammed to go on-line.
- programmes with local and national partners to address shared priorities including violence against girls and women, Safe Travel to school/work, Safe Havens in Town Centres and on travel routes, Child Protection (including from peers and on-line), School and Youth engagement and support (including careers, mentoring and work experience)
- engaging with home-based workers and those commuting to the City and/or West End whose employers support them to achieve corporate social responsibility objectives, including digital inclusion and the provision of mentoring and supervised work experience.
And three main constraints
- Funding, although our main aim is to help partners with their funding.
- Continuity of contact with council, health and welfare services and police.
- The ability to attract and appoint MSA and area co-ordinators who enjoy working across diverse communities of Lambeth as well as having the skills and qualities in the MSA job description on the NHW website.