Section A: The organisations and groups within the partnership Lead applicant Name of Organisation: Stevenage Crucial Crew
Type of Organisation: A Not for Profit Voluntary Organisation
Contact details: Contact - Alex Lang
Email - [email protected]
Phone - 01920 822209 or 07717 254912 Address - 14, High Street, Puckeridge, Herts., SG11 1RN
Summary of Stevenage Crucial Crew coordinates six of nine schemes currently running within organisation: Hertfordshire (others are run by a School Consortium, and Councils), and is an interactive safety education initiative for Year 6 children - 10/11 year olds - who are put through their paces over a two-hour visit, with ten scenarios - including: - First Aid, Road, Rail, Electrical, Fire Safety, Internet Safety, Peer Pressure, Environment, Resilience, Stranger Danger, and Safe Medicines. Partner 1 Name of Organisation: Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue
Type of Organisation: Statutory Organisation
Contact details: Contact - Roy Wilsher, CFO Email - [email protected]
Phone - 01992 507611 Address - Fire Service HQ, Old London Road, Hertford, SG13 7LD Summary of To provide a Fire Safety scenario at each of the nine schemes, and to facilitate help and organisation: assistance to Crucial Crew as and when required with coordination and logistics. HF&RS were one of the first organisations to commit to Crucial Crew 26 years ago, and have attended each scheme since. Partner 2 Name of Organisation: Hertfordshire Police
Type of Organisation: Statutory Organisation
Contact details: Contact - PCSO Eva Leake or Insp. Karen Potton Email - [email protected]
Phone - 01438 757321 Address - Police Station, Lytton Way, Stevenage, SG1 1HF Summary of To provide a scenario on Internet Safety, Online Bullying, or Stranger Danger, and arrange organisation: staff at each of the nine Crucial Crew schemes across the County. Herts Police were one of the first organisations to commit to Crucial Crew 26 years ago, and have attended each scheme since. Partner 3 Name of Organisation: Hertfordshire County Council, Road Safety Unit
Type of Organisation: Statutory Organisation
Contact details: Contact - Simon Brown, Road Safety Programme Manager Email - [email protected]
Phone - 01992 556807 Address - County Hall, Pegs Lane, Hertford, SG13 8DN Summary of Hertfordshire County Council provides and staffs a scenario at all nine Crucial Crew organisation: schemes. The County Council also provide a second scenario with the Resilience Team based around Environmental issues. The Road Safety Team at HCC were one of the first organisations to commit to Crucial Crew 26 years ago, and have attended each scheme since. Partner 4
Name of Organisation: UKPN - UK Power Networks
Type of Organisation: Service industry
Contact details: Contact - Ros Forbes Email - [email protected]
Phone - 07875 114319 Address - Fore Hamlet, Ipswich, IP3 8AA Summary of UKPN have kindly provided a scenario and staffing on electrical safety for many years and organisation: at most schemes. This is followed-up by direct contact with schools to promote further resources that are available, and to reinforce messages given at Crucial Crew. Partner 5 Name of Organisation: Great Northern Railway Company (Govia)
Type of Organisation: Railway Company
Contact details: Contact - Gary Hagger Email - [email protected]
Phone - 07788 153778 Address - Hitchin Railway Station, Walsworth Road, Hitchin, SG4 9UL Summary of Since Crucial Crew started in Hertfordshire 26 years ago, the same rail personnel have organisation: attended most schemes (a presence is dictated by their routes), albeit several different company names have applied over the years. An interactive rail safety scenario is provided and staffed. Schemes not attended by Govia use an interactive Network Rail scenario. Partner 6 Name of Organisation: Samaritans
Type of Organisation: Registered Charity
Contact details: Contact - Wayne Peters Email - [email protected]
Phone - 01920 464099 Address - 1, Cross Street, Ware, Herts, SG12 7AH Summary of The Samaritans provide an excellent scenario, staffed by their volunteers, on peer organisation: pressure, bullying, and how such incidents may be resolved, also who the children can turn to for information and advice in confidence, or who may be a safe adult to approach when reporting issues that are of concern. Partner 7 Name of Organisation: Lee Valley Park
Type of Organisation: Registered Charity
Contact details: Contact - Kelly-Sue Axford Email - [email protected]
Phone - O3000 030618 Address - Abbey Farmhouse, Abbey Gardens, Waltham Abbey, EN9 1XQ Summary of A scenario which highlights public safety, anti-social behaviour and vandalism, within organisation: public areas - mainly in a Park context - and staffed by their Park Rangers. This includes issues around litter, dog fouling, graffiti, and water safety.
Section B: Partnerships & Stories What the partnership is achieving and learning
1. Your partnership’s project or initiative.
Crucial Crew provides safety education for Year 6 children - 10/11 year olds - which takes place across the County in nine different locations - each for either one or two weeks duration, and spread over a year. To date, in Herts., I estimate some 37,000 children have attended - and in Stevenage alone, we know that as a direct result of lessons learned at Crucial Crew, some four lives have been saved.
Children are taken out of school and put through their paces over two hours, with ten minute scenarios, on subjects including:- First Aid, Road, Rail, Electrical, Fire Safety, Internet Safety, Peer Pressure, Environment, Resilience, Stranger Danger, and Safe Medicines. Some schemes vary the scenarios to take into account local issues.
Children leave with a 36-page Workbook which has follow-up work on the subjects covered during their visit - plus more - this can either be actioned in school, or taken home.
2. How did your partnership come about and develop?
The initiative, started by the Police in the late 80's in London, soon spread across the country - over 450 schemes now exist nationally, and there are around ten permanent Safety Centres in the UK. Police in Stevenage started a scheme, which led to others being formed in Hertfordshire. Various organisations were approached to see if they would join the scheme - most of which are still involved, together with some of the original staff/volunteers. The success of the Stevenage scheme led to others being started across Herts., - there are now nine annual schemes, and a permanent Safety Centre to host Crucial Crew is planned to be built in Stevenage for use by all Hertfordshire residents - along with many other youth initiatives which could be based within the Centre.
3. Impact. Please describe what outcomes you are achieving, your impact or how you are making a difference.
Ask any Junior school Headteacher, and they will confirm the value of Crucial Crew. In Stevenage alone, children have saved lives as a direct result of their learning at Crucial Crew. A girl saved the life of a relative three weeks after visiting Crucial Crew - she had no knowledge of First Aid prior to her visit. Similarly, another girl dealt with a serious head injury and called the ambulance (from location details given, Crew found them at first attempt - which considering they were in the middle of a large forested area, was to be applauded). And two boys rescued an elderly lady from a bungalow which was on fire - by doing what they had learned on the Fire Safety scenario. Such incidences are quite common, and most schemes will have similar occurrences to relate. A keynote speaker during a Crucial Crew conference, spoke of the value to children of attending, and that he knew of six young lives being lost - perhaps due to non-attendance. Some schools write thank-you letters or send artwork after their visit - this all helps with their progress and development at school. Crucial Crew has also led to further initiatives with schools - including hand-washing lessons, cookery lessons, multi-activity days, entries into Rotary led youth initiatives covering Speaking, Writing and Music - and the start of RotaKids Clubs (the Junior version of a Rotary Club, run by the children themselves).
4. How partnership working is helping you to achieve more.
Crucial Crew can only exist because of partnership working, and the result of attending a scheme is that organisations are able to reach around a thousand plus children per scheme, and all in one location - to visit some forty schools in each area covered, would be far more time consuming, and would not be as cost effective. Every year there is a new Year 6 cohort, so the exercise may be repeated, however, a permanent Safety Centre, whilst reducing organisations staffing hours, would allow training to be given to all age groups (3yrs to 103yrs), would permit additional scenario subjects to be taught, would increase volunteering, and overall, would reduce costs. Scenarios could even be 'tailor-made' to meet with requests from schools or other groups. New technology could be utilised to a greater extent within a permanent Centre due to its permanent nature - iPads and iPhones, social media, audio visual aids, interactive whiteboards, 3D printers, etc., could all become the norm. Crucial Crew has to adapt to new technology, legislation, methods and practices, to be able to succeed with attracting an audience - be this schools, colleges, youth groups through to seniors - and to ensure that a permanent Safety Centre will be self-sustaining.
5. How you are making sure that the partnership is working effectively.
The organisation may be likened to a ten-wheel cog - each tooth is geared to running one scenario, but in practice, each is able to stand-in for another - e.g. Fire can run First Aid or Road Safety - as coordinator, I could probably run eight of the ten scenarios should need arise - there is a 'family' feel amongst staff at Crucial Crew and a willingness to help out when and where help is required. Each scheme has to be of value - otherwise schools would not attend - and must include the four core organisations/scenarios - Fire, Police, First Aid and Road Safety. Evaluation is an essential component of Crucial Crew - be this through a conversation with teaching staff during the visit, by talking to the children attending, or feedback from the scenario organisers. In some cases, a written evaluation sheet is provided both before and after the event - this providing an insight into knowledge retention. An in-depth survey was undertaken by CRIPPAC at the University of Hertfordshire, and has also been the subject of an Open University Degree Course thesis.
6. What you are learning from each other.
Learning each other's scenarios - as a team we have all learned to work together and in many cases, can cover each other's scenarios when, for example, personnel are caught up in traffic delays, sickness, or where work commitments might prevent attending. Learning about partner organisations and the work they do - also where, and to whom. This has meant that many of the Crucial Crew 'staff' have learned new skills over the years and new friendships have been formed. Fine tuning the delivery of their scenarios to incorporate facts relative to other scenarios e.g. the effects of electricity in both the Electrical and Fire scenarios, or the results of speeding in both Road Safety and First Aid scenarios. Individual scenarios also have to keep up-to-date with changes and developments - e.g. the number of breaths/compressions taught in the First Aid scenario, or fine levels for using a mobile phone whilst driving.