ECINS has launched an exciting new approach that enables professionals to identify, refer, engage and divert people away from gang activity and county lines.
The recent and significant increase in violent crime associated with drug gangs who groom young people has been reported by more than two thirds of police forces and is a growing national problem. In their Serious Violence Strategy published on the 9th April 2018 the Government has announced that tackling serious violence is a Government priority due to the huge cost to individuals, families and communities through loss of life, and the trauma caused through both the physical and psychological injuries suffered.
ECINS has developed the I-REDS methodology and IT solution to enable anyone to raise the alarm if they are worried about a vulnerable individual being exploited by gangs and empowers victims and vulnerable people who would not usually report to the police. It simplifies and automates the referral process providing significant time savings and enables practitioners to keep all of their information in one place. It provides a secure cloud-based platform for practitioners to collaborate with partners around the needs of an individual at risk to provide a joined-up approach which enables support to be wrapped around an individual very quickly.
The modus operandi of “County Lines” is drug-selling gangs from urban areas and cities exploiting markets in other areas focussing on deprived towns and seaside locations.
The National Crime Agency report that a majority of forces identify the involvement of vulnerable people – and particularly children – in county lines activity. I-REDS directly responds to these issues by enabling the secure sharing of information between practitioners across counties, boroughs and borders and within various approved organisations.
The development of the I-REDS solution is an extension of ECINS’ national multi-agency case management and collaboration system ECINS, which has been successfully assisting partnerships including police, education, health, social services, housing, youth services, and victim services to securely share data and information pertaining to a range of issues including offender management, anti-social behaviour, child sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, sexual violence and modern day slavery.
ECINS is already assisting counties across the UK to provide a multi-agency response to tackling gangs. Working with police, schools, pupil referral units and youth agencies in their early intervention work by helping to identify those most at risk and putting effective measures in place to improve outcomes.
ECINS CEO Gary Pettengell said “The Government’s overarching message is that tackling serious violence is not a law enforcement issue alone, it requires a multiple strand approach involving a range of partners across different sectors. Our I-REDS methodology gives all local professionals access to a collaborative network, meaning everyone is better placed to address the needs of the vulnerable people they’re connected with.
“When partners work together, they can build a more comprehensive picture of an individual’s situation and ultimately improve outcomes.
“We know that every local area has developed their own way of working and often have their own legacy software. The I-REDS solution is far more than just software, it’s a social impact investment tool that saves considerably more time than it costs. It has been designed to work with organisation’s existing systems and processes to encourage everyone to get involved to provide a joined up, co-ordinated approach to tackle gang violence, intervening early to instil preventative methods tailored around individuals and their families.”
Adopt an I-REDS approach and start addressing vulnerability
I-REDS
Our methodology of Identity, Refer, Engage, Divert and Support (I-REDS) gives local authorities, the police and their partners a means to take their community engagement to a new level. It helps all practitioners to spot those at risk and improve outcomes by wrapping support around them at the right time – quickly and effectively.
IDENTIFY – Encrypted Referrals
Practitioners, police officers, teachers or concerned members of the public can complete an encrypted referral form that is securely accessible via a link without the need to log into a system. These encrypted referral forms support existing referral processes and provide more comprehensive referrals at an earlier stage.
REFER – Referral and Triage Management
The encrypted referral forms auto populate the Referral & Triage Management Desk, saving 100’s of hours in administration time. These totally customisable desks enable interactions and decisions to be recorded as well as giving practitioners the ability to communicate with their clients via sms.
ENGAGE – Secure 2-way communication
MyPortal enables practitioners to communicate with any client directly via a simple and highly secure interface. Online Safety Plans with emergency numbers, calendars and documents can be shared between practitioners and clients providing a means of signposting to events, support facilities and meetings
DIVERT – Case Management
If a vulnerable person, victim and/or an offender requires full single or multi-agency case management, they can have their cases transferred into the UK’s most widely used case management and collaborative support system, ECINS. Integration with legacy case management systems is available. Linking the Referral Desks with ECINS enables positive action to be taken at an earlier stage improving outcomes and early intervention work.
SUPPORT – Secure Public Portal/Multi-agency
MyPortal’s secure 1:1 interface enables secure interaction and relationship management with clients in realtime or practitioners can provide joined-up multi-agency support through ECINS’-Action Plans, tasks and encrypted messages.
