The Adult Social Care, Health and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to discuss the Community Safety Partnership Annual Report, and the draft Domestic Abuse Strategy at their meeting. They were also scheduled to be advised of the new prioritisation toolkit endorsed by the Overview and Scrutiny Triangulation Group, and to review their work programme for the 2025-26 municipal year.

Community Safety Partnership Annual Report

The committee was scheduled to receive the Community Safety Partnership Annual Report 2024-25. The West Northamptonshire Community Safety Partnership (CSP) aims to reduce crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour.

The responsible authorities for the CSP include:

• West Northants Council
• Northamptonshire Police
• Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service
• Probation Service
• Integrated Care Board

The CSP's current strategic priorities include:

• Working with communities to ensure neighbourhoods are safe spaces
• Targeting those causing the greatest harm and tackling the causes of crime through prevention and early intervention
• Reducing incidents of serious violence including domestic abuse, sexual offences and knife crime
• Protecting vulnerable people and safeguarding those at risk of exploitation

The report notes that in the 12 months to the end of March 2025, overall crime reduced across West Northants by 1.8%, and violent crime reduced by 8.1%.

The report also details partnership activity, including:

• Operation Fragment, which addressed a rise in youth related anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and violence on Southbrook in Daventry.
• Clear Hold Build, a three-phase operational framework designed by the Home Office to reduce serious and organised crime in high-harm localities. Kings Heath was the first area targeted, followed by Blackthorn, and Northampton's Bouverie estate is the latest area to be adopted for this approach.
• An exhibition highlighting Coercive Controlling Behaviour was launched at Northampton Museum.

Draft Domestic Abuse Strategy

The committee was scheduled to receive a presentation on, and provide input into, the draft priorities of the council's Domestic Abuse Strategy.

The vision for West Northamptonshire is that everyone can live safely and experience healthy relationships without the threat of domestic abuse or sexual violence. The strategy involves partnership working and co-operation between West Northants Council, police, health service and community organisations.

The strategic objectives of the strategy are:

• Early Intervention & Prevention
• Support & Protection for all Victims and Survivors
• Trust & Confidence
• Co-ordinated community response
• Holding perpetrators accountable

Scrutiny Prioritisation Toolkit

The committee was scheduled to be advised of the new prioritisation toolkit endorsed by the Overview and Scrutiny Triangulation Group.

The Scrutiny Prioritisation Toolkit is designed to be used by overview and scrutiny committees to support the prioritisation of their work programmes. It is intended to be used specifically for work programming, and is not designed to override scrutiny activity required by statute, or scrutiny activity relating to powers to hold the executive to account.

The toolkit includes a table that can be used to evaluate topics, assigning a score for each category. A linear hierarchy can then produced, scoring topics from 6 to 18, with 18 being the highest score possible.

Review of Committee Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to review and note its work programme for the 2025-26 municipal year.

The draft work programme included the following topics:

• Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board – overview of development and priorities
• Public Health – overview of key priorities, risks, and challenges
• Community Safety Partnership Annual Report
• Domestic Abuse Strategy
• Outcomes of the Care Quality Commission inspection of the Council's Adult Social Care function
• Adult Social Care workforce planning
• Adult Social Care Performance Monitoring
• Priorities and challenges relating to the delivery of Adult Social Care
• Community Funding Grants Programme
• Communication and Access to Services
• Health Inequalities
• LAPs (local area partnerships)
• Support for young people with additional needs in the transition from children's social care to adult social care