In November 2004, the Government announced a review of the partnership provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The findings of the review were published in a report on 25 January 2006. A number of proposals in the report required new legislation or amendments to existing legislation, such as the repeal of the requirement to produce 3-yearly Community Safety Strategies and the requirement to report annually to the Secretary of State. The Police and Justice Act 2006 provided the legislative framework for much of these changes.
One of the key recommendations of the review was that a set of National Standards for partnership working in the form of regulations should be put in place that would clearly set out what is expected of Partnerships and the roles and responsibilities of individual partners, whilst at the same time not prescribing how they meet these standards. The National Standards are framed around the following six core strands of business:
- Empowered and Effective Leadership
- Intelligence Led Business Processes
- Effective and Responsive Delivery Structures
- Community Engagement
- Visible, Robust and Constructive Accountability Arrangements
- Appropriate Skills and Knowledge
Guidance has been produced for CPSs in England and Wales to support the introduction of the National Standards. A Strategic Assessments Toolkit has also been published which provides additional information to practitioners on how to develop a strategic assessment.
For more information contact: Rachel Morgan