Question
Can the Chief Constable provide evidence which would suggest that demand on PSNI has been reduced as a result of involvement in Support Hub arrangements?
Answer
The purpose of Multi-agency Support Hubs (MASH) within the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is to facilitate bringing key professionals together to enable better quality information sharing and decision-making. This enables partner organisations to work together to improve a person’s situation. They facilitate early intervention to reduce vulnerability, with all partner agencies focussed upon ensuring the best outcome for an individual or family and the residual benefit to the community.
Indeed the Northern Ireland Audit Office noted in 2019 that effective partnerships need to work together across all of government. They state how, “Support Hubs are a good example of how a collaborative approach can produce successful outcomes which cannot necessarily be achieved through one public service body.”
The principle challenge in understanding if demand upon PSNI has been reduced as a result of our involvement in MASH arrangements has been the development of data to assess demand reduction. MASH are a relatively new initative and it can take in excess of a year to model and understand the effects of any personal intervention. To develop our understanding of the effects on demand on policing we considered the data from our most mature Hub within Derry City & Strabane. It should be highlighted that this study was dependent on operational data. Figure 1 outlines the findings but in summary 128 individuals where collectively involved in 855 (58.9%) fewer police incidents in the six months after discharge from the MASH in comparison to the six months before admission. This would suggest a reduction in demand upon PSNI. Further, consideration must be given to the positive impact on the levels of personal trauma experienced. Although these findings are limited to one policing district, as the data develops we shall continue to assess the impact of MASH to inform future decisions.
Figure 1
In March 2021 the Department of Justice (DOJ) published an evaluation of support Hubs in Northern Ireland[1]. The evaluation suggested a need for improved data collection, which read,
“In line with the OBA approach, there is a strong requirement for further quantative data in relation to the work done by Support hubs and the impact of Support hubs on clients.”
The Multi Agency Steering group has commissioned a number of workshops in May and June 2021 to develop the OBA approach for MASH. A further MASH evaluation was launched in February 2021, led by the Safeguarding Board NI. It is reviewing Support Hub processes in Derry City & Strabane and Mid & East Antrim.
[1] https://www.justice-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/justice/evaluation-of-support-hubs-in-northern-ireland.pdf