Staying Safe and Useful Resources

Please find below a range of useful resources for charities, groups and individuals, with advice and support in response to the violence and social unrest taking place at the moment.

Thank you to Middlesbrough Voluntary Development Agency (MVDA) an NCVO for collating this information.

Response from the Sector

NCVO has co-signed, alongside other charity leaders, a statement from the Civil Society Group which you can read here.

VODA has co-signed a statement coordinated by VONNE about the ongoing violence and riots which you can read here.

VCS Emergencies Partnership Guidance

The safety and security of your staff, volunteers and the people you support is paramount, the VCS Emergencies Partnership have pulled together a few basic suggestions that partners may want to consider:

Prioritise your people

1. Communicate with them, raise their awareness and make sure you give them up to date guidance on how to keep themselves and others safe
2. Consider travel times and routes
3. Be careful about your brand and how that brand identity may put your people at risk
4. Review your policies, contact details and emergency plans

Protect your properties

1. Review your business continuity plans
2. Consider guidance on what makes your buildings safer… recognising some are quick fixes, but many may take longer to implement (more details below)
3. Don’t forget the vacant buildings – these can be easy targets

Useful Resources

• Health and Safety Executive have guidance on violence and aggression in the workplace
• Muslim Council of Britain have a range of resources on mosque safety
• UK Trauma Council has published resources for those working with children and young people affected by trauma and bereavement. Key pages are:
  • https://uktraumacouncil.org/resources
  • Critical Incidents in Educational Communities – UK Trauma Council 
  • Guidance on creating the best environment for recovery – UK Trauma Council 
  • Traumatic Bereavement for children & young people – UK Trauma Council

• British Red Cross offer workshops on Empathy and Migration and Coping With Challenges for young people.
  Resources about how to talk to children about conflict:
  • How to talk to children about conflict
  • Talking about major emergency | Secondary teaching resources
  • Dealing with emotional and physical distress 

• British Future provide a practical guide to messaging that combats hate crime and prejudice: Calling out hatred and prejudice

• Gov.UK funding for protective Security Schemes for places of worship

• Tell Mama UK share how the disinformation about Southport spread: How misinformation and disinformation about the Southport stabbings went viral (tellmamauk.org)

• Belong Network have blogged on preventing tension and conflict in communities: https://www.belongnetwork.co.uk/blog-preventing-tensions-and-conflicts-in-communities/ and good practice on building shared ground and addressing community tensions: https://www.belongnetwork.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Belong_AddressingTensions_Report_V3.pdf

• Involve share a framework on building community cohesion: https://www.involve.org.uk/resources/knowledge-base/resources/community-cohesion-and-participation-practical-framework
• Victim Support provide information for victims of hate crime: https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/crime-info/types-crime/hate-crime/
• Open source guidance on how to spot ‘fake news’ for young people: https://theconversation.com/how-to-spot-fake-news-an-experts-guide-for-young-people-88887 and understanding hate crime for children: https://youtu.be/qDZGw_ZZ2Cg

For the Longer Term

The NaCTSO Counter Terrorism Crime Prevention Toolkit is aimed at small organisations. It contains helpful, low-cost solutions to deter crime and counter terrorism e.g. making it difficult to gain access to premises, increasing chance of detection and reducing access to contents and victims.

A 5-step process for risk management is outlined here: ProtectUK Risk Management Guidance | ProtectUK– including guidance around CCTV, doors and locks, windows, shutters and grilles – as well as how to develop a security culture.

The E-learning package E-Learning | ProtectUK is a good place to start with developing understanding and practice in this area. They have also provided guidance for staff work (Run Hide Tell) https://www.protectuk.police.uk/advice-and-guidance/response/run-hide-tell

NCVO Resources

Additionally, we’re sharing the following resources to help you navigate the ongoing situation:

• Watch NCVO’s recent webinar recordings on responding to opposition and communicating in a crisis.
• Read NCVO’s free guidance on how to manage risk.
• Read the CIPD’s advice on supporting your workforce through a crisis.
• Misinformation is rife across social media, so we would advise against sharing any content without ensuring it’s from an official or verified resource. Instead, please seek guidance and support from local emergency services and your Local Resilience Forum. Watch our video for advice.
• The VCS Emergencies Partnership provides space and opportunity for local and national voluntary and community organisations to come together, ensuring support effectively reaches those in need.
• For those who want to donate to support the Southport community, read the Charity Commission’s recent guidance on giving with confidence to registered charities.

Other Resources

Support for Children

• Childline’s ‘Worries About the World Guidance‘ has information on dealing with upsetting events.
•  Barnardo’s ‘How to talk to your children about distressing news’.

Support for Individuals

• If you’ve been affected by events, you can call Victim Support’s free Support line on 08 08 16 89 111, start a live chat any time, or access My Support Space – a free online resource containing interactive guides and videos to help you after crime.
• Citizen’s Advice has shared information on how to get help if you have experienced a hate crime or hate incident. You can contact Citizen’s Advice North Tyneside here.