Jemima Burnage, Chief Quality and Risk Officer for Community Integrated Care, discusses the importance of creating safer communities for everyone.
Every person has the right to feel safe, valued, and included in their communities. Yet thousands of people with support needs experience hate crime each year, with a shocking 13,000 disability hate crimes reported in 2023 alone.
At Community Integrated Care, we want the people we support to live the best lives possible, and at the core of this vision is our commitment to ensuring that people have the same choice and opportunity as anyone else. Accessing their communities meaningfully, and feeling safe whilst doing so, is crucial – and often the key to unlocking greater independence and confidence.
Developing a partnership for positive change
Through our charity’s community partnerships, we discovered that many people face significant barriers to engaging with their community and pursuing fulfilling opportunities. These obstacles often stem from past experiences of prejudice or discrimination, creating fear of public spaces and using public transport.
Determined to tackle this, we brought together a focus group of people we support and delved into the complexities of disability-related hate crime, discrimination, and anti-social behaviour. Establishing links with local police forces, we explored ways to make real, positive change.
This led to the creation of our ‘Speak Up for Safety’ campaign. Driven by the people we support, working directly with police representatives, we’ve coproduced educational resources and solutions around local and virtual community safety that really resonate with people.
Breaking down barriers
Worryingly, hate crimes against people with disabilities are severely underreported, with only one in three incidents reaching the police. Therefore, a significant part of our campaign involves building people’s confidence in interacting with the police and addressing barriers to reporting crimes.
Practical hurdles like limited accessibility at police stations or a lack of familiarity with procedures can make seeking help daunting. By building trust and developing strong connections between our services and local police officers, we hope to empower people to have more confidence in reaching out for help.
The vital role of our support teams
As citizens, we all have a responsibility to ensure that our communities are safe spaces for everyone, and our frontline teams play a crucial role in this too.
In addition to robust safeguarding processes, we’ve found that educating frontline colleagues and raising awareness on hate crime is key to unlocking lasting change, and can make a huge difference when it comes to identifying and preventing crimes against people with disabilities.
In a recent webinar with the National Police Chief’s Council, we provided insights on spotting the signs of hate crime, supporting people to understand if they have been a victim, and building stronger relationships with local police.
However, it’s also important for frontline colleagues to know that they aren’t alone. As well as their local police teams, there are many organisations there to support, such as Stop Hate UK, Victim Support and Citizen’s Advice.
A lasting impact
As we look to the future, we plan to continue working with people with lived experience and representatives from local and national police forces to offer annual campaigns, ongoing training, and accessible resources.
Together, we’re laying the foundation for safer, more inclusive communities—where everyone has the tools, support, and encouragement to live boldly and independently.
Dasso Peterson is an Inclusive Volunteer for Community Integrated Care, with lived experience. He said, “In the community, I do sometimes feel vulnerable and anxious. This sometimes stops me from leaving the house and enjoying myself, which can make me feel like I’m losing my independence. Knowing where to go for support, and who to speak to if I’m worried about something, makes me feel happier and more confident. ‘Speak Up for Safety’ is important because it inspires people like me to find that confidence and feel a lot safer going out and doing the things we enjoy.”
To find out more about the Speak Up for Safety campaign, visit www.communityintegratedcare.co.uk/speak-up-for-safety/
@ ComIntCare
communityintegratedcare.co.uk
