Crime Reduction - Helping to Reduce Crime in Your Area

Neighbourhood Wardens

Neighbourhood and Street Wardens' Programme General Information Leaflet

What are neighbourhood wardens?

  • A warden provides a uniformed, semi-official presence in a residential area with the aim of improving quality of life.

  • Wardens can promote community safety, assist with environmental improvements and housing management but also contribute to community development.

  • Wardens are supervised by a scheme manager and have the support of local residents and key agencies like the police.

  • Wardens may patrol, provide concierge duties or act as “super caretakers”

  • Wardens can contribute to effective neighbourhood management.

What are street wardens?

  • Street Wardens provide highly visible uniformed patrols in town and village centres, public areas and neighbourhoods.

  • Street wardens are similar to neighbourhood wardens, but have more of an emphasis on caring for the physical appearance of the area.  They tackle environmental problems such as litter, graffiti and dog fouling, as well as promoting community safety.

  • They also help to deter anti social behaviour; reduce the fear of crime; and foster social inclusion.

What is the Neighbourhood and Street Wardens’ Programme (NSWP)?

  • It is a new team that is part of the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit within the DTLR. The team is jointly funded by Home Office and DTLR.

  • The unit is staffed by a multi-disciplinary team drawn from DTLR, the Home Office, Police and the Voluntary Sector.

Why was the NSWP set up?

  • Policy Action Team (PAT) 6 report recommended the creation of a new unit to promote wardens and to allocate government grants to warden schemes.

  • Government feels that wardens can help address many of the problems faced by deprived neighbourhoods.

  • To gain evidence of 'what works' in wardens' initiatives.

What does the team do?

  • Manage the £18.5m grants programme for Neighbourhood Wardens in collaboration with Government Offices and the National Assembly for Wales.

  • Manage the £25m grants programme for Street Wardens in collaboration with Government Offices in England.

  • Promote the concept of wardens.

  • Develop accredited training programmes for wardens and scheme managers.

  • Provide Good Practice Guidance.

  • Offer on-going guidance and support to new schemes and those funded via other government programmes like New Deal for Communities (NDC).

  • Promote involvement of ethnic minority communities in warden schemes.

  • Monitor and evaluate wardens' initiatives.

  • Create regional support networks.

  • Provide a range of awareness-raising events, conferences and study visits to disseminate best practice.

Sources of neighbourhood warden information

External

  • Bringing Britain Together - Social Exclusion Unit (1998)

  • Neighbourhood Warden Schemes: An Overview - Crime Reduction Research Series Paper 2 - Home Office (1999)

  • Policy Action Team 6 Neighbourhood Wardens - Social Exclusion Unit (2000)

  • National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal Action Plan - Social Exclusion Unit (2001)

  • Care-taking Plus Guide - Tony Baker PEP (2000)

Neighbourhood and Street Wardens' Programme (NSWP) Materials

  • Neighbourhood Wardens' Scheme Implementation Plan Guidance - Neighbourhood Wardens' Unit, DTLR (2000)

  • Neighbourhood Wardens' Unit Newsletter (quarterly) - Neighbourhood Wardens' Unit, DTLR (started in 2000 and on-going)

  • A Guide for Neighbourhood Warden Managers/Supervisors - The First 100 Days - Neighbourhood Wardens' Unit, DTLR (2001)

  • Neighbourhood Wardens Induction Training Guidance (Draft) - Neighbourhood Wardens' Unit, DTLR (2001)

  • Neighbourhood Wardens' Conference Report: Neighbourhood Wardens' Perspectives from Europe and America - 17 November 2000 - Neighbourhood Wardens' Unit, DTLR (2001)

  • Neighbourhood Wardens in Northumberland, Lambeth, Stockport and Merthyr Tydfil - Neighbourhood Wardens' Unit video (20 mins) DETR (2000)

  • 2 Super care-taker schemes - Neighbourhood Wardens' Unit video (15 mins) (2001)

  • Community Beat video.  Warden key messages (6 mins) (2001)

  • Warden Factsheets, Neighbourhood and Street Wardens' programme (Oct 2001)

  • Promoting your warden project booklet (Sept 2001)

  • Diversity in warden recruitment booklet (August 2001)

  • Working with older people booklet (August 2001)

Sources of Help

  • Your local Government Office for the Regions or National Assembly for Wales

  • Neighbourhood warden practitioners listed on p44 of PAT 6

Neighbourhood and Street Wardens' Programme

Further information

For more information on neighbourhood warden schemes or the work of the Neighbourhood and Street Wardens Programme please contact:

Nahida Ahmed

Tel: 020 7944 4180

Email: nahida.ahmed@detr.gsi.gov.uk

 

Dorothy Dickson

Tel: 020 7944 2535

Email: dorothy.dickson@dtlr.gsi.gov.uk

 

Last update: 14 May 2004

Related Links

We are not responsible for the content of external websites.