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As a sheltered housing organisation, Sheffield Foyer provides support for up to 60 young people affected by homelessness. This enables people to live independently and find a pathway back to employment. The organisation is part of The Guinness Partnership, which is dedicated to providing affordable and specialised housing across England, such as:

• Shelter for people affected by homelessness
• Supported Living Services in homes designed for Extra Care services
• Homes with lower rents than the private sector
• Affordable home ownership options

In December 2022, we were engaged by The Guinness Partnership to provide security services that demonstrate knowledge and values in alignment with their diverse customer base, including Sheffield Foyer.

Scope of works

As part of our contract with The Guinness Partnership, we recruit and place the appropriate Security Officers at Sheffield Foyer. This involves deploying 3 core Security Officers as well as 3 reserve Officers for relief. Working closely with the client, we ensure a safe and secure environment for all residents by carrying out the following security services:

• Preventing unauthorised personnel from entering the site at any time
• Conducting car park checks
• Conducting site checks
• Reporting hazards and incidents to Sheffield Foyer’s Facilities Manager
• Supervising all contractors on site
• Monitoring fire alarm panel and CCTV
• Carrying out added value tasks as agreed with the client, such as safeguarding

Overcoming key challenges

As many of the residents at Sheffield Foyer can be considered vulnerable, the main challenge has been to provide Security Officers capable of sensitively handling any difficult situations. To achieve this, we provide Officers who are already vetted, trained and ready to deliver the specific requirements of the client. For example, during the recruitment process, we thoroughly evaluate the following:

• Security Industry Association (SIA) License authentication appropriate to each candidate’s job role, including Guarding, CCTV, Mobile and Close Protection
• Complete background check, including employment history
• ID checks
• Enhanced DBS checks and screening
• Character reference checks
• Right to Work checks
• Completion of First Aid and Fire Marshall training at minimum

Providing a smooth service and safer environment for residents at Sheffield Foyer, we also ensure that the same Officers are placed on site as much as possible. Facilitating this, we use our MiSentinel Workforce Management platform to ensure continuity of work by monitoring Officers’ licenses and dates for renewal. To guarantee minimum disruption to the contract, MiSentinel provides automated alerts to flag when any Officer’s license requires renewing.

To ensure our Officers are sympathetic to residents’ situations, we also provide them with contract-specific training and site-specific inductions prior to contract commencement. This was delivered by our dedicated Contract Management Team (CMT) for The Guinness Partnership, supported by our in-house training division, Sentinel Academy. Ensuring our Officers are aligned with the site-specific requirements for Sheffield Foyer, this training includes:

• Safeguarding
• Conflict management
• Lone worker awareness
• Professional boundaries and conduct
• Dealing with vulnerable persons

Taking into consideration that Sheffield Foyer offers shelter for vulnerable residents, the site-specific induction for this contract outlined the following details:

• Orientation and layout of the site
• Access-points/control
• Emergency procedures
• Evacuation plans/assembly points
• Health and Safety (H&S) risk mitigations
• First Aid/welfare locations
• Communication channels
• Risk Assessment and Method Statements (RAMS) and threat assessments. For example, to ensure young residents are safe, able to live independently and continue their education, we implement risk mitigation measures to prevent unwelcome visitors

Delivering success

Continuity of service

To contribute to a safer and more supportive atmosphere on site, we prioritise continuity of service by dedicating a core team of Officers to Sheffield Foyer. By promoting familiarity between residents and staff, we have been able to encourage residents to openly approach Security Officers with any concerns and effectively de-escalate potentially tense situations. For example, to prevent situations escalating and avoiding unnecessary police involvement, our Officers regularly use calm communication and non-confrontational techniques with agitated or vulnerable residents. Enabling us to discreetly raise concerns with the appropriate client contacts, our Officers have also spotted early signs of safeguarding concerns on multiple occasions.

Improved safety for residents

As a result of our robust security provision, we have enabled Sheffield Foyer to experience a significant reduction in unauthorised access attempts and reported incidents on site. Our qualified and experienced Officers have facilitated this through the proactive monitoring of site and real-time incident reporting through our efficient MiSentinel platform.

Positive client feedback

“SGS have provided a reliable and efficient service from the beginning of the contract. They excel in response times. For example, if I need urgent cover they do all they can to get this sorted for me; they respond immediately to emails and then follow up with updates thereafter usually the same day e.g. if I need cover for next week. They also email a 2 week rota to us each week so we know who is expected onto site. SGS understand our client group and allocate regular guards where possible so our residents know them and feel safe. Of course there have been issues with some guards, however, the response is always quick and professional with removal of guards and replacements or further training if need be. I have recommended an extension to the contract accordingly.” – Sarah Shaw, Senior Foyer Support Officer at Sheffield Foyer