What is PARINS?

Partnership Approach to Racial Incidents in North Staffordshire

What is PARINS?

Partnership Approach to Racial Incidents in North Staffordshire

PARINS was formally established in 1999 as a result of collaboration between the North Staffordshire Racial Equality Council and Stoke-on-Trent's Citizen's Advice Bureau. Responding to reports of racial harassment, a picture emerged of the inadequacy of provision to respond to the victims of racist incidents. Following discussion with Staffordshire Police, a partnership involving statutory and voluntary sector was initiated at the end of 1997.

How the Partnership works

The Partnership is directed by a Steering Group that meets bi-monthly. This group determines priorities and provides a link between PARINS staff and partner agencies. Partner representatives have a key role as a link between PARINS and their own agency. This ensures that issues are brought to the partnership for consideration and that the outcomes reported back to the agency concerned. This assists all those involved to keep up-to-date with what is happening in the field and to identify learning or action points useful to them. It also promotes inter-agency cooperation and communication.

The Partnership delegates operational matters to its two lead partners: North Staffordshire Racial Equality Council and Stoke-on-Trent's Citizen's Advice Bureau. Service Level Agreements describe the tasks to be undertaken to fulfil PARINS action plans and performance is monitored by the Steering Group.

Our Mission

To develop a partnership approach that will increase community confidence to report racist incident, so that we may reduce racist incidents and improve community relations in North Staffordshire

Our Aims

to increase the reporting of racist incidents to a realistic level
to assist partner agencies to deal with racist incidents in a co-ordinated and professional manner
to make the reporting of racist incidents easier, and to assist victims by improving reporting mechanisms
to tackle racist attitudes and improve community cohesion to prevent incidents occurring

Our Objectives

to set targets for increasing the number of racist incidents reported
to produce a multi-agency reporting form which is simple to use and accessible
to receive, record and monitor self-reporting forms received
to ensure that appropriate support is provided to people who report racist incidents to PARINS
to support initiatives and work in partnership to tackle racism and develop community cohesion
to develop appropriate guidelines for partner organisations to use in developing best practice, policy and procedure
to share information when potential flash points are identified, for example, those arising from national, political and local issues
to develop and deliver, or facilitate the delivery of, race awareness and harassment training to organisations who request it
to identify key points within all organisations with whom PARINS is involved, to pursue the resolution of racist incidents
to evaluate the responses of agencies to incidents reported to them and to offer feedback to agencies and victims
to publish an annual report
to regularly engage with the media to provide feedback on progress towards fulfilling PARINS aims and objectives and to encourage reporting of racist incidents.

PARINS Action Plans are updated annually and generally these will cover the above. All partners contribute to the delivery of the Action Plans.

Our Terms of Reference

Our purpose is to work toward the elimination of racist incidents in North Staffordshire to enable all members of our multicultural society to live in peace and free from fear, racial abuse or discrimination.

Our terms of reference are:

to work towards the aims and objectives of PARINS
to work towards the elimination of racist incidents in North Staffordshire
to encourage member agencies to develop policies and practices which encourage the development of positive attitudes towards ethnic and cultural diversity
to encourage member agencies to support victims and take appropriate action against perpetrators
to ensure member agencies adopt a multi-agency approach to tackling racist incidents
to develop mechanisms for sharing information between member agencies
to encourage and offer guidance to member agencies to train staff to recognise racist incidents and respond effectively
to receive and collate reports from each member agency in order to analyse, comment, publicise and feedback issues and trends identified from that information
to support member agencies in the adoption of the Macpherson Report recommendations and the Home Office Codes of Practice in the Reporting and Recording of Racist Incidents.