Psychoeducation for young persistent fire setters
Designated safeguarding lead
Natasha Neale, Community Engagement and Partnerships Manager
Project information
Background
A small but worrying group of children and young people (CYP) develop persistent fire setting behaviours which can carry significant risk. Our knowledge about these young people, and the factors that shape the fire setting behaviour, is limited.
Objective
A collaborative research project between a UK Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) and the University of Nottingham has piloted and developed a new psychoeducation intervention with the aim of helping CYP presenting with persistent fire setting behaviour to desist from setting fires.
Methods
Profile data was collected for all referrals (n=21) from across a range of domains pertaining to family circumstances, contact with parents and siblings, experiences of schooling and evidence of childhood trauma. Qualitative case material was collected during the intervention programme, and finally data pertaining to intervention outcome.
Results
20 male and one female (age 12-18) were referred to the programme. Key findings were noted
- an over representative of white British CYP (90%)
- all referrals came from families with an average number of siblings more than twice the average UK
- all but one child/young person were in circumstances of alienation from one or both parents
- all cases were characterised by patterns of considerable disruption in home and school that would be understood as adverse.
Engagement was challenging with an average take up of 3 sessions (out of 8 that were initially offered). Preliminary follow-up indicated that all programme participants desisted from setting fires setting post-intervention.
Conclusion
There are discernible patterns in the profile of CYP who have a tendency to persistent fire setting, and these patterns point to opportunities for stakeholder (clinicians, teachers, carers) to identify vulnerability and predict risk. Case study analysis points to case presentation characterised by histories of complex trauma. A challenge to developing an efficacious programme of trauma informed psychoeducation is indicated which draws on practitioner skills of relational engagement and rapport.
Midlands Fire Education Research Network [MFERN]
With our key project partner Notts FRS, we established a network across the midlands which has brought together all of the Education leads across the 8 shires (Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire). We have liaised with several FRS chief and also other key stakeholders from Greater London FRS, Northumberland and Manchester FRS (who have heard about our review). We have gathered evidence of the way in which fire education, prevention and intervention are delivered across the Midlands. We have disseminated the policy review work across our midlands stakeholders.
The collaboration has been led by Notts Fire and Rescue Services (Peter Brown) and supported by the University of Nottingham (Professor Gary Winship). The partnership has brought together fire education staff, practitioners and academics with a view to sharing knowledge, building resources around impact evaluation, developing agenda setting research and contributing to national policy.
The network in the first place is supported by ESRC funding and builds on several years collaboration between the University of Nottingham School of Education and Notts FRS, running a programme of psychoeducation for young persistent fire setters and advice, guidance, gap analysis, and up-skilling FRS staff on the role of educational psychology.
Some of the keys areas for the network are:
- Fire safety and prevention, primary schools and secondary schools– examining the pressure points of transition and identifying increased risks, decreasing unwanted fire signals
- Profiling risk patterns across the University sector
- Community fire risk management systems, identifying high risk behaviours (such as hoarding or persistent fire setting in youth), CHARLIE profile, understanding pathways to risk, and strategies for resolution
- FRS education alignment with health, mental health, violence reduction and statutory commitment to relational practices, social and emotional learning
- The regional network is an opportunity to compare referral rates across the services (these appear to range from as few as 6-12 per quarter (Northampton), to 30-40 (Nottinghamshire). What accounts for the variability and are there ‘hot-spots’ in each county?
Another area that may be of interest to the regional group would be the data pertaining to fires across the university campuses. Each of the counties has one of more university, and the regional group is an opportunity to consider the incidents of fires recorded on university campuses and a profile of the data would foster intelligence about education and prevention (copy of the data about University of Nottingham fires 2021 is available from Professor Gary Winship or Peter Brown).
Non academic partners
Current collaborators from the Midlands FRSs and part of a new Midlands network:
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
Amy Cartledge
Youth Officer, FireSAFE Lead, Prevention and Inclusion
Headquarters:
Ripley
Derbyshire DE5 3RS
Email:
acartledge@Derbys-Fire.Gov.UK
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service
Javeria Shiraz
Safe Communities Practitioner
Headquarters:
12 Geoff Monk Way
Birstall
Leicestershire LE4 3BU
Email:
javeria.shirazi@leics-fire.gov.uk
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service
Peter Brown
Fire Setter Co-ordinator
Joint Headquarters:
Sherwood Lodge
Arnold
Nottinghamshire NG5 8PP
Email:
Peter.Brown1@notts-fire.gov.uk
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service
Rebecca Roberts
Arson Reduction Officer
Anti-Social Behaviour Intervention Team (ASBIT)
Headquarters:
Warwick Street
Royal Leamington Spa
Warwickshire CV32 5LH
Email:
rebeccaroberts@warwickshire.gov.uk
Other Fire and Rescue Service personnel who have been contacted and have assisted in developing the network:
Other activities
Critical Incident De-Briefing – Peer Support Networking Event
21 March 2023, Trent Vineyard Nottingham
Organised by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation and the University of Nottingham
Co-convened by Honorary Professor Steve Regal and Professor Gary Winship
150 delegates from across services (police, FRSs, NHS, nurses, psychologists, psychotherapists) came together to talk about trauma support for staff. One of the shared themes were the high frequency of trauma experienced by staff. Dr Tracey Reid, Head of Mental Health, Police Service of Northern Ireland told us that a recent survey of staff pointed to 30% of the workforce experiencing PTSD. A number of the speakers spoke of personally knowing colleagues who had taken their own lives, and more recently too.
FRS presenters and key delegates included:
- Emma Mcgowan, Manchester FRS - now seconded to London as well-being lead,
emma.mcgowan@london-fire.gov.uk
- Tony Morgan, Station Manager and well-being lead, Manchester FRS.
morganap@manchesterfire.gov.uk
Emma and Tony have developed useful resources for staff, incident support, de-briefing and on-line materials including a video.
- Charlotte Weatherall-Smith, Nottinghamshire FRS
- Lisa Smith, Head of Occupational Health and Well-Being, Humberside FRS
- David Blake, Firefighter, Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), Humberside FRS
- Kirsty Thorley – Health and Well-Being Manager, South Yorkshire FRS
- Zoe Harris – Well-Being Officer, Suffolk FRS
Suicide and well-being among FRS
A new research collaboration between the University of Nottingham and Glasgow University
Understanding Suicide through Research and Engagement