We Care North Yorkshire
Craven
Hambleton
Harrogate
Middlesbrough
Redcar and Cleveland
Richmondshire
Ryedale
Scarborough
Selby
York
Supporting people with disabilities or those who may be vulnerable for any reason.
We Care is a North Yorkshire Police scheme designed to support anyone who is vulnerable and needs some help and assistance when they are out and about, or even in their own home.
It also provides important information to the police about a scheme member, so if they ever need to dial 999 or 101, the police are aware of any special needs the caller has and can assist them and provide a level of service in line with their requirements.
People of any age can join - so far the youngest is 7, and the oldest is over 100. The scheme is free for any resident of North Yorkshire or York.
A person would find the scheme helpful if they could be described as long term vulnerable for any reason. Many people on the scheme are affected by the following: learning disabilities, physical disabilities, neuro-diversity, dementia, Alzheimer’s, sensory impairments, communication issues, mental health, etc.
A ‘help me’ card, which members of the scheme can carry in their purse or wallet, and use if they ever find themselves in need of any help when out and about.
If the card carrier feels confused or lost – they can present the card to a person, in a shop or to a police officer and request help. The card gives a brief explanation of the We Care scheme and lists contact details for parents, carers, next of kin or friends who can be contacted.
Also contained in the pack is a form that collects important information about the scheme member. This information will be stored securely by the police and will be used to identify the scheme member if they should ever need to contact 999 or 101.
The information will be fed into our call management system, and through this system, if a scheme member ever dials 999 or 101 and speaks to the police, the Force Control Room call taker will automatically be aware of any special needs the scheme member has, for example difficulty with speaking on the phone. Police will then be able to ensure the appropriate level of assistance and service is provided to the caller, to enable them to complete their call.