Chelmsley Wood

The West Midlands is a geographically small, but densely populated region, home to three million people. It has a young and ethnically diverse population but is a region with deep pockets of poverty.

Solihull is one of seven metropolitan boroughs inside the West Midlands, alongside Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, and Wolverhampton. Solihull is at home to around 215,000 residents and is situated southeast of Birmingham.

Chelmsley Wood is situated in the northern part of Solihull, around eight miles east of Birmingham city centre and is near Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre.

Chelmsley Wood is home to 13,276 people and similar to the West Midlands has a young population. Young people aged 0-15 make up 24% of the population in Chelmsley Wood and 21% of the population are aged 16-24.

"The young people are often bored as there are a lack of opportunities in the area"

"Some of the adults highlighted low level anti-social behaviour committed by young people as being the biggest issue in the area"

For more information on the population, economy and diversity of Solihull see the Solihull Council ward profiles.

West Midlands Police recorded incidents of knife crime from January 2018 to March 2021 aggregated to show hotspots, with the priority place area outlined.

By identifying the factors which correlate the most with the risk of violence increasing and understanding the profile of these risk factors across the region, the VRU can focus its preventative work more effectively.

Research has revealed strong statistical associations between rates of serious youth violence and social, economic and health inequalities.

Poverty and deprivation feature prominently in the analysis and may well be the biggest factors in explaining the prevalence and risk of violence in populations and communities.

Some parts of Solihull are more deprived than others and this includes Chelmsley Wood.

The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index shows how deprivation adversely affects the young people who are growing up in this part of the borough.

The End Child Poverty (ECP) coalition published research in 2020 which estimates the degree of child poverty after taking housing costs into consideration.

According to this research, 29.1% of children living in the Meriden Constituency, which includes Chelmsley Wood, are living in poverty, which amounts to around 6000 children.

Research links poor pupil attainment, absenteeism, special education needs and deprivation to an increased risk of being excluded from school.

There is no evidence that permanent exclusion directly causes violent behaviour or involvement in crime, but there are strong correlations.

One in four young people in custody that have been excluded from school, compared to one in 1,000 of the whole of secondary school.

For pupils with identified social, emotional and mental health needs the exclusion rate is eight times higher at 1.6%.

Solihull has the highest rate for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs in primary schools out of the local authorities in the West Midlands.

The map below shows schools with rates of pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, according to school characteristics from the most recent school census published by the department of education. On the map, the priority area is outlined and larger green circles indicate higher SEMH rates.

The VRU supports place-based work in eight priority areas in the West Midlands including one in Solihull, which is based in Chelmsley Wood.

The VRU provides a community navigator to work closely with education providers, organisations, partners and the wider community to coordinate effort at identifying and delivering local interventions.

The intervention seeks to develop local youth infrastructure, in partnership with Solihull Youth Offending Service. The intervention is based in Chelmsley Wood and seeks to increase opportunities for young people to engage with positive activities, and to provide intensive, specialist support when they are at risk. The project also provides substance misuse prevention work, addressing addiction as a driver of violence. The project has delivered a new youth hub in Cabtree drive and a unit in Smithswood, as well as a new detached youth work provision and increased activities for local young people and families.