Three Estates
A public health approach to preventing violence in south Birmingham
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.
The Three Estates of Hawkesley, Pool Farm and Primrose Hill is in Kings Norton in South Birmingham.
The estates consist largely of high and low-rise council housing built in the 1970s.
It is one of the poorest parts of the city and has suffered particularly in the last decade from significant deprivation.
The Three Estates are located to the South of Birmingham
The People of the Three Estates
Birmingham has a growing, young population. 28% of its residents in The Three Estates are under the age of 18. Many of those young people live in low-income families.
More than half Birmingham's one million population identified as non-white British in the 2011 census. Kings Norton South, by contrast, was 83% White British.
Community Voices
“The strengths and positives of the estate are that everyone knows each other and there is a sense of community.”
“Parts of the estate feel almost like countryside and - as the estate is on high ground - in certain parts the views across Birmingham are amazing.”
"There are empty homes ready to be demolished which add an air of dilapidation to the estate.”
Some parts of Birmingham are more deprived than others and this includes Kings Norton.
The Three Estates have suffered particularly in the last decade from significant deprivation.
The shaded blue areas on the map show where deprivation is more acute. The darker the blue, the more deprived the neighbourhood.
More information on the population, economy and diversity of Kings Norton South can be found in Birmingham City Council’s Ward Profile.
Violence in South Birmingham
Hotspots for knife crime in South Birmingham (2018 to 2020).
Big concentrations near the junction of Shannon Road and Primrose Hill
Knife crime doubled in the West Midlands between 2015 and 2019. A third of victims of violent crime are aged 10-24.
The Three Estates have a higher rates of violent crime and possession of weapon offences than other parts of the West Midlands and England.
Hospital admissions for Violence
The map shows three years of hospital admissions data for assault with a sharp object, based on where the patient lives and aggregated to neighbourhood level.
Darker green means more people from that neighbourhood were admitted to hospital for assault with a sharp object in the three years between 2017 and 2020.
The Risk Factors of Violence
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.
Swipe the map to show the neighbourhoods with the most deprivation in South Birmingham
Some parts of South Birmingham are more deprived than others and this includes the Three Estates.
The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index shows how deprivation adversely affects the young people.
The End Child Poverty (ECP) coalition published research in 2020 which estimates the degree of child poverty after taking housing costs into consideration.
37% of children in Birmingham Northfield constituency, which includes the Three Estates, are living in poverty according to this measure, which amounts to almost 9,000 children.
West Midlands VRU have developed a risk index which is based on three factors with the strongest correlations towards violence:
- Deprivation affecting children
- Rates of mental health
- Lack of educational development in early years
In terms of the risk, Hawkesley ranks 6th out of 132 neighbourhoods in Birmingham and 14th out of 356 in the West Midlands.
Neighbourhoods in Birmingham ordered by risk index ranking
Secondary School Exclusions
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.
The map shows school exclusion rates over the past three years. Larger circles indicate a higher exclusion rate for that school. The priority area is outlined in black.
The national average for school exclusions in secondary schools is 0.2%, which is the equivalent to 20 pupils per 10,000. The school exclusion rate in Birmingham is below the national average at 0.18%.
School is important for education but can also provide additional protective factors for young people already at risk of being involved in violence.
Permanent exclusion, for some young people, may represent the removal of one of the last barriers against exploitation, criminality and violence.
Primary School SEMH Rates
For pupils with identified social, emotional and mental health needs the exclusion rate is eight times higher at 1.6%.
Birmingham has the third lowest 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.
West Midlands VRU and the Place-Based approach
The pilot in Three Estates is focused on supporting the whole community by providing a range of interventions and activities designed to reduce the risk of violence.
As restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic are lifted in the area, there will be a need to increase the support offered to families in response to the impact of lockdown to prevent and reduce the likelihood of violence.
Partners are working together to:
- Establish increased youth provision locally providing more opportunities for young people to engage in positive activities, working in tandem with parents and families where possible
- Provide detached youth work, supporting more young people to engage with youth workers by working on the streets delivering activities and support. By working in public spaces in the area the project aims to make public spaces safer to use
- Develop an effective place based stakeholder network that maximises resources in the area
- Offer therapeutic intervention to young people
- Offer targeted support (therapeutic or mentoring) to young people, deliver trauma-informed practice training and deliver specialist employability support to young people.
- Deliver local events and campaigns to bring the community together
Greaves Hall