Jackson Fire and Security explains the Protect Duty

Concept Claim Solutions and its franchisees highlight their commitment to social responsibility through active support of child protection initiatives, community education, and professional engagement in the insurance sector.

How does Concept Claim Solutions contribute to community wellbeing?

Concept Claim Solutions, specialists in home insurance claims management, extend their mission beyond supporting policyholders. The company, together with its franchise network, is dedicated to making a positive impact on society. They partner with the Ivison Trust, an organization focused on combating child sexual and criminal exploitation, and they also support the Insurance Charities.

What concrete actions are being taken to protect children?

In collaboration with the Ivison Trust, Concept’s team and franchisees played a central role in organising and sponsoring Child Exploitation Conferences in London and Manchester. These events brought together more than 160 police officers, social workers, and educators to develop policies and raise awareness around County Lines, modern slavery, and child trafficking.

Franchisees participated in workshops on the role of businesses in educating families about County Lines dangers and have since advocated for policy changes. Notably, they call for parents to be informed about increased risks when children have neurodivergent needs or have experienced school exclusion, a connection currently not widely communicated. Feedback from professionals who attended was overwhelmingly positive. As one participant shared, “Absolutely brilliant day, very moving and thought-provoking about how we involve parents as partners”. Another added, “Very impactful sessions which built a very informative day. Great open conversation led sessions. Day as a whole identifies where agencies need to learn to work together more.”

How are parents and communities being supported?

Recognising the need for support, Concept established a weekly Parent Support Group in partnership with a Local Council in September 2023. This initiative, sponsored by both head office and franchisees, addresses key issues such as grooming, children’s mental health, and domestic violence. The group also partners with the Odd Arts Theatre Company to provide workshops in secondary schools.

A parent involved in the initiative reported, “My life feels like a Netflix movie, it’s just awful. But I feel I can see the end of the tunnel now through coming to the parent group”.

Additionally, Concept collaborated with the Ivison Trust and London Metropolitan Police during the summer to support four webinars. These sessions, attended by over 1,000 parents and professionals, helped communities learn to identify signs of exploitation.

How does Concept engage in professional and charitable initiatives?

Concept takes pride in welcoming newcomers to the industry and enabling networking among professionals. Notable achievements include the organisation of the CII Christmas Dinner, which united franchisees and industry figures while raising funds for the Insurance Charities. This year, Concept is Gold sponsor for the Preston and Blackpool Chartered Insurance Institute Annual Dinner, securing further support from leading industry partners.

The company’s approach also involves regular participation in industry conferences. Their key priority is to share emerging insights and trends, ensuring that franchisees and professionals remain informed and well-connected within the insurance sector.

The results of a 2021 government consultation about terror attacks in public locations were recently shared, and Jackson Fire has now broken down what these results mean.

In the words of Jackson Fire and Security, “In January this year, the Government published the findings of [the] Protect Duty consultation and affirmed its commitment to legally obliging more venues to provide better security and to be more prepared in the event of a terrorist attack taking place.” The Protect Duty “evolved from the Martyn’s Law campaign” and has been “championed by victims’ groups to push for legislation to substantially improve security. Following last year’s consultation and the government’s response, these are they takeaways, according to the security franchise:

• “The consultation received 2755 responses in total from a range of organisations, sectors and campaigners. And there was clear support for the overall proposal to bring in more robust security measures, including legislating for greater protection against terrorist attacks.”
• “7 in 10 respondents believed that those responsible for publicly accessible locations must introduce appropriate and proportionate measures to protect the public from attacks, such as ensuring staff receive specific training in how to respond.”
• “There was also consensus that venue size should influence the measures required, with smaller and medium sized venues not facing the same requirements as larger ones to avoid placing an ‘undue burden’ on them.”
• “A desire for very clear accountability was also apparent, particularly in terms of clarity over roles and responsibilities for event organisers and owners. Respondents also specified the need for guidance to help businesses comply, including advice on physical security measures like CCTV, and in activities like conducting security risk assessments.”

As of now, there’s no specific legal obligation to comply, but many businesses are already taking steps to improve premises security, and the consultation “highlighted that 50% of respondents were already carrying out risk assessments to specifically address the terrorism threat”. More details from the government about the Protect Duty will be forthcoming and it’s expected to be introduced this year. More details about a potential franchise investment with knowledgeable security franchise Jackson Fire and Security can be found via the company’s profile page, which is linked above.