Incentive FM to provide a safe place for those in need

Leading independent facilities management company, Incentive FM, has joined a pioneering scheme designed to help vulnerable members of the community. 

The Safe Place Scheme helps people with learning disabilities, mental illness, dementia and other conditions by providing them with somewhere to go to and get help immediately if they are out and about and feel scared or at risk. This in turn encourages them to have a more independent lifestyle whilst knowing there is support nearby.

As part of the scheme, Incentive FM will provide a ‘safe area’ at a number of the shopping centres that it manages throughout the country. These will be identified by the distinctive “Safe Place” signage and open to those who find themselves in any challenging situations. 

Incentive FM’s staff will be trained on how to provide help and reassurance, which may involve making a phone call where necessary to the trusted person on the card, (where carried), or to one of the numbers on an emergency contact list provided to the premises. They will also keep the vulnerable person safe until the situation is resolved.

The scheme has been successfully piloted at St Stephen’s Shopping Centre in Hull and is now being rolled out throughout the business, with Crystal Peaks Shopping Centre in Sheffield next to go through assessment and training. 

Glenn Wilson, Regional Director at Incentive FM, said: “This is a great initiative which has the backing of the local police forces and mental health charities. We believe that companies like ours have a duty to take a strong role in the communities we operate, offering support where we can. We need to ensure that every single guest, regardless of their circumstances, has the best possible customer experience whilst visiting one of our venues.”