Last Chance For This Weeks Course & Rishi Sunak’s Crime Clampdown…
ASB Support For You
Final Call For This Weeks Drafting A Notice of Seeking Possession Course!
Date: 18th April | Duration: 3 hours | Format: Online Via Teams
Led by Amy Stirton, experienced Solicitor and Legal Director, this course is a must for frontline practitioners, ASB/Community safety teams, Rent Teams, and In-House legal teams.
What You’ll Learn:
- Effective drafting of Notice of Seeking Possession.
- Full understanding of Grounds for Possession.
- Practical drafting experience with template document.
Don’t miss out on this essential training. An invoice gateway is available at checkout if required to make the process as simple as possible for you.
Other Training Events This Month:
- Customer Satisfaction Masterclass with Darren Burton 23.04
- Harm Centred Approaches with Sharon Murphy 24.04
- Chairing An ASB Case Review with Katy Anderson 30.04
If you manage a large team, or you have specific training needs for your organisation, please do reach out to us and we can arrange a discovery call to explore the right programme for you. Email janine@janinegreenasb.co.uk.
ASB News
The Latest Housing Ombudsman Report Highlights ASB Severe Maladministration Issue
The Housing Ombudsman have recently highlighted a case study revealing severe maladministration in an anti-social behaviour response by a housing association. In this case, a resident reported incidents of physical assault and property vandalism, yet the Housing Ombudsman found that essential assessments such as risk, action plan, and vulnerability were neglected. Safeguarding responsibilities, including the impact on children, were also overlooked. Their findings detailed that resident complaints were inadequately addressed, leading to legal threats, which necessitated Ombudsman intervention to prompt corrective action.
In response to this case, the Housing Association have established a series of updated policies and procedures to support addressing complaints promptly and effectively in the future, including:
- Establishing a Community Safety Team.
- Enhanced complaints and ASB handling procedures.
- Implementing rigorous case management and risk assessment.
- Introducing regular meetings to address complaints promptly.
Introducing these measures are designed to improve the housing association’s ability to respond effectively to anti-social behaviour concerns but also strengthen trust with residents, improve community safety, and mitigate potential future incidents, ensuring a more resilient and proactive approach to addressing ASB issues.
To read the full report click here
Darren’s Thoughts: This case really highlights the need for housing associations to have a robust set of policies and procedures when it comes to managing ASB to not only promote community safety but also to protect against costly compensation payouts as seen in this case. Effective training on report handling and case management should be a priority for all housing associations, particularly with the new Housing Ombudsman’s complaint code which has recently taken effect. If you would like to discuss the needs of your organisation then do feel free to reach out to discuss how we can support you and your team. Email us at info@janinegreenasb.co.uk to start a conversation.
Prime Minister launches retail crime crackdown - Assaulting a retail worker to be made a standalone criminal offence
PM Rishi Sunak has launched a robust initiative to combat retail crime, targeting both shoplifters and those who assault retail workers. Key measures include:
- Making assaulting a retail worker a standalone criminal offence
- Courts will grant Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO) upon prosecution of an offender
- Imposing tougher penalties on serial shoplifters
- Piloting community sentencing measures
- Deploying facial recognition technology to catch perpetrators
The government aims to protect local shops and communities while fostering collaboration between law enforcement and the retail sector. Industry leaders have welcomed the initiative, emphasising the importance of safeguarding shopworkers and preventing retail crime.
To read the full briefing click here
Janine’s Thoughts: The retail crime crackdown presents a welcome collaborative opportunity for ASB professionals. By aligning with this initiative, we can enhance our efforts to address ASB by collaborating with law enforcement, retailers, and local communities. It’s great to see the plans recognise the value of the ASB toolkit in tackling retail crime. What’s important to remember is that not all assaults will end in conviction, due to the standard of proof required. Other tools in the toolkit, such as the ASB injunction, can achieve similar outcomes to the CBO but is not reliant on a criminal offence or evidence to the criminal standard of proof. This recent case in Gloucestershire demonstrates this really well – where the ASB injunction achieved a great outcome for persistent anti-social behaviour. The integrated approaches combining ASB tools with retail-focused measures, joint initiatives, technology integration, and community engagement can strengthen efforts to tackle both ASB and retail crime… There is a huge opportunity to provide high street businesses with training on tackling ASB to improve awareness and confidence for front line staff – watch this space for developments from us in this space!
New ASB Insight
Our latest insight is a guest article from Rachel Brydon, a renowned parenting expert who brings her invaluable perspective on the topic of how ASB affects children and families. With her expertise and experience, Rachel sheds light on how ASB can profoundly impact families, offering insights and strategies to navigate through these challenges. Considering the recent publication of the Housing Ombudsman Maladministration Report where a housing association were seen as inadequately considering the impact on children, we thought this a pertinent opportunity to highlight this topic and provide guidance and support from an expert perspective. In the article Rachel delves into the importance of support for victims, practical strategies for seeking assistance, and empowering families to reclaim their sense of safety and resilience.
Wishing you a productive week – as always let us know your feedback and if you have any articles that you would like to see us cover, either from our own expert team or from a guest collaborator then please do let us know!
Janine & Darren