New Open Access Courses Now Launched & Your Weekly Update!
In this week’s edition:
- All New Open Access Courses For 2026!
- Insights Report – Why place matters: neighbourhood effects on crime and anti-social behaviour
- Addressing DA – New course this Feb
- Thirteen Housing Group – New job role available
- New Research Briefing: PSPOs and car cruising
- ASB Service Reviews – How we can help you in 2026
- The Weekly Round Up
All new open access courses for 2026
Demand on ASB and community safety teams continues to increase, with more complex cases, higher expectations around decision making, and greater scrutiny of how powers are used. Our 2026 open access programme has been shaped around those realities, with a strong focus on practical application rather than theory.
Applying Judge Craft
Good judgement sits at the heart of effective ASB work. This course, led by partner Janine Green explores how professional judgement is formed, what influences decision making under pressure, and how to apply it consistently in cases that are likely to be challenged.
Level 2 ASB Case Management Principles (Level 2 accredited)
This course supports officers to make confident, timely and defensible decisions in ASB cases. It covers the full case management journey, from assessing initial reports and risk, through investigation and action planning, to monitoring outcomes and closing cases appropriately. It is suitable both as an induction for those new to ASB and as a refresher for experienced practitioners wanting to ensure their practice reflects current policy and best practice.
Introduction to the ASB Toolkit
A practical overview of the tools and powers available to tackle anti-social behaviour, focusing on proportionate use, early intervention and building cases that stand up to scrutiny.
Effective Case Management Principles
This session looks at how strong case management underpins successful outcomes, covering structure, recording, decision making and progression from early intervention through to enforcement.
Insights Report: Why place matters – neighbourhood effects on crime and anti-social behaviour
This new insights from Crest Advisory report explores how neighbourhood conditions shape patterns of crime and anti-social behaviour, and why place based approaches are critical to reducing harm over the long term.
Commissioned by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods, the research highlights how crime and ASB are heavily concentrated in a small number of neighbourhoods facing persistent disadvantage, instability and underinvestment. These areas experience higher levels of visible disorder, weaker social cohesion and lower confidence in institutions, all of which can reinforce cycles of harm.
The report makes a strong case for neighbourhoods being more than just the setting for crime. They are also a key part of the solution. Factors such as the built environment, residential stability, social trust and collective efficacy are shown to influence both risk and resilience, often as much as formal enforcement activity.
For practitioners, the findings reinforce the importance of:
- Early, preventative, place based responses alongside enforcement
- Understanding how environment and service design influence behaviour
- Working in partnership to rebuild trust, cohesion and informal social control
- Using insight beyond crime data to understand how communities experience safety
The report also aligns with the government’s renewed focus on place based policy, neighbourhood policing and long term investment in deprived communities.
Addressing domestic abuse: training opportunity this February
We are pleased to share the details of an upcoming training session from Addressing DA, which may be of interest to practitioners in our field.
Domestic Abuse Perpetrators and Housing is an online session focused on how housing teams and partners can respond more effectively to perpetrators of domestic abuse, and the role housing can play in keeping victims and children safe.
The session looks at practical responsibilities, partnership working and policy, with a clear focus on risk management and safeguarding.
The session will cover:
- How housing teams can play an active role in perpetrator management through MATAC
- Using Clare’s Law confidently, alongside domestic violence protection notices and orders
- New innovations including domestic abuse protection orders and GPS proximity systems
- How intervention programmes link with neighbourhood and community standards
- What good practice in housing policy looks like when managing perpetrators
Event details
- Thursday 12 February 2026
- 10:00am to 12:30pm
- Online
- £25 per person
The session is delivered by Deborah Alderson and Dr Kelly Henderson, Managing Directors at Addressing DA.
Thirteen Housing Group: New Role Available
We are sharing the following opportunity on behalf of the West Yorkshire Housing Partnership, which may be of interest to those working in community engagement and partnership roles.
Community Partnerships Lead (West Yorkshire)
Thirteen Group is recruiting a Community Partnerships Lead (known internally as a Community Connector Lead) on an 18 month fixed term contract. The role focuses on building trusted partnerships, strengthening community resilience and working closely with residents and local partners across West Yorkshire.
The post is a roaming role, working across communities in the Yorkshire region, with flexibility to work from home alongside attending meetings and local activity.
Key details
- Salary: £40,348 per annum
- Contract: 18 months fixed term (with potential to become permanent)
- Hours: 37 per week
- Location: Yorkshire and Humber region
- Closing date: 29 January 2026
- Interviews expected w/c 9 February 2026
The role would suit someone with strong experience of multi-agency partnership working, community engagement and translating insight into practical action at neighbourhood level.
For full details and to apply, please see the full role profile via their website.
Image credit: BBC
New Research Briefing: PSPOs and Car Cruising
Car cruising continues to be a growing concern for many local authorities, with a noticeable increase in the use of Public Spaces Protection Orders to address related behaviours. This new research briefing looks at how PSPOs are being used in practice, and what this means for proportionality, enforcement and long term effectiveness.
The briefing is from Vicky Heap, Associate Professor in Criminology at Sheffield Hallam University, and Clare Farmer, Associate Professor in Criminology at Deakin University.
Based on a national review of PSPOs published between 2018 and 2024, the research examines the scale of car cruising PSPO use, the types of behaviours being restricted, and how these orders are publicised, enforced and renewed across England.
Key findings highlight that:
- 69 active car cruising PSPOs were identified across England
- Use has increased sharply in the past three years
- Many PSPOs duplicate existing road traffic and criminal legislation
- Enforcement and public awareness vary significantly between areas
The briefing raises important questions about whether PSPOs address underlying causes of harm or simply displace behaviour, as well as concerns around proportionality and the lack of consistent data and oversight.
ASB service reviews: how we can support you in 2026
During 2025, we delivered a wide range of ASB Service Reviews for registered housing providers and local authorities across the UK, covering organisations of different sizes, structures and stock profiles.
Our reviews provide independent scrutiny grounded in sector insight and regional knowledge. They are designed to support meaningful improvement, whether that is strengthening case management practice, improving victim satisfaction, supporting service redesign, or building on existing good practice.
We can offer anything from a light touch health check through to a full, in depth review of an entire ASB service. Each review is tailored to reflect local context, priorities and pressures, rather than applying a one size fits all model.
If you are considering how your ASB service is positioned for 2026, we are always happy to have an informal conversation about how a service review could support your approach to tackling anti-social behaviour in the community.
Weekly Round Up
This week’s updates reflect a recurring theme we are seeing across the sector. There is growing emphasis on getting the fundamentals right, whether that is decision making, case management, proportionality in the use of powers, or understanding how place and environment shape harm.
From neighbourhood based insight and the use of PSPOs, through to domestic abuse perpetrator management and community partnership roles, the focus is increasingly on early, informed and locally grounded responses rather than reactive fixes.
As we move further into 2026 planning, many organisations are also taking stock of skills, confidence and service design. Training, reflection and independent scrutiny all have a role to play in supporting better outcomes for communities, victims and practitioners alike. As always, we will continue to share learning, research and opportunities that support thoughtful, proportionate and effective ASB practice. Please do get in touch if we can support your organisation whether for training or any consultancy needs you may have.
Have a great week,
Darren & Janine