Anti-social behaviour (ASB) can have a debilitating impact on a victim’s health and well-being and a devastating effect on the wider community.
People are often scared inside their own home or even feel too frightened to leave their own front door. Of course, this is something that should never happen. Unfortunately, it does. At ASB Help, we receive enquiries from victims on a daily basis. People struggling to know where to turn to, where to report matters and who to seek advice from regarding how their problems can be solved.
There are a lot of effective legal and non-legal tools to address ASB and these are used by organisations such as local authorities, police, and housing providers throughout the UK. Unfortunately, there are times when despite the victim reporting these incidents to various agencies, the ASB persists. It is in these circumstances whereby the ASB Case Review proves to be an invaluable tool.
Introduced into legislation by the ASB Crime and Policing Act 2014, the ASB Case Review set out to provide victims with a voice and function as a safety net ensuring that the partner agencies work collaboratively together to determine the most appropriate solution.
In simple terms, the case review provides a platform for people to have their voice heard and to request their case is thoroughly examined to see if everything is being done to try and solve their problems and equally to see if there are any other ways of trying to resolve the matter for them and the wider community.
Find out more about the ASB Case Review here.
As straightforward as this may sound, there are differences across England and Wales in the administration and delivery of the ASB Case Review process. For example, local agencies adding various additional caveats to the threshold where a review might be considered and in some areas a lack of an appeals process.
In response to this inconsistency, we at ASB Help launched The PLEDGE, which seeks to encourage all agencies involved in the ASB Case Review process to embed best practice into their policy and procedures. This helps us in our mission to ensure that the ASB Case Review is not a postcode lottery and that any victim of persistent ASB (when the threshold is met), regardless of where they live, are truly given a voice and partners work together, and problem solve to secure a satisfactory resolution.
The word PLEDGE stands for:
Promote awareness:
People need to be aware of its existence. Resolve recently commissioned a YouGov Survey which found that only 6% of respondents had heard of the ASB Case Review.
Legislation and Best Practice:
It is vital that organisations comply with the legislation and the ASB statutory guidance.
Easily Accessible:
There should be multiple ways of making an ASB Case Review application. For example, in writing, online, over the telephone, completion of a form, via a postal address, email address.
Development & Continuous Improvement:
There is always key learning to come out of an ASB Case Review and it is important to listen to this and act upon constructive feedback. It is also vital to keep up to date with national developments and reflect this in your ASB Case Review process.
Get talking:
Talking with the victim is absolutely vital and they should be kept informed throughout the whole of the ASB Case Review process. It is equally important to work in partnership with all the relevant agencies and develop a multi-agency problem solving action plan to address the ongoing ASB.
Empowerment:
The ASB Case Review was introduced into legislation to give victims a voice and for them to be actively listened to. This is integral to the ASB Case Review Process and in line with.
ASB Help welcome interested organisations to take a look at what The PLEDGE is and how subscribing to it will show your commitment to victims of anti-social behaviour. Please get in touch if you would like to be part of The PLEDGE or you would like to receive further information about it.
FAQs
The first step to signing up to The ASB Help PLEDGE would be to contact us. We can then provide you with The ASB Help PLEDGE self-assessment checklist.
You can access ASB Help’s best practice guidance from the ASB Help Practitioners Hub. ASB Help can also provide bespoke case advice.
No. ASB Help is a charity committed to helping victims of anti-social behaviour and provides The ASB Help PLEDGE for free. ASB help can assist with more bespoke guidance which would involve visiting an organisation and reviewing their policies and procedures to offer best practice advice. A nominal fee to cover expenses would be requested. ASB Help can recommend consultancy services to assist with wider anti-social behaviour management. Please contact ASB Help directly to obtain further information about this.
Signing up to The ASB Help PLEDGE shows the community you are committed to identifying and supporting victims of anti-social behaviour. It demonstrates your willingness to work collaboratively to bring an end to anti-social behaviour as well as steadfast determination to deter such behaviour in the future. By utilising ASB Help’s best practice guidance, you are signalling to stakeholder’s you have embraced the spirit of the ASB Case Review and you are meeting your obligations to the community.
Yes, you can publish The ASB Help PLEDGE in your marketing material. You will also have access to an exclusive ASB Help PLEDGE graphic to use on social media. ASB Help will also publicise that your organisation has joined The PLEDGE but we reserve the right to remove any publicity if we identify concerns that an organisation is not adhering to the commitments in The PLEDGE.