ASB contact management overview

Solid casework should underpin all activity aimed at reducing incidents of anti-social behaviour, either against an individual or community, starting at the point of contact and continuing throughout the lifecycle of a case. The focus of the casework should be as much about supporting the victim or witness of ASB as the work around the perpetrator. At the commencement of a case, it is important to provide the complainant with contact details of the named officer assigned to it and who will therefore be responsible for actions and updates. Managing the expectations of complainants from the outset is also key to the process, developing jointly an action plan that is agreed and understood, with confirmed timescales and activities. Providing regular communications to the complainant and all involved partners, specifically around when actions are planned or taken, should be seen as a prerequisite to success.

Whilst taking action to protect the wider community in cases of anti-social behaviour is paramount, balancing the rights of the community against those of the perpetrator is also essential. Supporting perpetrators to change their behaviour, particularly where there is a reasonable remedy to addressing the ASB concerned, can often lead to the most successful and long term resolution. It is also recognised that tenants with support needs could be alleged perpetrators or victims of ASB and may need help and guidance to sustain their tenancy. For instance, the behaviour may be as a consequence of a tenant's vulnerability, such as substance misuse, mental health or experience of homelessness. Any action taken should therefore be appropriate and sensitive to the particular vulnerability of the tenant.

All individuals connected to an ASB case - complainants, perpetrators, agency professionals and the like - are created as separate contacts and identified through association to a specific record type. All details stored against the contact record that are considered pertinent to the progression of the ASB case, such as communication details, tenancy agreements, rent arrears and ongoing legal proceedings can all be accessed from within the ASB case file.

Separate help articles have been created for each key aspect of ASB contact management, including:

• To add a new contact to an ASB case
• To update the details of a contact in an ASB case
• To view the communication details of a contact in an ASB case
• To view the agreement details for a tenant in an ASB case
• To view the legal proceedings relevant to an ASB case