Anti Social Behaviour - aims and objectives


  What does our specialist Housing Anti Social Behaviour and Enforcement Team do?

The Housing, Anti Social Behaviour and Enforcement Team (HASBET) provides a centralised support service to the Community Housing Offices and other YHN teams in Newcastle.

The primary role of the Team is to tackle anti-social behaviour when:

  • The anti-social behaviour is allegedly caused by Newcastle City Council tenants.
  • The anti – social behaviour is affecting Newcastle City Council tenants.
  • The anti social behaviour is within the private sector and HASBET’s NRF funded officers provide a service to the City Council’s Private Rented Project and/or local Registered Social Landlords (RSLs).

The key objectives of HASBET are:

  • To adopt a multi agency problem solving approach to anti-social behaviour with Safe Newcastle partners via intervention, prevention and engagement. We will always aim to resolve the complaint without taking legal action and with a view to sustaining the tenancy where possible. 
  • Liaise with and instruct Newcastle City Council’s Legal Services in respect of enforcement cases.
  • To ensure victims and witnesses are supported throughout every step of the investigation and on going action by offering a dedicated Victim Support Service.
  • To support the Community Housing Teams by offering specialist advice and progressing all cases where legal action is required to resolve the anti-social behaviour.
  • To keep the victim and Community Housing Team informed of case progress.
  • Contribute pro-actively towards Newcastle City Council’s Anti- Social Behaviour Strategy.
  • To support YHN staff subject to abuse while carry out their duties.

Tools to tackle Anti Social Behaviour used by HASBET

 

Non-legal tools:

  •  Mediation
  •  Home visits/joint visits with front line staff
  •  Graded response warning letters
  •  Acceptable Behaviour Agreements
  •  Multi-agency case meetings

Legal tools used by HASBET to tackle Anti Social Behaviour:

  •  Injunction
  •  NOSP’s and Possession Proceedings Secure Tenancies
  •  Demotion of Tenancy
  •  Introductory Tenancy Notices (ITN)
  •  Extension of an Introductory Tenancy
  •  Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO)
  •  Implications for Right to Buy and Mutual Exchanges

Victim Support:

Witnesses will be referred to the dedicated Victim Support Officer who is part of the HASBET team. The Victim Support Officer is available to offer support to all victims and witnesses of anti social behaviour and victims can be referred to the Victim Support Officer without making a referral to HASBET.

The Victim Support Officer also ensures that those who are prepared to go to court are supported throughout the legal process and can be contacted via the HASBET team by telephone or using the referral form available in the procedures for front line staff.

Housing Anti Social Behaviour and Enforcement Team and Private Sector Housing Enforcement

HASBET has been granted external funding (through Neighbourhood Renewal Funding) for two posts of Housing, Anti Social Behaviour & Enforcement Officers to work in the private housing sector up until September 30th 2008.

The posts provide support, advice and assistance to residents (owner occupiers, private rented sector and RSLs) by investigating and challenging acts of anti-social behaviour, neighbour nuisance and harassment, taking appropriate enforcement, legal or preventative actions as required.

The posts are located within YHN’s existing Housing, Anti Social Behaviour & Enforcement Team where appropriate training and guidance is provided to make sure that consistent service standards of housing management across all tenures can be maintained (a requirement of the Respect Standard for Housing Management).

The posts holders are deployed to tackle anti social behaviour across the private tenures of Newcastle (including the private rented sector and housing association stock in the City of Newcastle) by providing support, advice and assistance to residents.

These posts ensure that a consistent level of service is delivered to all residents in Newcastle regardless of where you live, challenging acts of anti social behaviour and contributing to ‘Respect’ initiatives such as:

  • Newcastle Graded Response
  • Joint operations with YHN’s HASBET team & PHEPs.
  • Acceptable Behaviour Agreements
  • Tackling the more serious anti social behaviour using injunctions & ASBOs        where appropriate
  • Liaise with young people through the A2B Access to Basketball initiative.