find support for anti-social behaviour issues

Transcription

1 Head Office Trident Housing Association 239 Holliday Street, Birmingham B1 1SJ Tel: Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 8.30am pm Friday 8.30am pm Out of office hours: Tel: Customer Awareness: We all have a duty to effectively communicate with our customers and to be sensitive to those who may not have English as a first language, have impaired vision/hearing, or have learning difficulties. If you would like this booklet in any other format, for example, Braille, large print or audio, please contact Trident Head Office on How to... find support for anti-social behaviour issues

2 How to find support for anti-social behaviour issues Albanian Arabic Chinese Farsi This leaflet gives guidance on Trident's approach to tackling Anti-social behaviour. It also sets out the different ways to contact Trident to report Anti-social behaviour. Every tenant has the right to the quiet and peaceful enjoyment of their home. As a modern social business, Trident has a duty to ensure that our tenants, their family members and visitors do not breach the conditions set out in their Tenancy Agreement. The Tenancy Agreement is explained to tenants when they begin a tenancy with Trident. Trident will not tolerate Anti-social behaviour and will make that absolutely clear to tenants and to anybody who wishes to become a tenant. Gujarati Hindi Kurdish Punjabi Polish Somali Urdu

3 We are here to help tackle your problems Helping You to Resolve Problems If problems arise, the best option can be to contact the person causing the problem directly. Trying to sort out the problem without involving Trident can be the easiest and quickest way, and Trident will advise and support you to do this. If you think this way will put you at risk and it is necessary for Trident to become involved, we will; Make It Easy For You To Contact Us You can report Anti-social behaviour: In person at Head Office by speaking to our Customer Advisor team or theasb team By telephone on during office hours Out of Hours Respect Line By , accessible from our website By speaking to your local residents group

4 What Trident does to prevent Anti-social behaviour Trident seeks to prevent Anti-social behaviour before it begins. We do this by actions such as using Good Neighbourhood Agreements or not letting homes where there is potential for conflict between neighbours. Trident also works with agencies such as the Police to tackle issues before they cause Anti-social behaviour. Trident staff are trained to have the knowledge and skills to tackle Anti-social behaviour. In addition to a dedicated Anti-social behaviour Officer, Trident has a Neighbourhood Co-Ordinator who works with communities to solve problems at an early stage. What is Anti-social behaviour? There are different legal definitions to describe Anti-social behaviour and nuisance, but the broad definition we use is:- something that causes nuisance, annoyance, harassment, alarm or distress to one or more person/s not of the same household Examples of behaviour covered are:- Noise Verbal Abuse Vandalism Pets and animal nuisance Nuisance from vehicles Drug/ substance misuse or dealing Alcohol related behaviour Domestic Violence Physical Violence Litter/ Flytipping Misuse of communal spaces Prostitution Criminal Behaviour

5 Ensuring Your Voice Is Heard If you decide to involve Trident in tackling the nuisance, we will: Contact you within two working days, more quickly for the more serious cases. Take seriously the issues you raise and the evidence given by witnesses. Treat you with respect. Seek to communicate with you on a regular basis, by telephone, in person or in writing. Arrange for an interpreter or sign language interpreter. Draw up an action plan with you within five days of your complaint and take action at the agreed times. Keep you up to date with progress and take decisions promptly, as set out in the Anti-social behaviour procedure. Not disclose your name and address to anybody else without your permission, except if legal action is being pursued or it is in the public interest to do so in order to detect or deter crime. Supporting Tenants Trident can provide the following types of support: If you agree, we can refer you to other agencies who provide specialist support. If you feel your safety is at risk, we can help to re-house you, even if it is only for a short time. Where it is right to do so, Trident will offer a housing support service to vulnerable tenants and people who cause a nuisance. Trident will aim to provide you with the right level of support and information, if a case goes to Court.

6 Closing Your Case We will close the case when: The case has been investigated and successfully resolved. There has been no further nuisance for 3 months (you are still encouraged to contact us if you have further problems). By mutual consent e.g. if the complaint is withdrawn or when the person who caused the nuisance has left the area and is unlikely to return. There is not enough evidence for us to pursue your case if Trident has used all options available and been unable to resolve the issue. Continuous Improvement Trident is committed to improving its services continuously. To do this, we will: Record and review how well the service and support options are working. Use information that we receive to help us to improve services. Ask your views about how your case was handled, and use the information to help us to improve our service.

7 Trident can work with you to resolve Anti-social behaviour without taking legal action This could include: Advice: In some cases, we may decide to take no action. This could happen where no clear breach of tenancy conditions has taken place. We may instead offer you advice and support, or refer you to other organisations who may be able to help. We may also use this approach if it is not possible to identify who is responsible for the behaviour. Mediation: This may be considered for low level instances of Anti-social behaviour where people are willing to try to solve problems by talking them through. Mediation is extremely successful and works in the majority of cases. Written Warnings: Written warnings can be given following the investigation of a report of Anti-social behaviour/nuisance. Acceptable Behaviour Contracts: These contracts are voluntary and are used to change behaviour in a specific way. The contract is clearly written, so that the person causing the nuisance and his or her parent/guardian can understand what is and is not acceptable. Parenting Contracts: There are two elements to this. The first is a support programme for parents. It helps them to address their child's misbehaviour. The second sets out how parents are required to control their child's behaviour. Examples include ensuring that their child goes to school every day or is home during certain hours. Joint Working: Whenever possible, other organisations such as the Police, Social Services and Youth services will be involved. This is intended to tackle problems at an early stage by working with individuals or groups of young people.

8 Every now and then Trident does have to take legal action. This is normally where the Anti-social behaviour is serious and/or persistent Possession Proceedings: This is an application made to the Courts for a legal order for the tenant to give up possession of their home. Proceedings for Demotion: This is a Court Order which reduces the security of tenure. For example, an Assured Tenancy may be demoted to anassured Shorthold Tenancy for a set period of time. Parenting Order: A parent/carer who receives an order will attend support sessions for up to three months, and ensure their child behaves in line with set conditions. These conditions can last for up to 12 months. A parent/carer can be prosecuted for failing to keep the terms of the order. Injunctions: Injunctions are civil orders granted by the County Court. An injunction sets out the problem behaviour or nuisance, and instructs the named person not to repeat it. Some injunctions can exclude the person from named places or areas. Injunctions can only be raised against people who are aged 18 or over. Applications for Anti-social behaviour Orders: ASBO's are civil orders imposed by the Courts for a period of between two and five years. They are similar to Injunctions, but can be served to anyone aged 10 or above. Unlike Injunctions, Anti-social behaviour Orders can include an element of support.

9 Useful Contacts Criminal Behaviour West Midlands Police Derbyshire Police Crime Stoppers Abandoned Vehicles - Council Contacts Birmingham Sandwell Derbyshire Solihull Flytipping - Council Contacts Birmingham South Derbyshire Sandwell Solihull Graffiti - Council Contacts Birmingham Sandwell Derbyshire Solihull Noise - Council Contacts Birmingham South Derbyshire Sandwell Solihull Dog Wardens - Council Contacts Birmingham Solihull Sandwell Derbyshire

10 We need to know what language you speak to ensure that we can provide you with language support if required. If you only speak, read or write one of the following languages please indicate which one to a member of our staff, or call us on

11 How to find support for anti-social behaviour issues Albanian Arabic Chinese Farsi This leaflet gives guidance on Trident's approach to tackling Anti-social behaviour. It also sets out the different ways to contact Trident to report Anti-social behaviour. Every tenant has the right to the quiet and peaceful enjoyment of their home. As a modern social business, Trident has a duty to ensure that our tenants, their family members and visitors do not breach the conditions set out in their Tenancy Agreement. The Tenancy Agreement is explained to tenants when they begin a tenancy with Trident. Trident will not tolerate Anti-social behaviour and will make that absolutely clear to tenants and to anybody who wishes to become a tenant. Gujarati Hindi Kurdish Punjabi Polish Somali Urdu

12 Head Office Trident Housing Association 239 Holliday Street, Birmingham B1 1SJ Tel: Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 8.30am pm Friday 8.30am pm Out of office hours: Tel: Customer Awareness: We all have a duty to effectively communicate with our customers and to be sensitive to those who may not have English as a first language, have impaired vision/hearing, or have learning difficulties. If you would like this booklet in any other format, for example, Braille, large print or audio, please contact Trident Head Office on How to... find support for anti-social behaviour issues