Nottingham City Homes Tackling Anti-social Behaviour and Crime Strategy

Nottingham City Homes Tackling Anti-social Behaviour and Crime Strategy 2016-2019 Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16 ...
Author: Jordan Lambert
22 downloads 0 Views 1MB Size
Nottingham City Homes Tackling Anti-social Behaviour and Crime Strategy 2016-2019

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 1 of 25

Contents Introduction

3

Key achievements

4

NCH corporate objectives

5

Vision

6

Developing the Strategy

7

Local and national drivers

7

Delivering the strategy

11

Achieving the outcomes

11

Resources

21

Monitoring and review

23

Equality and diversity

23

Key risks

24

This is a Nottingham City Homes Group wide policy/strategy and its contents apply to any subsidiary company within the Nottingham City Homes Group, incorporating but not exclusive to Nottingham City Homes Registered Provider Limited (NCH RP), a company limited by guarantee which is Registered Provider and is regulated by the Regulator; and Nottingham City Homes Enterprises Limited (NCH Enterprises), a company limited by shares.

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 2 of 25

Introduction This strategy sets out our vision to create safe neighbourhoods where people want to live. Our tenants and leaseholders have informed us through surveys, focus groups and forums that crime and anti-social behaviour is a priority concern for them. Left unchallenged, we recognise that crime and anti-social behaviour can have a significant detrimental impact on the lives of individuals and communities. Preventing and tackling anti-social behaviour and criminality through a victim focused approach is a priority for us. It is central to achieving our goals set out in our Corporate Plan and in contributing to city wide objectives set out in the wider Nottingham Plan and Nottingham Crime and Drug Partnership Plan 2015-20. Together with Nottingham City Council, the Police and the wider partnership we have made good progress and we will continue to work with partners to make all our neighbourhoods safe places to live. We have shown that by working with partners to deliver appropriate interventions and investing in our decent homes secure programme, crime figures have reduced and satisfaction with neighbourhood as a place to live has increased. Continued investment in preventing and tackling anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse and hate crime shows that we will not tolerate activity that destroys other people’s lives and impacts on communities. The Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour and Crime Strategy 2016-19 sets out our future direction and how we intend to deliver our commitment to tackling anti-social behaviour and crime through a framework of prevention, early intervention, support and enforcement in partnership with statutory, non-statutory and voluntary sector organisations. The strategy will make sure we are positioned to continue to deliver a high quality service at a time of challenge and make sure the service we provide to our customers is delivered effectively and efficiently. This strategy will be delivered during a time of austerity and public spending cuts. The next few years presents a number of challenges for the organisation and our customers as further welfare reforms, including universal credit and the benefit cap are introduced in Nottingham. Whilst there is no evidence yet to suggest welfare reform will have an impact on levels of ASB and crime, as further reforms are rolled out we need to be mindful of any potential impact and increased service demand. It is an exciting time for Nottingham City Homes, we are working with Nottingham City Council to create hundreds of new council homes as well as developing new homes owned by Nottingham City Homes through our registered provider and market rent subsidiary. The Strategy applies to all subsidiary companies within the Nottingham City Homes Group, including Nottingham City Council stock managed by NCH and stock developed through our registered provider and market rent subsidiary.

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 3 of 25

2013-15 achievements  Improved our approach to anti-social behaviour case management. A cultural shift in the way we manage anti-social behaviour casework with harm and vulnerability at forefront of our response.  Active member of the Nottingham City anti-social behaviour transition group which focused on the preparation for and implementation of the Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014. Highlighted by the Chartered Institute of Housing as sector good practice  NCH won two awards at the Resolve national anti-social behaviour awards. o o

Team of the Year – Team NCH Project of the year – Strelley KO Boxing club in partnership with the Police and boxing club.

 83% of anti-social behaviour cases resolved at 1st intervention. This represents the Housing Patch Managers ability to deliver a right first time service.  In 2014/15 we obtained 48 possession orders in relation to drug and violence related tenancy breaches.  Resolve anti-social behaviour Quality Assurance Assessment rated the anti-social behaviour service as excellent.  Development and implementation of the CommUNITY Mediation service  Introduced the responsible tenant reward scheme to encourage a culture of respect, responsibility and improved behaviour.  Worked with a local social enterprise to deliver a hate crime focused Faith project which won the Faith Action Together in Service Award.  Young Estate Inspector programme introduced focusing on environmental anti-social behaviour and respect and responsibility.  Pet’s policy introduced with clear guidance on nuisance pet behaviour.  Increase in number of estates achieving 4* assessments surpassed 80% target at 90%.  Delivery of successful diversionary activities in partnership, including the KO boxing club.  Reviewed the garden maintenance procedure and aligned with the new tools and powers introduced by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.  Decent Homes’ investment has served to improve the extent to which homes can be subject to burglary and this is reflected in a citywide reduction in burglary.  Decent neighbourhood’s investment in consultation with local councillors and residents to improve the estates as a place to live.  Using a ‘wellbeing valuation’ approach has demonstrated the social impact and value of NCH’s anti-social behaviour services  Delivered the anti-social behaviour training plan, which included training on: hate crime and alternative subcultures, mate crime, domestic abuse risk assessment, victim focused case management, writing witness statements, ASB Crime and Policing Act 2014 and priority families.

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 4 of 25

How the strategy meets NCH’s Corporate Objectives Our corporate vision reflects what we do as a business and our aspirations for Nottingham, its people and communities.

To create homes and places where people want to live The Corporate Plan 2015-18 sets out our future direction as a company, our plans and priorities over the next three years. It's ambitious – designed to capture the aspirations of tenants, employees, our Board and our partners. This Plan will lead us to become the type of organisation we want to be – a sustainable top performing ALMO, raising the bar for housing in Nottingham, for our tenants of today and of the future. Our corporate goals are:

1. To be a first class housing organisation in the eyes of our tenants and leaseholders 2. To be a major player in transforming the quality of life in our neighbourhoods 3. To be a great place to work, widely respected as an efficient and professional organisation. 4. To generate new business, securing additional income to reinvest in Nottingham and our communities.

Our core commitment to tackling anti-social behaviour and crime is set out in our corporate plan, as follows: 

Continue to be committed to and be active in Nottingham’s neighbourhood approach to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, working with NCC, the Police and the Crime and Drugs Partnership.



Work with communities to support victims of crime and anti-social behaviour.



Continue our commitment to the long term strategy of early intervention and prevention, and to tackle the root causes of crime and anti-social behaviour.

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 5 of 25

Our vision for the tackling anti-social behaviour and crime strategy The overarching vision of our anti-social behaviour strategy is:

To create safe neighbourhoods where people want to live To achieve this vision we have developed the following seven service outcomes, which provide a framework for delivery:

 Identify and tackle anti-social behaviour and criminality, keeping victims and communities informed and reassured by our actions.  Make sure our services are aligned to prevent anti-social behaviour, and to protect our communities through swift intervention.  Create positive partnerships to address crime and anti-social behaviour.

 Respond swiftly and robustly to incidents of hate crime and domestic abuse.  Work with the Police and other partners to tackle drug use and serious crime in our communities.  Continue to invest in homes and communities to create decent and safe neighbourhoods.  Encourage community cohesion, personal responsibility, involvement, and community spirit.

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 6 of 25

Developing the strategy In refreshing this strategy we consulted with the following stakeholders and partners through a series of strategy development workshops. The workshops below were facilitated in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Housing ASB working together project: 





NCH workshop- employees from across the company, including Tenancy and Estate Management, Tenant and Leaseholder Involvement, Asset Management, Caretaking Services, Customer Services, Lettings, Learning and Development. Key partners workshop- Nottinghamshire Police, Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership (CDP), Nottingham City Council Community Protection (CP) and Legal Services, Family Intervention Project, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue. Customer workshop - customers who have used the anti-social behaviour service.

We have also taken on board the findings and recommendations from the following:        

Resolve anti-social behaviour Quality Assurance Assessment 2015 Customer Excellence Panel scrutiny review Chartered Institute of Housing working together to deliver excellent antisocial behaviour services ASB Equality Impact Assessment Anti-social behaviour customer satisfaction STAR survey Anti-social behaviour performance and monitoring information Housemark ASB benchmarking results

National Context In recent years the government has set out a new approach to policing, community safety and anti-social behaviour. The new approach has included reviewing the whole system of dealing with anti-social behaviour in order to ensure agencies are putting the needs of victims first. The government is clear that the responsibility for tackling anti-social behaviour is shared between a number of agencies, particularly the Police, Councils and social housing providers. Some of the key national drivers are summarised below: ASB Crime and Policing Act 2014 – The overarching aim of the Act is to focus the response to anti-social behaviour on the needs of victims and communities and to give professionals the flexibility needed to deal with any given situation. The Act provides more effective powers to tackle anti-social behaviour to protect victims and communities and tackle the underlying causes and change behaviour. Welfare reform - The government continues to roll out welfare reform, including universal credit, benefit cap and restrictions on housing benefit for young people. These reforms set against a wider backdrop of public spending cuts present a challenge for providers of public services. Although there is no link between welfare reform and increased crime and anti-

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 7 of 25

social behaviour, there is the need to be mindful of any potential impact and increased service demand. Crime Survey England and Wales The police recorded 2.0 million incidents of ASB in the year ending March 2015. This compares with the 3.8 million crimes recorded by the police over the same period. The number of ASB incidents recorded by the police in the year ending March 2015 decreased by 8%, compared with the previous year. Global forces –In recent year’s national and global events have had impact on local communities. Tensions may develop which may present challenges for community cohesion and have an impact on crime, disorder and ASB. The Governments Counter Terrorism and Extremism Strategy sets out how local authorities should deal with the challenge of extremism. Tackling serious and organised crime is also key emerging priority for the Government, reflected by the introduction of the Serious Crime Act 2015 and the national Serious and Organised Crime Strategy. New communities and community cohesion - Responding to inward migration is a national challenge. As well as an increasing population and increased service demand, there is the need to respond to new and emerging communities. There is the risk of tensions developing between new and established communities and this can present challenges for community cohesion and have an impact on crime, disorder and ASB. Care Act 2014 - Social Housing providers are required by the Act to focus on the principles of prevention, early intervention, and accountability in relation to the protection of vulnerable adults. There are clear links between adult safeguarding, domestic abuse, ASB, hate crime and mate crime. NCH employees are well placed to identify people at risk of abuse or harm through our high level of contact with our tenants in their homes and communities.

Local Context Local drivers that have influenced and shaped the strategy include: Nottingham Plan 2020– delivering a safer city aims to make Nottingham’s neighbourhoods and homes safer and more attractive places to live and to tackle the causes of crime. Safer Nottingham is led by the Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership. Nottingham Crime and Drug partnership plan 2015-20- The Plan sets how the out how the partnership will tackle anti-social behaviour, substance misuse and reoffending in Nottingham. The headline targets for the partnership are 20% reduction in victim based crime (including ASB by 2020). We are an active partner on the CDP Board and CDP executive group. The annual strategic assessment completed by the CDP identifies yearly thematic priorities for the partnership, for example the 2015/16 assessment identified violence, sexual offences, serious and organised crime, burglary, drugs and alcohol misuse and anti-social behaviour as partnership priorities. Hate Crime Delivery Plan- The plan has been developed to reflect the commitments to tackling hate crime within the PCC Police and Crime Plan 2015-18. The plan ensures that targeted provision is available, is effective and focused on those most vulnerable to victimisation and offending.

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 8 of 25

Nottingham Domestic and Sexual Violence and Abuse Strategy – This is a three year strategy which covers both domestic and sexual violence and abuse (DSVA). The aim of the strategy is to reduce the incidence and impact of domestic and sexual violence and abuse in the city. Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC): Police and Crime Plan 201518 sets out seven top priorities for Police and partners. The priorities are about addressing crime and the issues arising from crime. They include tackling particular problem areas with the help of partners in the communities. The plan sets out a focus on local areas most affected by crime and antisocial behaviour and aims to reduce the impact of drugs and alcohol on crime and anti-social behaviour. The PCC has launched a new programme of voluntary sector community safety grants. Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership Substance Misuse Strategic Direction 2016-20- Provides strategic direction for the city in relation to substance misuse. The aim is to promote a responsible attitude to alcohol consumption and to reduce the number of people misusing drugs or alcohol. One of the expected outcomes of the strategy includes less crime and anti-soil behaviour linked to drug and alcohol misuse. The strategy sets out a response new psychoactive substances. Decent Neighbourhoods – The NCH decent neighbourhood programme coordinates investment through the Nottingham City Neighbourhood Improvement Design Guide; it is a framework for well-designed and well maintained estates. By targeting this investment we can help tackle ASB and the fear of crime as well as improving the external appearance of our estates. The broken windows theory is widely held and is referenced in the Nottingham Plan objective to deliver a safer city. It states that effective maintenance of the environment creates an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, thereby preventing crime and anti-social behaviour. NCH ASB Social impact evaluation1 – The ASB social impact evaluation has demonstrated that successful case management of ASB directly helps improve the personal and social wellbeing of victims of ASB, which are initially harmed by the experience of ASB. There is also clear evidence that NCH is making progress towards its goal of creating safe places where people want to live, as part of Nottingham’s Community Safety Partnership. The innovative application of the impact evaluation approach to ASB management has provided valuable insights to support developing best practice for the sector. The social impact study highlighted areas of learning and improvement for NCH For example, the evaluation does show that the experience of anti-social behaviour has some residual emotional and behavioural effects of some victims, and some tenants continue to have lower social wellbeing. This demonstrates a potential ‘scarring’ effect of the experience. This has highlighted the need for longer-term follow up, to explore and support any unresolved emotions or issues. This could include onward referral and support from other services, for example, potentially through the new CommUNITY mediation service, or by linking into community groups and activities to encourage a stronger connection with local people.

1

Nottingham City Homes (2015) Social Impact Report

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 9 of 25

The NCH ASB Picture Tenants’ satisfaction with the area/neighbourhood as a place to live has remained high and fairly stable over the last three years, with 82% of tenants ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ satisfied in 2014 compared to 80% in 2011. Over 40% of tenants feel that car parking and rubbish or litter are the biggest problems in their neighbourhood. The difficulty with car parking is knowing if it relates to a lack of adequate parking or if it relates to inconsiderate parking or a combination of both. Likewise the challenge with pet and animal nuisance understanding the nature of the problem; the introduction of a pet’s policy has brought clear guidance for both tenants and officers. 20% of our tenants feel that noisy neighbours are an issue, whilst this has decreased from 34% in 2011, noise nuisance equates to the largest proportion of our casework at 25% between 2012 and 2015. In comparison noise issues account for the highest percentage of ASB (35%) reported to the Police. 2 Citywide perceptions of ASB generally continue to reduce, with improvements in regards to all types of ASB measured by the Respect for Nottingham Survey. Those ‘personally affected by ASB’ remain static at 9% of respondents citing it as a problem.3 NCH deals with around 1,000 cases of ASB each year. Most cases are resolved within three months (70% in 2014/15), with only 12% lasting more than six months. In the last year, 84% of cases were resolved at first intervention. This has increased from 62% in 2011/12. Over the last three years, around a third of all cases were attributed to repeat perpetrators. The most common types of ASB reported to NCH in 2014/15 were noise (20%), garden nuisance (18%), drugs/substance misuse or drug dealing (16%) and verbal harassment, intimidation or threatening behaviour (15%). Garden nuisance has seen the biggest increase; this is attributed to the improved recording of garden nuisance cases, which were previously under recorded. Areas covered by the St Ann’s area housing office have had the highest number of new cases over the last three years. However, the rate of new cases per 1,000 properties managed by each housing office shows that Clifton area housing office has the highest rate of new cases, followed by Bulwell area housing office and Radford area housing office. The Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership strategic needs assessment4 has highlighted that Police recorded ASB has remained fairly static and currently accounts for 18% of all incidents reported to the Police. Noise issues continue to account for the highest percentage of ASB reported to the Police, with a majority being loud music. Youth-related ASB is the second most reported type (23%) followed by alcohol-related (19%). Over the last 12 months, noise related incidents have reduced by 4% whilst youth and alcohol related incidents have both increased 10% and 4% respectively. The repeat victimisation rate for Police recorded ASB is 32%, 30% for noise related ASB and 22% for youth and alcohol related ASB, which is comparable to 2014. 2

CDP Strategic needs assessment 2015 Nottingham Respect Survey 4 CDP Strategic needs assessment 2015 3

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 10 of 25

Delivering the strategy Tackling anti-social behaviour and crime and transforming the quality of life in our neighbourhoods is a top organisational priority for Nottingham City Homes and it cross cuts a number of our service areas. There are key actions we will undertake throughout the lifetime of this strategy to meet our service vision and achieve our outcomes. This strategy applies to Nottingham City Council stock managed by NCH and stock developed through our registered provider and market rent subsidiary. The strategy applies to private tenures where Nottingham City Homes’ customers are affected by anti-social behaviour perpetrated by private tenants or owner occupiers, in these cases we will work closely with Nottingham City Councils Community Protection Team. This strategy is supported by a detailed annual action plan which provides further information on actions, responsible persons and timescales for delivery.

Achieving the outcomes Identify and tackle anti-social behaviour and criminality, keeping victims and communities informed and reassured by our actions We recognise anti-social behaviour undermines the quality of life for individuals, families and communities and we are committed to the provision of a victim focused approach to anti-social behaviour ensuring victims are at the heart of our service and our response is focused on the impact of the incident and support for those who are more at risk of harm or repeat victimisation. To achieve this outcome we will: 

Continue to embed the victim focused approach to case management which focuses on the harm and impact an incident of crime or anti-social behaviour has on victim(s). Provide additional support to victims who are vulnerable or repeat victims of anti-social behaviour.



Work with partners to implement a multi-agency integrated database to strengthen the identification of and response to vulnerable and repeat victims.



Work with Victim Support and other agencies to ensure the needs of our victims and witnesses are met.



Promote positive outcomes and keep victims informed through timely communications and make sure individuals and communities are reassured by our actions. Increase confidence in our services through effective communication messages and campaigns that use innovative methods of communication.

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 11 of 25



Ensure the anti-social behaviour service is aligned with our prevention of harm and abuse strategy in order to protect vulnerable adults and children from harm.



Ensure our workforce, new and existing, have the skills, knowledge and capacity required to deliver an effective victim focussed anti-social behaviour service. Ensure the service is equipped to respond to challenges presented by mental health conditions, substance misuse, and dual diagnosis. This will support the Corporate Plan health and wellbeing priority to intervene earlier to increase the number of citizens with good mental health and wellbeing.



Work with partners to tackle and prevent anti-social behaviour driven by alcohol misuse and support the Nottingham Ending Alcohol Harm campaign. This will support the health and wellbeing priority to reduce the number of citizens who develop alcohol-related diseases and reduce ASB and crime driven by alcohol misuse.



Ensure our response to tackling noise nuisance is robust and victim focused and that the appropriate tools and guidance is available to effectively tackle neighbour noise nuisance with confidence.



Continue to drive high levels of customer satisfaction and incorporate social impact and wellbeing questions into casework assessments in order to evaluate the victim wellbeing journey throughout case management.



Identify & tackle violence towards employees and contractors and work with Health and Safety to ensure robust procedures are followed for reporting and dealing with violent incidents.



Further develop the equality and diversity profile of both victims and perpetrators of anti-social behaviour and ensure that our services are accessible for hard to reach communities, young and older customers.

Make sure our services are aligned to prevent anti-social behaviour, and to protect our communities through swift intervention We recognise prevention as being crucial to developing safe and sustainable communities and that early intervention can prevent anti-social behaviour from escalating, prevent service demand and improve customer satisfaction. We are committed to preventing incidents of anti-social behaviour and ‘nipping it in the bud’ when incidents do occur. To support our approach to early intervention we have developed a Community Mediation service to deliver mediation in our communities.

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 12 of 25

We will not hesitate to take enforcement action when necessary and we will continue to ensure that our response is robust and effective using all powers available to us, targeted to serious and persistent incidents of anti-social behaviour and criminality that can blight our communities if left unchallenged. To achieve this outcome we will: 

Continue to embed and make effective use of the new tools and powers introduced by the Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014. We will continue to work with Community Protection to take swift and effective enforcement action where necessary.



Work with partners and customers to review the use of and effectiveness of the new tools and powers across the partnership.



Review the Anti-social Behaviour, Hate Crime and Domestic Abuse policy and procedure to ensure it is fit for purpose.



Ensure the ASB, hate crime and domestic abuse policy and procedure takes into account new business developments and operational variations, in particular, the management of assured and market rent tenures and private and HIMO properties subject to local authority management orders.



Build on our success with partners to reduce the opportunities for crime and antisocial behaviour including the use of CCTV, hot spot analysis and response and identification of emerging trends.



Embed the CommUNITY Mediation service as an early intervention tool and support and develop our volunteer mediators.



Evaluate the impact of the CommUNITY Mediation service and explore opportunities to provide a mediation service to partners.



Support perpetrators of crime and anti-social behaviour to change their behaviour with a focus on tackling the root causes of anti-social behaviour and crime and to support prevention of repeat incidents and re-offending. Ensure positive requirements are routinely considered when taking enforcement action.



Scope out options to develop and deliver positive requirements courses through the Tenant Academy aimed at fostering behaviour change and tackling the root causes of anti-social behaviour.



Identify opportunities for joint working with partners to deliver restorative justice interventions.



Continue to work with partners to support individuals facing multiple/complex needs such as homelessness, mental health, criminality and substance misuse.

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 13 of 25



Work with partners to tackle and prevent anti-social behaviour and crime driven by drug and alcohol misuse. This will support the health and wellbeing priority to reduce the number of citizens who develop alcohol-related diseases.



Continue to develop employment opportunities aimed at marginalised young people and those at risk of offending within the high impact areas and further develop opportunities for placements for young City resident care leavers within NCH. Our approach to supporting care leavers is set out in out in the care leaver’s protocol.

Create positive partnerships to address crime and antisocial behaviour. Partnership working is an essential and integral part of this strategy and is a crosscutting theme across all seven of the outcomes. Working with partner agencies not only strengthens relations with the local community but it can also help to achieve our outcomes and help to achieve a holistic problem solving approach to tackle anti-social behaviour and criminality. To achieve this outcome we will:

5



Work with the Crime and Drugs Partnership and Neighbourhood Action Teams to deliver interventions in high impact neighbourhoods. These ‘High Impact Neighbourhoods’ represent the areas where a strategic partnership focus can have the most impact.



Continue to actively contribute to the overarching priorities set out in Nottingham’s Crime and Drugs Partnership Plan, which are: o Reduce crime o Reduce Reoffending o Reduce Substance Misuse o Reduce Anti-social Behaviour



Work with the Crime and Drugs Partnership to address the annual partnership thematic priorities identified by the annual strategic needs assessment, for example the 2015/16 strategic needs assessment identified violence, sexual offences, serious and organised crime, burglary, drugs and alcohol misuse and antisocial behaviour as partnership priorities. Partners will use an approach that delivers thematic activity and focuses on those people, places and premises that require a multi-agency problem solving approach to resolve.5



We will continue to work with Community Protection to take swift and effective enforcement action where necessary.

Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership, Partnership Plan 2015 to 2020

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 14 of 25



Continue to work in partnership with the Fire and Rescue Service to prevent fire related anti-social behaviour, crime and hoarding and support vulnerable victims through home fire safety checks and target hardening and continue to raise awareness of fire safety through preventative interventions.



Work with Police and partners to improve information sharing and the implementation of a shared partnership database.



Be an active partner in the Priority Families program to support identified families to get into work, improve their school attendance and reduce anti-social behaviour and youth offending and adopt the principals of the priority families working approach.



Continue to work with the Family Intervention Project to support families with complex and multiple needs, utilising family intervention tenancies where appropriate.



Participate in partnership Community Trigger case reviews when victims have activated the trigger where they feel their reports of anti-social behaviour have not received an appropriate response.



Build on our success with partners to reduce the opportunities for crime and antisocial behaviour including the use of CCTV mobile patrols, hot spot analysis and response and identification of emerging trends.



Strengthen our links with the Youth Offending Team and work with partners, for example though the Priority Families programme, to tackle youth related anti-soul behaviour and provide support for families affected by youth related anti-social behaviour.



Strengthen our links to Probation Services and maximise employability opportunities in order to provide better support to ex-offenders and to prevent the cycle of re-offending.

Respond swiftly and robustly to incidents of hate crime and domestic abuse

We know the impact domestic abuse and hate crime has on individuals, families and communities, and that it remains a very real and often hidden issue within our communities. Research by Nottingham Citizens UK6 highlight s that hate crime is under reported in Nottingham and analysis7 of data provided by the Crime and Drugs Partnership shows that 6 7

Nottingham citizens (2014) No Place for Hate NCH 2015 Report on Crime and ASB in NCH areas

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 15 of 25

domestic violence levels are higher in areas of Nottingham which contain a concentration of NCH properties. We recognise many of the objectives, outcomes and actions contained within this strategy are cross cutting across equality and diversity, however, we specifically aim to further address issues of inequality and tackle hate crime and domestic abuse. To achieve this outcome we will: 

Provide help, support and minimise risk of harm and repeat victimisation to survivors of domestic abuse. We will continue to work in partnership through the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) for domestic abuse.



Work in partnership to increase the safety of survivors of domestic abuse. We will continue to work with the Sanctuary scheme to offer survivors of domestic abuse the prospect of staying safely in their home by substantially enhancing security and target hardening.



Identify the signals of domestic abuse and respond swiftly and sensitively by ensuring that our workforce are aware of domestic abuse issues, including, coercive and controlling behaviour, stalking, honour based violence and forced marriage. We will ensure training is provided and officers are supported to evaluate, risk assess and respond appropriately.



Continue to work with local agencies to tackle the cause and effect of domestic abuse and support the delivery of the Nottingham Crime and Drug Partnership Nottingham Domestic and Sexual Violence and Abuse Strategy.



Develop alternative approaches to keep domestic abuse survivors engaged with the service and explore how we can better support and build resilience in the survivors peer support network



Participate in domestic abuse awareness raising initiatives, aimed at target groups, such as males and the LGBT community. Continue to support awareness campaigns such as the White Ribbon Campaign.



Develop innovative approaches to prevention of hate crime incidents and to raise public confidence in the services provided.



Continue to raise awareness and increase reporting of hate crime and make clear that hate crime, mate crime, harassment and bullying in all forms, including cyber bullying is not acceptable and encourage responsible use of social media.



We will demonstrate our priority to tackle hate crime by our commitment to the Hate Crime Partnership Pledge which has been developed to drive strategic change in the way hate crime is managed across the partnership.

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 16 of 25



Be an active partner in the Nottingham City Hate Crime Delivery Group which has been tasked to develop new and innovative ways to respond to, tackle and manage hate crime. NCH is a key partner in the development of the new citywide hate crime scrutiny panel, which has been influenced by our ASB case review panel.



Work with the Hate Crime Delivery Group and voluntary organisations to respond to the recommendations in the Nottingham Citizens Say No to Hate report8.



Develop our approach to counter terrorism and extremism and increase workforce awareness and link into the Eyes Wide Open initiative.



Use our profiling data and partnership information to identify emerging hate crime hotspots and tension indicators to ensure that our resources are deployed appropriately and effectively.



We will identify intolerances and prejudice within our communities and work in partnership to challenge intolerance and prejudice and participate in local initiatives which encourage cohesive communities and foster good community relations.

Work with the Police and other partners to tackle drug use and serious crime in our communities. In 2014 17% of our tenants and leaseholders felt drug use or dealing was a major issue in their neighbourhood compared with 28% in 20119. Much has been achieved in partnership to tackle this issue but there is still more to do. We have specific and robust clauses within our Tenancy Agreement in relation to drug and violent offences and we have processes in place to work in partnership with the Police and Community Protection. In 2014/15 we obtained 48 possession orders in relation to drug and violence related tenancy breaches. We remain committed to challenging and tackling the effects that drug use, drug dealing, gang culture, youth violence and serious and organised crime can have on our communities. We will continue to take an uncompromising stance against drug offences and violent crime on our estates. To achieve this outcome we will:

8 9



In partnership with Community Protection and Nottingham Police, continue to take robust enforcement action against perpetrators of drug and violence related tenancy breaches.



Work with Police and Nottingham City Council to understand the current prevalence and nature of serious and organised crime in Nottingham.

Nottingham Citizens UK (2014) The Citizens Commission: No Place for Hate STAR survey 2014 and 2011

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 17 of 25



Work with partners to develop local serious and organised crime profiles and multi-agency action plans to tackle local issues.



Deliver child sexual exploitation workforce training to raise awareness and reiterate reporting routes – linked to the Eyes Wide Open initiative. We will always consider tenancy enforcement action if an offender is connected to a NCH managed property.



Continue to take robust action against cannabis cultivation in our communities and work with our partners to further understand and respond to the links between welfare reform, cannabis invasions and cannabis cultivation and further the links to our tenancy sustainability policy and financial inclusion agenda.



Improve workforce understanding of modern slavery, including how to identify and safeguard victims.



Work with partners to tackle violence and knife crime. Continue to take enforcement action where necessary to protect individuals and communities and promote meaningful alternatives to violence and knife crime such as education, training and employment.

Continue to invest in homes and communities to create decent and safe neighbourhoods. We acknowledge the link between high quality, safe and sustainable communities and satisfaction with the neighbourhood as a place to live. We recognise that poorly maintained neighbourhoods can act as a catalyst for crime and anti-social behaviour. Through investing in our neighbourhoods, we aim to develop safer and stronger communities and increase confidence in the safety of our neighbourhoods. There is a direct link between estates which are well designed and maintained and encouraging active citizenship and responsible behaviour. The people, places and premises problem solving model allows Nottingham City Homes and partners to ensure delivery of appropriate interventions that not only focus on perpetrators, but also on potentially ‘offending’ places and premises or those contributing to the problem. We are also able to focus on the place, by considering ‘design out’ options, planning, cleansing, repair, renew and remove – tackling the environmental detriment of the amenity. To achieve this outcome we will: 

Deliver improvements to our homes and communities through the asset management strategy, which will continue to deliver ‘secure’ improvements through the capital investment programme. We are delivering a 5-year HRA Capital

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 18 of 25

programme, which has a commitment to investing £200m in on-going capital works, ensuring that the overall quality of our tenants’ homes is improving. 

We will prevent ASB issues as a result of poor estate design and make sure our Tenancy and Estate Management Teams are involved and consulted in relation to housing management issues and challenges throughout the development of new properties through the Build a Better Nottingham Programme.



Aim to improve our estates and environment to create decent neighbourhoods. Through our Decent Neighbourhood programme, we will coordinate investment through the Nottingham City Neighbourhood Improvement Design Guide, which is our framework for well-designed and maintained estates. A number of decent neighbourhoods’ projects are planned which are designed to enhance the quality of a neighbourhood’s look and feel and include a wide range of improvements in areas such as boundary works, park facilities, communal garden spaces and improvements to the streetscape to complement new build sites.



We will use resources to deliver environmental improvements with the aim of reducing crime, nuisance and anti-social behaviour. This could include tackling parking issues.



We will work with our Estates and Caretaking Team and Nottingham City Council City services to make sure our estates and communal grounds are well maintained and free from graffiti.



Through our ACE Inspector Programme tenants and leaseholders will carry out regular neighbourhood visits to assess if we are meeting promises set out in our Four Star Standards. We will work with customers to develop an enhanced four star standard for our estates which is reflective of customer’s aspirations and drives high standards of estate management.



Continue to work with schools and empower young people to take pride in their estates through the Young Ace Inspectors scheme.



Pro-actively identify environmental issues. We will continue to support the multiagency weeks of action and use STAR data results to drive week of action priorities. In addition, we will take part in regular councillor led ward walks with tenants and partners including City Services in order to identify problem areas and deliver a coordinated partnership response.



Develop further our ‘Eyes Wide Open’ initiative. This encourages all our employees to look out for issues when visiting tenants in their home or out and about on the city's estates and to 'see it, hear it, report it, resolve it'. We will explore the use of mobile phone applications for employee and customers to report issues.



Listen, act and feedback to community concerns and undertake analysis of hotspot areas and develop targeted action plans based on the established people places and premises problem solving model to tackle the issues. Where appropriate

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 19 of 25

we will adopt a partnership approach through the Neighbourhood Action Teams (NATs) to problem solving and seek innovative community led solutions. 

We will continue to work with partners and the voluntary sector to deliver community based projects such as, just grow and green spaces.



Encourage tenants to have well maintained gardens, through estate visits, the responsible tenant reward scheme and by making best use of our garden competition. We will encourage residents to look after and have pride in the area where they live. We will encourage the use of the Community Protection Notices (CPNs) introduced by the Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 to tackle untidy gardens.

Encourage community cohesion, personal responsibility, involvement and community spirit. We are committed to tenant and leaseholder involvement in the delivery of our anti-social behaviour service. We passionately believe that our tenants and leaseholders should be enabled to shape, scrutinise, influence and monitor our service and are empowered to take a stand against anti-social behaviour. Community cohesion is important for safe and sustainable communities, we recognise if communities are unable to get on, tension and intolerances can start to emerge, which can lead to fragmented community relations and an increase in anti-social behaviour and crime. Our Corporate Plan is clear that we will use our tenant and leaseholder engagement and our involvement with wider Nottingham cultural activities to contribute to community cohesion and sense of belonging. To achieve this outcome we will: 

Encourage behaviour change through the responsible tenant reward scheme. The responsible tenant reward scheme will continue to encourage a culture of respect, responsibility and improved behaviour.



Listen to and learn from customer feedback to drive up customer satisfaction and to steer service improvements. We will actively encourage and act upon customer feedback and utilise customer satisfaction data, STAR data, 3 C’s feedback and the complaints panel to inform service improvement.



Ensure that the anti-social behaviour service is widely promoted and tenants and leaseholders are kept informed of positive actions, key prevention messages and service developments. To do this we will revise our communication plan in consultation with customers.

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 20 of 25



Work with Nottingham City Councils Cohesion Board and Neighbourhood Development Teams to identify and respond to the needs of new and emerging communities.



Through our partnership working we will continue to positively engage and understand our communities, monitor manage and reduce community tensions, identify issues which may affect community relations and proactively develop multi agency and responses to address them and recognise the contribution that communities play in achieving a sense of belonging.



Participate in local initiatives which encourage cohesive communities and foster good community relations.



Encourage community led projects and initiatives which take a stand against anti-social behaviour by developing community capacity, through the Tenant Academy, to run local bespoke projects addressing local priorities. We will support local residents and utilise community funding sources, Neighbourhood Watch and social enterprisers to support local projects



Encourage and support communities to take ownership of anti-social behaviour by raising awareness of the service and partnership community remedy by promoting self-resolution techniques, community led mediation and restorative justice.



Ensure communities have the opportunity to shape, influence and challenge the service via a variety of different methods, including the Customer Excellence Panel, Equalities Panel, social media and ward walks.



Consult with tenants and leaseholders in relation to policy changes, service standards and new initiatives. We will ensure hard to reach communities can fully access our anti-social behaviour service and have the opportunity to influence the service delivery.

Resources A number of changes have been recently announced in the 2015 Budget that will cumulatively have a significant impact on the resources NCH has available, and the service that is offered. The 1% compulsory rent reduction announced in the budget will of course lower the rents our customers pay, but it will also reduce the income available to provide services across the organisation. Our aim is to make the most of our resources, making sure we provide the best value for money we can. We have undertaken a workload intensity analysis of the Housing Patch Manger (HPM) role, the analysis included anti-social behaviour. There is sufficient capacity within NCH Tenancy and Estate Management Team to effectively manage the anti-social behaviour casework and related activity and the analysis has resulted in some patch realignments in order to ensure that HPM resources are effectively deployed.

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 21 of 25

A number of services areas have responsibility for supporting the delivery of the strategy. The budget provision and resource for delivery of the strategy is largely contained within existing service area budgets. A strategy development budget and Community Mediation budget is included in the Tenancy and Estate budget to support the delivery of new service initiatives and training. Budget provision for legal services is provided within existing budgets. The strategy applies to all subsidiary companies within the Nottingham City Homes Group. Budget for the provision of legal services for NCH assured and market rent tenancies is included within the supervision and management costs for these areas. Team Plans set out the contribution every team has to make to deliver our corporate goals. They form the basis of individual employee work plans. The Tackling Anti-social Behaviour and Crime strategy action plan will link to the team plans. We will seek out external funding opportunities and maximise our partnerships to deliver the aims of the strategy. Value for money and social impact The social impact evaluation has demonstrated that our anti-social behaviour service creates clear and significant positive social value for individuals using the service. It demonstrates a long-term improvement in outcomes for NCH’s communities and neighbourhoods, potentially as a result of NCH’s activities and partnership work. 10 Social impact Cost/Benefit calculation The total social value that can be directly attributed as a result of NCH’s ASB services (i.e. results derived directly from service users) amounts to £5.9m, consisting of Wellbeing Value to individual victims, health service cost savings and NCH cost savings. This is compared to the cost of delivering the service over the 8 months of the evaluation period. The costs include all staff costs involved in delivering the ASB service, plus the costs of enforcement action such as legal and court fees. The total cost is £3.9m. Therefore the ASB service directly created almost £2m net benefit over the evaluation period. The cost/benefit ratio shows that every £1 spent on ASB services directly creates £1.51 in social value. According to sector benchmarking data, we spend on average £717 per anti-social behaviour case. These places the costs just below the median spend per case across the benchmarking organisations within the sector. The focus is on maintaining the quality of the service and achieving the best outcomes, rather than simply on cost reduction. Therefore the service’s aim is not to reduce the amount of resource used to tackle anti-social behaviour, but to make most effective use of that resource.

10

NCH (2015) Anti-social Behaviour social impact report

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 22 of 25

Monitoring and reviewing the strategy The action plan that supports this strategy will be managed through our electronic performance system Covalent to ensure that targets and actions are completed on time. It will be reviewed on an annual basis. Regular reports will be produced to demonstrate how the anti-social behaviour strategy outcomes are being met. The key performance indicators that will be used to monitor the performance and customer satisfaction of the service are:

Corporate Goal

To be a major player in transforming the quality of life in our neighbourhoods

Performance Measures

2014/15 actual

2018 target

Tenant satisfaction with the anti-social behaviour service

75%

85%11

% of anti-social behaviour cases resolved

100%

98.8%

% of cases resolved by first intervention

83.44%

87%

Tenant satisfaction with their neighbourhood as a place to live

82.46%

92%

Equality and Diversity Anti-social behaviour impacts upon all sectors of our communities, however, we acknowledge that certain groups or individuals may be more disadvantaged or vulnerable for reasons such as age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, gender reassignment. This strategy has clear links to our Equality and Diversity Strategy which is committed to promoting equality and embracing and celebrating the diversity of our customers and employees. The strategy meets the group commitment to equality and diversity, including:    

Commitment to tackling domestic abuse and hate crime Making sure the service is accessible for hard to reach communities Identification and support for repeat and vulnerable victims Recognises the challenge presented by new and emerging communities and the importance of fostering good community relations.

There is an action contained within the strategy to further develop the equality and diversity profile of both victims and perpetrators of anti-social behaviour and to ensure that our services are accessible for harder to reach communities. 11

NCH Corporate plan 2015-18 target

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 23 of 25

An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) for anti-social behaviour service has been undertaken. The EIA is subject to annual review. The EIA has considered the impact of the service on all protected characteristics of our tenants and leaseholders.

Key risks We aim to identify, control and manage all risks within a culture of risk management. Key risks identified are listed below.

Risk

Key actions to mitigate risk

Failure to deliver strategy actions

Regular review of progress through Covalent. Monitoring against performance indicators. Robust ASB, hate crime and domestic abuse policy and procedure. Robust case supervision Partnership working Regular training Monitoring against performance indicators. Information sharing protocols and service level agreements where appropriate. Continued involvement at key strategic and operational meetings such as Crime and Drugs partnership and Neighbourhood Action Team meetings. Work with partners to develop the multiagency database. Regular review of policy, procedure, processes and training.

Failure to effectively manage ASB casework could result in individual or community harm. At the most severe, injury, death and serious case review.

Ineffective partnership working and information sharing

Legislative change not embedded across the organisation. Capacity to develop new initiatives such as diversionary activities.

Anti-social Behaviour Manager in post. Develop clear links with community involvement and partners.

Failure to effectively tackle anti-social behaviour and low levels of customer satisfaction and reputation.

Performance monitoring through covalent and customer satisfaction survey. Communications plan to promote the service and positive outcomes. Anti-social behaviour case review panel will continue to review cases on a monthly basis and robust case supervision.

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

Uncontrolled when printed Page 24 of 25

Hard to reach communities maybe isolated and unaware of reporting procedures.

Failure of mediation service to meet the demand for the service.

Status Issued 08/03/16, Vers 1.0, NCHP041 Board approved 01/03/16

A full Equality Impact Assessment. Communication plan to include target awareness raising activities. Key partners at the Nottingham Hate Crime steering group and city hate crime delivery group. Links with voluntary organisations. Mediation Steering Group Performance framework in place Customer satisfaction survey Regular recruitment and training of new volunteers

Uncontrolled when printed Page 25 of 25

Suggest Documents