Baroness Newlove updates her first report

If you have not already done so I urge you to read “Our vision for safe and active communities” by Baroness Newlove the Government’s Champion for Active and Safer Communities published by DCLG in March 2011 and then the  recently published updated report on progress in achieving the challenges made.  These reports are only available on-line at:-   

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/safeactivecommunitiesupdate

by Mike Blomer

CCTV Consultation

Image via Wikipedia

A new consultation on how to regulate the use of CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology was launched on Monday.

The consultation is the first step towards a new Code of Practice, as set out in the Protection of Freedoms Bill, which was introduced in Parliament on February 11.

 The consultation asks operators and the public to air their views on how the use of this technology “can be made more proportionate and effective.”

The consultation particularly asks for views on:

• a possible checklist of actions before cameras are installed:
• the standards of footage:
• for how long footage should be retained; and
• providing better information for the public about cameras in their area

Devolved Administrations

The proposals extend to England and Wales. Where they impact on devolved responsibilities the Government will work with the Welsh Assembly Government on any resulting policy development.

More information

The  consultation runs until 25 May 2011. It can be viewed online and downloaded from the Home Office website via the following link  http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/consultations/cons-2011-cctv/

With thanks to Eamon Lynch and the Social Landlords Crime & Nuisance Group for this information.

When communities punish the criminal

In Elizabethan times, the stocks were a common sight. The Victorians set up work gangs to break stones for the road. Now we get the criminals to cut the grass, clean graffiti and repair benches – at the request of the community.

 The Ministry of Justice has (re)launched its campaign promoting the community punishment and encouraging the public to ‘have a say’ in how it is delivered.

Community Payback is a punishment handed out by the courts as part of a community sentence. Offenders are made to carry out unpaid work such as clearing church yards, and unused allotments, bringing derelict areas and buildings back into public use and repairing playground equipment.

In the last year:

• almost 9 million hours of free labour to benefit the community was carried by offenders sentenced to Community Payback
• almost 100,000 offenders were given Community Payback as part of their sentence, and
• over 67,000 people successfully completed Community Payback sentences.

To suggest projects for offenders to carry out locally and/or to nominate a project please visit the Directgov website.

Note: I came across this article in the SLCNG new “news briefing. They have started it as an experiment to supplement the quarterly magazine and it needs be encouraged. Browse through it and let the editorial team know what you think.

Welfare state is not just about the working age claimants

On Friday, the Government launched an ambitious paper; 21^st century welfare, outlining plans to simplify the benefits system and encourage work. In each of the options laid out – universal credits, tapered relief, or negative income tax – all the separate elements of the welfare are eradicated in favour of this single scheme. It has been designed with working-age people, families and job-seekers in mind. Very little is said about carers, disabled people or pensioners who rely on tax credits or housing benefits to survive.

Inside Housing drives the point home with Patricia Wright’s story who is struggling to pay her rent under the current rules. The litmus test for this Government will be if her life gets easier under the new regime, or harder. This will also have a knock-on effect for social landlords, who tend to be the largest providers of sheltered schemes and flats for elderly people.

We are all local now

Housing associations can involve their tenants through mystery shopping

 

It was interesting to read HouseMark’s local offers guidance after Kate had let us know about the revised version a couple of weeks ago. It’s a good idea; housing associations that listen to their tenants are rewarded with lighter touch regulation. And it’s certainly needed – almost every audit inspection over the past year has flagged up tenant involvement as a way to improve the service. 

Groaning yet? Well, both the TSA and HouseMark are keen to cut bureaucracy. They expect housing associations to come up with their own measurements and get the tenants to help out. Mystery shopping, surveys, open days and forums have all been suggested as alternatives to KPIs and other targets. If managers are looking for a reason to simplify their current reporting regime, they’ve got it. 

The best housing associations and councils already consult their tenants extensively, so this guidance confirms their current practices. For everyone else, it will act as an incentive to improve their efforts. 

If the idea does take off, it will be interesting to see what local and regional variations will appear – especially with the larger providers who span wildly different areas of the country. Will we see more local devolvement, or just a different emphasis on service provision? And how will tenants moving from one housing association to another judge between them on service quality? 

Time will tell.

CIH seminar: Landlords Tools and Powers to tackle ASB

At the time of writing, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are locked in talks and no-one knows what type of coalition – or which policies – will belong to the new Government. However, we can be confident about future budget cuts; that we will be asked to do more with less, and tackling anti-social behaviour will remain a priority (it’s one of the few areas agreed by the main political parties).

There’s been a deluge of tools, laws and best practice guidelines over the past couple of years, giving ASB officers more powers. The problem now is knowing what to use, and when.

To that end, the Chartered Institute of Housing is running a seminar day on the 26th May, covering all aspects of ASB. It includes the legal guidance, inspection standards and practical advice for dealing with gang members and problem families. Managers setting up or monitoring ASB procedures will find it helpful, whilst ASB and Neighbourhood Officers will welcome the clarity on legal powers.

http://www.cih.org/events/seminars/tacklingASB10/#About

Are you up to speed with your ‘Local Deal’?

Local standards are a high priority for many of us in the housing world at the moment. As a result, I have looked through HouseMarks’ recent revised guide for tenants and landlords on “How to develop and monitor local performances”.

As I visit new and existing customers, it is becoming clear that the TSA is looking for organisations to offer more specialist, local services to meet local needs. The report gives advice for those engaged in the ‘local deal’ about how to meet and reach the local standards set by individual organisations. They aren’t looking for housing associations to begin again, but are asking for a structure built on what already exists; adapting working methods and making use of customer consultations to empower local communities.

Take a look for yourselves and get some useful tips to support your local strategy going forward.

http://www.housemark.co.uk/hmresour.nsf/lookup/PIGuide.pdf/$File/PIGuide.pdf

Developments in ASB Casework Management

The Risk Assessment Matrix  by Mike Blomer

In recent months the Home Office have been working on a comprehensive project to sytematically identify the most vulnerable ASB victims and manage the risks presented. In particular, they are proposing a newly developed risk assessment matrix enabling practitioners to assess ASB victims with regard to vulnerability and risk.  Information has been circulated to police forces and Community Safety Partnerships nationally.

The Risk Assessment Matrix (RAM)  will hopefully give frontline officers and workers an indication of the level of support that needs to be offered by local services to the complainant. This needs to be linked to the emerging casework principles and determined locally. The level of support on offer  – whether low, medium or high level  – will differ from area to area. The package of support has to be communicated to the complainant at all stages of the process as this will offer both protection and reassurance.

The most important outcome of the matrix is that it must lead to action, namely an investigation, protection and/or support for the complainant and a move against the perpetrator. Or it needs to justify why no action was taken.

For the last six months, the Home Office, along with various agencies have being developing a Call Handling and Casework Management programme, for pilot projects across the country later on this year.

The project consists of four modular elements instilling a systematic approach for identifying and supporting the most vulnerable ASB victims. The four elements are:-

1. A call taker ‘script’ that helps identify risk and vulnerability at the first point of telephone contact for victims and witnesses of ASB.
2. A set of ASB casework principles to guide practitioners from all relevant agencies in how to effectively manage cases.
3. A local data hub that collates all ASB calls and reports (to police, councils or RSL) in a single data-store allowing real-time access for local practitioners. (This is part of the Government Secure Intranet (GSi,) called GSCX which allows for the sharing of personal data to RESTRICTED level).
4. The risk assessment matrix that will enable ASB practitioners to assess ASB victims with regards to vulnerability and risk.

Comment from the ReACT Team:-

The need for a national database to identify vulnerable people has been talked about for years, but following the Fiona Pilkington case there finally seems to be some positive action. Let’s hope that it is not derailed by the outcome of the general election.

If  (following the pilot projects) the proposals are adopted nationally, we will consider adapting ReACT to let users complete RAM as part of the initial recording process.

Further information is available in the SLCNG Bulletin 196 or on the Home Office website.

Statutory revised guidance – provisions for 16 and 17 year olds

Following the judgment by the House of Lords in the case of R(G) v London Borough of Southward (2009), revised guidance has been issued to children’s services and local housing authorities about their respective duties under Part 3 of the Children Act 1989 and Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996; to secure or give accommodation for homeless 16 and 17-year-old children.

Download Guidance