Housing, Anti-social Behaviour and Enforcement Team (HASBET)

Housing, Anti-social Behaviour andEnforcement Team (HASBET)Local offers and Service standards

ContentsHow to contact us for information in other languagesand other formats such as Braille or large print 3Housing, Anti-social Behaviour and EnforcementTeam: what we do 4Our core values 4Why we have service standards 5Why we have local offers 5Our service standards 6Our local offers 7What else you can expect from our service 8Putting things right 10Contact details 102

This information is about how we tackle anti-social behaviour.If you need this in a different language phone 0191 278 8633.This information is also available in large print, Braille andaudio tape. We can also arrange for you to see a British SignLanguage interpreter.3

Housing, Anti-social Behaviour andEnforcement Team: what we doWe believe that residents are entitled to live in well-managedhomes where they feel good about themselves and theircommunities.We are committed to taking clear steps to deal effectivelywith anti-social behaviour, nuisance and harassment so thatresidents can live in a comfortable and safe environment.Our dedicated Housing, Anti-social Behaviour andEnforcement Team aims to tackle and reduce anti-socialbehaviour by supporting victims and taking action againstthose who cause problems for their neighbours.Our core valuesWe have a set of core values that apply to all of our services.We have agreed these with you (our customers), our boardand our staff. They are as follows:Accountability – acting openly and taking responsibilityIntegrity – acting fairly and honestlyPassion – working positively with enthusiasmRespect – treating everyone with care andprofessionalismForward-thinking – actively looking for improvementsand solutionsThese values are central to how we provide our services.4

Service standards and local offersCore values are about the way we behave and how weprovide our services. As well as these values we also haveservice standards and local offers.Why we have service standardsWe have service standards to make sure you are clear aboutthe level of service you can expect to receive from us. Wereview our service standards at least every two years and weinvolve you in this.Why we have local offersLocal offers are our key commitments for improving theservice. They are developed in partnership with customersand reviewed every year. We report how we have performedagainst service standards and local offers every three monthsto the YHN Performance Committee, which is responsible formonitoring our services, and includes tenants, councillors andindependent members. If we are not achieving any servicestandard or local offer, we will put an action plan in place toimprove our performance. We also report on how we haveperformed against the standards in Homes & People, ournewsletter for all customers and on our websitewww.yhn.org.ukWhen offering our services we will treat everyone equally, nomatter what their level of income or housing circumstances.We will be polite and make sure the service you receive isconfidential and appropriate to any special needs you mayhave.5

Our service standards• We will always send you details of our Victim SupportOfficer. We aim to do this within five working days for99% of our customers during 2011/12.• We will contact you within the following times tooffer a face-to-face interview or an interview by phone,or by e-mail if you would prefer. The timescales arebased on how serious the anti social behaviour is:• The next working day if the anti-socialbehaviour is very serious• Within three working days if the anti-socialbehaviour is serious but does not need animmediate response• Within five working days for less serious typesof anti-social behaviourOur target for the above timescales is 97% for all anti-socialbehaviour during 2011/12.• We will always contact the person you say has carriedout the anti social behaviour. We aim to do this within5 working days of the timescales above for 97% ofcustomers during 2011/12. We will only do this withyour agreement.• We will always contact you to complete a customersatisfaction form. We aim to do this within fiveworking days of closing your complaint for 99% of ourcustomers during 2011/12.6

Local offers• We will agree a consistent case managementframework for Housing Management & HASBET by30/09/2011 so that customers are clear about how tocomplete incident diaries and how long they will haveto do this for.• When you report ASB to us, we will write to you andgive you the name of the person who is dealing withyour complaint. We aim to do this on 97% of occasions.• We will introduce a standard set of questions to askwhen customers report ASB to ensure that all reportsare dealt with consistently, efficiently and effectively by30/09/2011.• You will be kept informed of progress of your caseas a minimum of every 2 weeks. We aim to do this on97% of occasions.• We will raise awareness of the victim support servicein HASBET during 2011/12 through publicising in Homesand People three times a year.• We will promote the places that customers can reportASB through three advertisements in Homes & Peopleduring 2011/12.7

What else you can expect from ourserviceService standards give you an idea of how we are performing.However, we also do a lot more to help our customers, such asthe following.• When you contact the Housing, Anti-social Behaviourand Enforcement Team to report anti-social behaviour,we start an investigation within a set time. We havea service standard for achieving these response times.• After we have investigated your complaint, we will:- tell you about any action we have taken to dealwith the problem; or-tell you why we are not able to take action.• If we need you to fill in diary sheets to recordincidents, we will explain how you must do this. At firstwe will ask you to keep the diary sheets for no morethan five working days. After this time we will reviewthem with you. If they are useful, we may ask you tocontinue.• We will not reveal your identity unless you agree thatwe can.• We will write to you and tell you the name of thehousing enforcement officer who will deal with yourcase.8

• We will take the lead, and work with other agencies,to deal with problems. Examples of other agencies arethe social services, public health, street wardens andthe police.• We will tell you what support we and other agenciescan give you. Examples of other agencies are VictimSupport and mediation.• We understand that you may not feel able to giveevidence in court. If this happens, we will try to use theevidence that other people, such as housing officersand street wardens, have gathered. We will discusswhat this means with you.• If you are willing to be a witness and give evidence atcourt, we will give you support before, during and afterany legal proceedings.• We will ask you to fill in a satisfaction feedbackform after your complaint has been investigated. Thiswill help us to continue to improve and develop ourprocedures.9

Putting things rightWe will always try to provide the best services that we can.However, if you are not satisfied with our service, please let usknow and we will try to sort out your complaint immediately.If you are still not satisfied, please ask for our Complaints andCompliments leaflet which gives you details about how tocomplain. A senior manager will investigate your complaintand write to you within 10 working days.Contact detailsHousing, Anti-social Behaviour and Enforcement TeamYHN HouseYour Homes NewcastleBenton Park RoadNewcastle upon TyneNE7 7LX( Phone: 0191 278 8740 (office)Phone: 0300 1000 101 (24-hour incident reporting)7 Fax: 0191 278 8758E-mail: newcastleasbunit@yhn.org.uk8 Website: www.yhn.org.uk10

Your Homes Newcastle Limited. Registered in England andWales Registration Number 5076256Registered Office: Newcastle Civic Centre, Barras Bridge,Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8PR.A company controlled by Newcastle City Council12