Safety in Neighbourhoods Network

For over 18 years the Northern Housing Consortium’s Anti-Social Behaviour Study Group has provided an invaluable forum for stakeholders to meet, discuss, and develop the services they provide.

Group members, taken from the NHC membership and beyond, have heard from expert speakers outlining the changes and challenges brought about by government policies.  These have included the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, as well as specific issues facing colleagues such as domestic abuse and illegal tobacco sales.

However, budget cuts and restructures have changed the way anti-social behaviour is tackled.  It is clear now that ASB is one part of a wider neighbourhood management system protecting residents.

At the same time, multi-agency working has become an integral part of the community safety agenda. Today colleagues from Registered Providers collaborate with partners from local authorities and the emergency services in a number of ways.

With this in the mind, the NHC feels it appropriate to re-launch the ASB Study Group with a wider focus on all the work being completed to ensure safety in neighbourhoods.

The Safety in Neighbourhoods network will be free to attend for NHC members and will cover a wide variety of topics ranging from hoarding and neighbour nuisance to organised crime and the underlying role mental health issues can have in driving Anti-Social Behaviour. Most importantly, the topics covered by a mixture of guest speakers and colleagues from across the North will be determined by those who attend. The new group will also remain a forum to share ideas and learn best practice from a range of practitioners from other public and private agencies.

The first of these meetings will be confirmed soon and will include a session from Ward Hadaway looking at how ASB teams have been specifically impacted by the new GDPR regulations. Whilst there has been plenty of general information on GDPR, Ward Hadaway will guide attendees through how the new rules will affect, for example, ASB investigations, archiving, and sharing protocols with external organisations.

If you have any queries regarding the Safety in Neighbourhoods network, or you would like to input into topics covered in future meetings, please email Liam Gregson at liam.gregson@northern-consortium.org.uk.