Thread by @JanineGreenASB

Whatspp chat with an ASB colleague, who's been doing this far longer than my 16 years.

Depressing.

Many of the things that lead to poor ASB case management and problem solving are the same as they were in 2005, 2011, 2015, 2021....

#ASB #Panorama

Common themes: not managing expectations or categorising reports properly. Let's not let perfectly reasonable behaviour get recorded as ASB, diluting the seriousness of behaviours that can have an all encompassing impact on people's life's and wellbeing. It doesn't help anyone.

We must think about the impact of the behaviour, as well as the type of behaviour when deciding how serious it is. The harm must be considered as a whole, not just in relation to individual incidents

We must be proactive in our investigations and use our professional curiosity. Dealing with ASB is not a one size fits all approach

We have to truly understand the standard of proof we are working to and how it applies in practice. Too many missed opportunities to intervene otherwise

If you don't know your key partners, then you are missing such an important part of ASB management. Very few cases can be effectively dealt with alone

Keeping in touch with victims is one of the most important things that is overlooked. Just because they haven't made contact, doesn't mean the matter is resolved

Consider all the tools in the ASB toolkit. Sometimes a creative solution is needed; remember ABCs and mediation (both have declined in use, when they are so valuable); don't use one legal tool and one legal tool only...

Action should be decided based on what is proportionate to the behaviour and necessary, after taking into account all circumstances. Don't use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Don't use a warning letter when the behaviour warrants urgent legal action

Make sure you have a policy and procedure, that supports effective and decisive decision making, manages expectations, allows for professional judgements and puts those suffering ASB at the heart.

Always be willing to learn, share best practice, change and evolve. Keep listening to residents.