Respect Agenda

Respect agenda The WTF have supported and promoted the ‘Respect agenda in Wales’ with the message ‘Prevention, early intervention and protection’

We have also raised the issue about the hidden mental health problems that may exist in communities that experience ASB tendencies. Hence our approach has been to promote prevention through educating and learning, early intervention to prevent escalation, and protection for vulnerable tenants both victims and perpetrators. While the need for sanctions are necessary, we also need to develop our learning and understanding to better address the underlining causes.

Some time ago we reported on the introduction of a respect standard for housing management being developed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister now Department for Communities & Local Government. A guide for landlords has now been published and is available at the following link.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/292/ARespectStandardforHousingManagement_id1165292.pdf

The Respect agenda aims to ensure that local agencies tackle unacceptable behaviour and its causes to improve quality of life for residents – particularly those in the most disadvantaged communities. The Government’s proposals to deliver on the Respect drive were set out in the Respect Action Plan. More details are available at http://www.respect.gov.uk/ The Respect Standard for Housing Management forms part of this drive and is aimed at social landlords. It is a voluntary Standard which the Government wants as many landlords as possible to sign. Copies of the standard can be obtained by following the link:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/292/ARespectStandardforHousingManagement_id1165292.pdf

The respect standard uses 6 key themes:

Accountability, leadership, and commitment

• Landlords need to make a visible commitment to the community so that everyone is clear they take issues of anti-social behaviour and Respect seriously and will deliver what they say they will.

Empowering and reassuring residents

• Landlords and the community need to work as one through involving residents and giving them input into decision making. Engagement and effective communications act to reassure and empower communities

Prevention and early intervention

• Landlords can play a key role in preventing anti-social behaviour from occurring. Where it does occur if problems are addressed quickly this often gets the best results.

Tailored services for residents and provision of support for victims and witnesses

• Success rests on people being prepared to report and then give support to agencies in taking action. Every case and every person deserves a robust, tailored and sensitive response.

Protecting Communities through swift enforcement

• Government has provided landlords with the tools they need to tackle a whole range of anti-social behaviour. Landlords need to understand how tools work and be prepared to use them quickly to protect communities.

Support to tackle the causes of anti-social behaviour

• Provision of support can put an end to unacceptable behaviour by tackling underlying causes. This leads to sustainable outcomes and gets people’s lives back on track.
• The Government will be encouraging residents to get engaged and hold their landlord to account. The Audit Commission, (Wales Audit Office) who carry out inspections of landlords, are also looking to strengthen their guidelines to landlords on what they expect a good landlord to be achieving in tackling anti-social behaviour. This will reflect the content of the Standard.

Landlords are encouraged to sign up to the standard to demonstrate their commitment to the principles of early intervention and prevention.

Please contact steve@welshtenantsfed.org.uk or peter@welshtenantsfed.org.uk