Full Marks for Helena’s Anti-Social Behaviour Service

Published by Ashley M for Helena Partnerships in Communities

Tuesday 14th August 2012 - 3:42pm

Representatives from Safer Communities at St Helens Council, Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and Helena Partnerships.

The anti-social behaviour (ASB) service provided by North West housing association Helena Partnerships has received the stamp of approval from independent assessors Housemark.

Helena’s ASB service, which is provided by the association’s anti-nuisance team, neighbourhood teams and customer call centre, passed all seven assessment categories including ‘taking swift action to protect communities’ and ‘demonstrating leadership and strategic commitment’. Housemark, which is jointly owned by the National Housing Federation and the Chartered Institute of Housing, has developed its ASB accreditation in partnership with the Social Landlords Crime and Nuisance Group.

Joy Wilson, Anti-nuisance Manager at Helena, said: “We developed our in-house anti-nuisance team when Helena launched 10 years ago and are very proud of the high quality service that we have been able to provide for thousands of tenants since then.

“Having our work recognised by Housemark is a real achievement and it will definitely inspire us to keep striving to improve in the years ahead.”

In the 12 months from April 2011, Helena’s neighbourhood officers resolved 622 ASB cases and conducted 693 interviews with perpetrators. Between April and June 2012, 95% of service users were satisfied with the way their complaint was dealt with and 97% said they would be willing to report ASB if they experienced it again.

Helena, which is based in St Helens, Merseyside, takes a multi-agency approach to tackling ASB and has strong, long-standing relationships with partners including Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and St Helens Council’s Safer Communities team.

Mandy Longworth, Community Safety Manager for Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service, said: “By working closely with Helena Partnerships we are able to make a positive difference to our local communities.

“We have been able to make reductions in fire-related ASB and to also to protect those most vulnerable to fire related property damage, injury or death.

"Together, we are significantly improving the quality of life for local residents.”

To find out more about Helena Partnerships, visit www.helenapartnerships.co.uk