Making partnership working work: lessons from ASB and community safety

Kerrie Jenkins, tenancy specialist manager at Moat, shares her reflections on what it really takes to make partnership working succeed in tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping communities safe.

For those of us working within an anti-social behaviour (ASB) and community safety role, we hear the words “partnership working” and “multi-agency response” daily.  It’s imparted on us as we take our first tentative, or as in my case, enthusiastic, steps into the challenging roles we later become so passionate about. It’s included within policies and procedures, delivered in training sessions, and stipulated in legislation.

We know that within the Consumer Standards set out by the Regulator of Social Housing, the Neighbourhood and Community Standard specify that we must have a policy on working in partnership with relevant organisations to deter and tackle ASB.

But partnership working is far more than simply knowing who your partners are, attending community safety meetings (who knew there would be so many different acronyms?!), and making referrals.
So how do we truly embed partnership working so that it becomes an effective mechanism to produce tangible outcomes for our customers, pooling our knowledge, expertise and resources to holistically problem solve?

Whilst some housing providers might have a portfolio of homes in a relatively condensed area, others, including here at Moat, stretch out over a vast geographical landscape, where there are dozens of local authorities, each with a different approach.  It’s imperative that we determine our partners at a local level, and provide assurance to the Regulator and to Board that we measure the efficiency of these relationships when in the context of tackling and resolving ASB.

Here at Moat, we are currently defining our Local Offer for customers. We’re working with colleagues from across our Neighbourhoods Team to determine what partnerships currently exist, defining the scope and purpose of each meeting we attend, and then using this data to strengthen existing relationships and form new ones.

Partnerships are only effective when we invest in them.  By embedding partnership working into objectives, team plans, and job descriptions, we set expectations and encourage ownership for colleagues to research what is available, get a seat at the table, and learn about the roles and remits of other agencies.

By investing time into partnership working, we demonstrate professional courtesy and mutual respect.  With understanding of workloads, time pressures, limitations, and purpose, we can work collaboratively to pool resource and ensure our customers are receiving the best support.

Once we’ve established who our partners are, built effective relationships based on understanding and respect, and identified the problem we wish the partnership to solve, it’s crucial that we maintain traction by mutually agreeing who within the partnership is best placed to take the lead on ensuring actions identified are propelled forward. Lack of a lead agency to take accountability can result in poor partnership outcomes. Just as we would agree an action plan within our ASB case, by recording actions, ownership and timescales, we can steer the partnership, hold each other to account and ensure we are delivering effective outcomes.

I’m sure we can all recall cases which still give us goosebumps, bring a tear to our eye, or put a smile on our face when we think of the way in which multiple agencies pulled together, stepped up and shared information. Whether it was a safeguarding referral that prevented harm, or a family that was rehoused safely because agencies shared information quickly, partnership working can truly make a real and lasting difference to someone’s life.

That's what partnership working looks like at its best – and it's worth every bit of investment and accountability it takes to get there.