Monday, 8 September 2008
The Respect Action Plan was launched by Tony Blair in January 06 with the aims of going deeper, broader and further in tackling anti-social behaviour and disrespect in society.
In January 2006 Doncaster was one of 40 plus authorities successful in obtaining ‘Respect Action Area Status’. As a Respect Action Area Doncaster will be leading the way for others to follow in implementing the Respect Agenda. Specifically, there are 5 non-negotiable aspects of being a Respect Action Area against which Doncaster must deliver. These are:
Much of the focus of the Respect Agenda revolves around parenting, as poor parenting is a factor in many cases of anti-social behaviour.
The Respect Task Force, the cross-governmental unit leading on the implementation of the Respect Agenda, has confirmed funding until 2011 to assist in the establishment of a Family Intervention Project. This project will offer intensive support to families where one or more members of the family is responsible for causing anti-social behaviour. However, it will be made very clear to all families using this service that failure to change behaviour will result in removal of support and firm action being taken such as eviction or Anti-Social Behaviour Orders.
Doncaster has also been awarded additional funding until 2011 to fund a Senior Parenting Practitioner who will ensure the provision of high quality parenting support either within parenting programmes or on a one to one basis.
St Leger Homes, as the major public sector landlord have signed up to the Respect Housing Management Standard. This will ensure that all St Leger Homes residents can expect their landlord to deal robustly with anti-social behaviour both in terms of tackling on-going unacceptable behaviour and working hard to prevent it happening in the first place.
Doncaster along with its partners has used the wide range of tools and powers available to respond to anti-social behaviour including Acceptable Behaviour Contracts, Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, Injunctions, Dispersal Orders, Designated Public Place Orders (to tackle street drinking), evictions and Crack House Closures.
Being a Respect Action Area means there can be no let up in the use, where appropriate, of these opportunities. The adoption of neighbourhood management and the close and practical working relationship with partners such as the police within Safer Neighbourhood Teams provides the correct environment for this work to flourish. Neighbourhood management also brings the council and its partners closer to the communities it serves, allowing greater openness and accountability in the way issues around anti-social behaviour are dealt with.
Increased activity around parenting has also been supported by the appointment of two Respect Parenting Practitioners and a ‘Super Nanny’ who are delivering parenting programmes in schools alongside running parenting groups out in the community.
In November, the Council's organisation that manages its Council housing, St Leger Homes of Doncaster, also got on board by adopting the Respect Standard for Housing Management, demonstrating its commitment to clamping down on the anti-social behaviour of its tenants.
The Council has also continued its commitment to using all of its tools and powers to tackle anti-social behaviour. Work over the last year includes:
The introduction of six more Designated Public Place Orders to tackle drink related anti-social behaviour across the Borough - this takes the total number of DPPOs to eight.
Continued use of ASBOs where appropriate and individual Support Orders (ISOs). Doncaster is recognised as an area of good practice in relation to ISOs
Use of Fixed Penalty Notices and Penalty Notices for Disorder, dispensing justice much more swiftly
Continued award winning work around noise nuisance and nuisance motorbikes by the Council’s Environmental Health Team and its weekend party patrol.
The continued work of the FLAG team whose proactive work removes more than 70 per cent of graffiti before it is reported by the public.
The introduction of a criminal damage poster campaign in association with Crimestoppers which encouraged residents to report the offenders of particular blights across the Borough.
The Neighbourhood Response Team continue to respond to nightly incidents of criminal damage between the hours of 7pm and 6am.
