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APPENDIX 3.13 Acceptable Behaviour Contracts ( ABCs)
(Extract from Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, and Metropolitan Police document on Acceptable Behaviour Contracts)
Acceptable Behaviour Contracts
Anti-social behaviour can cause local residents severe distress and have a detrimental effect on their quality of life. Traditionally it has been a problem that the police have not prioritised and it has been difficult for landlords to tackle in any depth.
Pioneered by the Islington Crime Reduction Partnership, Acceptable Behaviour Contracts, or ABCs, have been successfully piloted in several areas across the north of the borough.
1.0 WHAT ARE ABCs?
ABCs are a multi-agency approach to tackle anti-social behaviour primarily caused by young people. Aimed at 10-18 year olds, with Parental Control Agreements for the under-10s, they address the type of behaviour that can really affect the quality of life for many local residents. ABCs aim to:
- Stop the behaviour rather than punish the offender,
- Encourage the young person to take responsibility for their actions.
The young person and their parent(s) or guardian are invited to agree with both police and housing what behaviour is and isn't acceptable. They are then asked to sign a contract to that effect, which is monitored for an initial period of 6 months.
2.0 HOW DO ABCs WORK?
An ABC is not a legal contract. It is voluntary commitment by the young person to curb their behaviour. The contracts work by highlighting the link between the young person's behaviour and their family's housing. The implications for a young person's whole family encourage them to take the contract seriously, by using the ultimate sanction of eviction if the contracts are breached.
3.0 EFFECTIVENESS
There are many advantages to ABCs:
- Parents are encouraged to take more responsibility for the behaviour of their child, as the threat to their own tenancy is made apparent.
- Enables police and housing officers to better monitor problems as they occur, reminding the young person of their contract obligations throughout the monitoring period and strengthening their position if legal action becomes necessary.
- They are confidential. This helps alleviate the risk of malicious complaints about a young person 'under contract' and encourages the youth to trust the scheme.
- For Social Landlords they can prove that other methods have been tried prior to resorting to a possession order.
- ABCs are flexible - each contract is different. They can be tailor-made to include 'positive' clauses; joining a football league for example.
- Because the youth service is involved, the young person has an element of support, which can extend throughout the monitoring period.
- They create a 'second chance' for the young person.
The scheme in Kensington & Chelsea has closely involved the Youth Service. A full time Youth Worker has now been appointed to support Young People 'under contract'.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the ABCs already in place are having a positive effect on young people's behaviour. A team has now been created to co-ordinate the project across Kensington & Chelsea. Based in the Community Safety Team, the team aims to be a focus point for initiatives to deal with anti-social behaviour across our estates.
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