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CHAPTER SIX AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Making an impact on ASB against individuals and households

6.1 Levels of ASB directed against individuals and households, for example harassment, intimidation and noisy neighbours, have yet to show signs of improvement. Taskforce activities designed to reduce these sorts of ASB and support affected households and individuals, such as activities for young people and help with ASB disputes, did not result in perceptions of improvement in surveyed areas. In the household survey, intimidation and harassment were also reported to be worse by around 1 in 10 respondents in both the Taskforce and comparator areas. This is confirmed by feedback from case study respondents: only one respondent suggested that things are improving, which he felt was as a result of new legislation ( i.e. the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004) and the fact that the RSL was passing on information about young people targeting individuals and households to the community police for action. Less than 5% of survey respondents said that they believed there was now better support for vulnerable adults and children or people experiencing ASB or help for people in disputes to sort out their differences..

Increased public awareness of ASB interventions

6.2 Local communities appeared to lack awareness of what the Taskforce was doing in their areas. Table 6.1 compares perceived awareness levels about what is being done to tackle ASB in the different Taskforce areas and the comparator areas.

Table 6.1: How well informed are respondents about what is being done to tackle ASB, by area type (%)

Notes to table
Source: ASB Taskforce Household Survey, October 2006

6.3 Overall, around 20% of survey respondents across Taskforce and comparator areas said they felt well-informed about what was being done to tackle ASB in their area. Those in comparator areas were generally more likely to say they were 'not at all' well-informed, while those in Taskforce areas tended to say they were 'not very' well-informed. Perhaps surprisingly, respondents in the areas where the Taskforce first intervened were less likely to say that they were well-informed about ASB interventions in their areas than were those living in areas where Taskforce interventions were more recent.

6.4 Generally, local residents who were interviewed as part of the case studies were familiar with CSPOs, but did not connect them with the Taskforce, which they claimed not to be familiar with. Case study respondents involved with local VCOs were more aware of the Taskforce, but expressed mixed views, with one respondent stating that it "operates at a higher level". Other case study respondents were unsure of the broader remit of the Taskforce, apart from the deployment of CSPOs, whilst another was sceptical about the value added by investing in new structures. Another case study respondent thought that the impact of the Taskforce would take time to emerge - particularly for more deep rooted problems.

6.5 Both the survey and the case study findings identified that local awareness of the Taskforce is low, particularly for the interventions that do not tackle ASB in the built environment. A public communications strategy could help improve the public's understanding of the work of GCSS, although such a strategy would need to consider how to target parts of the community with particularly low levels of awareness. Publicising successes may also increase the Taskforce's visibility and the community's confidence.

Increasing effectiveness of CSPOs

6.6 More could be done to increase awareness of CSPOs. Around 70% of survey respondents in Taskforce areas had heard of CSPOs, but only 43% of respondents in hotspot areas and 35% of those in other Taskforce areas recalled having seen one in the previous 12 months when shown a picture. Only around 15% of respondents in the Taskforce areas said they knew a great or a fair amount about CSPOs, and there was little difference between responses from more and less well-established Taskforce areas. The majority of case study respondents were also aware of CSPOs, particularly those respondents that worked for VCOs or agencies likely to bring them into contact with the Taskforce or CSPOs. Respondents involved in grassroots community activities or as service users of VCOs - for example refugees, asylum seekers and pensioners - were less likely to be aware of CSPOs.

6.7 Case study respondents expressed mixed views about CSPOs. On the one hand many respondents thought that CSPOs were very approachable, one respondent stated "they are a highly visible, friendly presence and are not authority figure," whilst another thought that CSPOs were "the eyes and ears of the community". Many case study respondents reported finding CSPOs conscientious and very committed to their jobs. However, this aspect of their role was perceived more negatively by another respondent, who believed it was akin to "big brother keeping an eye". A number of case study respondents were confused about the powers CSPOs actually had, whilst others felt that their limited powers undermined their capacity to be effective. In contrast, one or two case study respondents reported that CSPOs had adopted inappropriate attitudes and thrown their weight around.

Strengthening external partnerships

6.8 Building on the success of partnership working within the Taskforce, links with external agencies could now be improved, in particular with RSLs, LHOs and Strathclyde Fire and Rescue. Particular emphasis should be given to building partnership working at the local level and providing joined up services to tackle the underlying causes of ASB such as drug and alcohol abuse. Information sharing protocols may need to be developed to facilitate partnerships between central and local agencies. More attention to communicating Taskforce activities to local partners would also help. Whilst overall progress on data-sharing has been good, the Taskforce could have been better at communicating its activities externally. This may require the development of a communication strategy to inform and communicate activities to local partners and other relevant bodies.

6.9 The Taskforce was less effective in sustaining effective relationships with broader external stakeholders, which has been exacerbated by the sometimes reactive nature of Taskforce interventions. Links with the Social Work Department, for example, were often variable, which could undermine the effectiveness of support package for clients. There are cultural barriers to closer joint working - particularly with different agencies having different priorities - although progress has been made. One respondent suggested building a Social Work presence into the Taskforce, as has been done with the Police.

Building on the early success of diversionary activities for young people

6.10 Early findings seem to show that some of the innovative activities for young people were different and effective, although this does need to be evaluated in more depth. This success could be built on by developing longer term relationships with the most marginalised young people; securing continued funding to support this; and establishing better linkages between existing providers and new niche services provided by the voluntary sector. Innovative ways of working with young people in the voluntary sector should be recognised, valued and built upon by more established service providers. There is a need to renew the partnership approach to diversionary activity which began to emerge through the Youth Sub-Group, for diversionary activity to be integrated into Neighbourhood Management action planning processes, and for the profile of these action planning processes to be raised within communities. The provision of services for young people through an ASB mechanism is only viable through a city-wide youth services strategy which is beyond the remit of Taskforce.

Labour-intensive approaches are critical

6.11 The work of the Victims and Vulnerables Service was labour intensive. Considerable effort was required - through mail shots, newsletters and surveys - to provide feedback to local communities on progress in their local areas. Caseload figures suggest that good outcomes were achieved by the small number of staff involved, but that this process requires time and patient support. Action planning, as a means of utilising partnerships and resources at a local level, may well be the key to sustaining improvements in the longer-term. The developing relationship with community planning structures are important to help reinforce community engagement processes and underpin efforts to address ASB through broader regeneration processes. As the Taskforce moves city-wide (in the form of the GCSS), there may be a need to consider the level of resources allocated to working with those involved in or at risk of being involved in ASB, which has a lower profile than other areas of activity but can provide evidence of sustainable change.

Participation of young people

6.12 Youth participation should play a key role in any attempts to address ASB perpetrated by young people. By involving young people in the definition of problems and identification of solutions it is more likely that appropriate and sustainable strategies and actions will be identified (Social Development Direct, 2006).

Changes in attitudes towards young people

6.13 Case study work with young people found that they identified themselves as victims as well as perpetrators of ASB, and in particular victims of prejudice from older people and the police. Children in particular were concerned about the impact of ASB on the built environment, with many feeling that it was the worst thing about the area in which they lived. Intimidation by older young people engaged in gang fighting was also a major concern. Building greater awareness amongst the adult population of the impacts of ASB on young people and the drivers of ASB could help to build greater understanding and support for young people and help to change existing stereotypes.

More activities explicitly targeted at young women

6.14 In spite of the fact that young women were identified by many case study respondents as being active participants in youth disorder, including alcohol misuse and gang fighting, only one provider of diversionary activities explicitly targeted young women, suggesting the need for a stronger emphasis and targeting of activities for young women.

Reaching particularly vulnerable groups

6.15 The evaluation found that the Taskforce had made the most progress in targeting the forms of ASB which affect the built environment and public spaces, rather than those forms of ASB that target individuals and households. Neighbourhood management might be one means by which GCSS might reach out to particularly vulnerable groups, such as young people, women and refugee and asylum seeker groups. Interviews with refugees and asylum seekers suggest that they often experience chronic harassment and some of the worst forms of ASB. Community and Voluntary Organisations ( CVOs) working with these groups provide a route into these communities.

Taskforce monitoring data

6.16 Monitoring data currently provides little evidence of progress towards outcomes, with the primary reporting focus being on activities - suggesting that there is a need for the new GCSS to construct more output and outcome focused monitoring and evaluation frameworks.

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