As part of ASB Awareness Week, Chloe, one of our ASB Case Workers, gives us an insight into her role.
As an ASB Case Worker, no two days are the same. And while we try to be as proactive as we can, my day is generally dictated by what’s happened the night before.
I’ll log on each morning and catch up on my emails and voicemails. If there’s been report of a serious incident, this will be my main priority for the day. Once I’ve established what needs dealing with first, I can plan out my day. Of course, it doesn’t always go this way as I’ll have to rush out for an emergency visit if something comes up.
My job isn’t office-based, I spend my time out in the community. A typical week consists of going out and visiting customers and responding to issues to make our neighbourhoods safe and great places to live. Communication is key in this role, as I spend a lot of my time speaking to other agencies that we work in partnership with including Merseyside Police, Social Services and KMBC. ASB is a complex issue and one where partners work together to find the best solutions.
We’re dealing with challenging issues from reports of domestic abuse through to neighbourhood disputes, where our first step will be to try and bring people together to work through them together. Regardless of the issue, my job is to make sure there is a clear action plan to keep the people involved safe.
Every week we take to our neighbourhoods with our ‘Walkabout Wednesdays’, which have been really successful for a number of years. On our walkabouts we’ll meet with the likes of Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service, other housing providers and local councillors and go out into our communities to check how residents are doing. If there have been reports of anti-social behaviour in a particular area, we’ll go door-to-door and I’ll speak to our customers that live there to get a better understanding.
A lot of our work is about prevention, but unfortunately anti-social behaviour does happen and as an ASB Case Worker, our job is to make sure it’s dealt with appropriately and quickly. Everyone has the right to live in peaceful enjoyment of their own home which is why it’s so important that anti-social behaviour is reported.
Do you know about The Community Trigger? To find out more, visit https://www.knowsley.gov.uk/residents/crime-and-safety/the-community-trigger