Derwent & Solway Housing Association, a member of Harvest Housing Group, has won an ASBActionNet award in recognition of its work to tackle antisocial behaviour.

The Awards are presented by Lemos&Crane for specific examples of casework that have successfully tackled antisocial behaviour, dealt with the perpetrator and satisfied the victims.

The team at Derwent & Solway was recognised for their work with a single mother of five children who was unable to control her own behaviour and that of her children and two absent fathers. Their behaviour had resulted in low education attendance, low levels of self-esteem, placing her tenancy at risk, and her five children were all subject to a child protection plan for neglect.

Through work with the Family Intervention Project D&S was able to help the mother turn her situation around significantly and the outcome of the case has been overwhelmingly positive. With support, the mother has been able to take control of her household, manage her income and establish a daily routine to ensure the children are clean, fed and attending school. The team also kept in regular contact with neighbours to inform them of the actions being taken and gave realistic timescales.

There have been no further reports of antisocial behaviour from the police, and her tenancy is no longer at risk and all five children have been removed from the protection plan.

Robert Porter, director of Derwent & Solway said; “We take all reports of antisocial behaviour very seriously and will always try and work with tenants to resolve any issues. This case demonstrates that with the right advice and support families in crisis can turn their situation around quite significantly. We are very proud of the hard work carried out, not only by our team but also by the mother and her family as it took at lot of hard work and commitment from her.”

The mother has since been involved in academic research, attending interviews about her experience, problems and how they were overcome. In her last interview she stated that she ‘could not have done this without D&S and the Family Intervention Project’.

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