Diary sheets that come back months later
A tenant reports noise and intimidation from a neighbour. The housing officer opens a case, sends diary sheets and promises to be in touch. The diary sheets come back crumpled in a month, or never. Meanwhile the tenant calls the contact centre several times, the police send an email about an incident, and a neighbour reports something similar on a different form.
When the officer finally sits down to decide what to do, the evidence is in a paper file, three email folders, the housing management system notes and their own memory. The victim feels nothing has happened.
Why ASB cases lose momentum
ASB cases are long, involve several parties, and depend on evidence gathered over time. Officers carry heavy caseloads. When evidence arrives through many channels and review dates live in diaries, cases drift, especially when an officer is off or leaves.
- Reports and evidence arrive by phone, email, paper diaries, partners and apps.
- Risk assessments are done once and not reviewed.
- Action plans agreed with the victim are not tracked.
- Victims are not updated unless they chase.
- Building a chronology for a formal step takes days of reading.
What drifting cases cost
Victims living with ASB lose confidence in you and may stop reporting, which makes resolution harder. Complaints about ASB handling follow. Cases that could have been resolved early with support or mediation escalate. When formal action is needed, gaps in the record weaken it. And officers carry the stress of cases they know are not moving.
The ASB case record we build
- Every report, from contact centre calls to online forms to partner emails, can be attached to a case with its date, source and details.
- Victims and witnesses can keep a digital diary on their phone, with the option to add photos, audio or video, which lands on the case as it is recorded.
- Your risk assessment is completed at the start and reviewed at the intervals your policy sets, with reminders to the officer.
- The action plan agreed with the victim is recorded as actions with owners and dates, and the victim gets updates as actions are completed.
- Partner agencies you work with can be given a secure way to send information to the case, following your data sharing arrangements.
- Managers see cases by risk, age and overdue reviews, so cases that are drifting stand out.
- When a case moves to a formal stage, a chronology is produced from the record, with every entry dated and sourced, for your team and advisers to use.
| Part of the case | Scattered today | In the case record |
|---|---|---|
| Reports | Calls, forms, emails | Attached to the case |
| Diary evidence | Paper sheets | Digital diary with media |
| Risk | One assessment | Reviewed on schedule |
| Victim updates | When they chase | When actions are completed |
| Chronology | Built by hand | Produced from the record |
Your ASB policy, risk assessment approach and decisions about any formal action are yours and your advisers'. We build the record; we do not give legal advice.
What officers and victims notice
Evidence arrives while it is fresh, and officers do not have to piece it together. Victims hear what is happening without needing to call. Managers can see which cases need attention before a complaint arrives. When a case needs formal action, the chronology is a report, not a week of work.
Is this what your ASB work looks like?
- Diary sheets come back late or not at all.
- Evidence for a case is spread across several places.
- Risk assessments are not reviewed on time.
- Victims chase you for updates.
- Producing a chronology takes days.