What is an Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC)?
An Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC) is a voluntary written agreement which is signed by an individual committing anti-social behaviour. In signing the contract, the individual agrees to abide by the terms specified and to work with the relevant support agencies.
Whilst they are used quite widely with young people, they can be issued to an individual over the age of 10. They are normally drawn up by a number of different agencies including a local authority, a housing provider and the police, however, the support agencies and school, for example, may also be involved if appropriate.
It is very much a case-by-case basis and where the individual is a young person, their parent/guardian will also be involved. Ideally, the terms of the ABC are developed and agreed with the individual to ensure that they fully understand what is being asked of them and they are able to comply with the contract. Once the contract is drafted, the individual and relevant agencies will all sign the document, and all parties will receive a copy.
How long does an Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC) last?
The contract normally lasts for six months but it is recommended that it is reviewed at approximately three months to ensure it is still fit for purpose and does not require amending.
What happens if an Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC) is breached?
Whilst an ABC is not legally binding, if breached, it can be used as evidence to illustrate that enforcement action is required as the non-legal tools have been unable to successfully tackle the problem. However, it must be remembered that legal action (e.g. injunction) will only be taken if it is proportionate to do so. It is considered best practice for an organisation to take an incremental approach in relation to breaches as detailed below.
However, if the behaviour exhibited at any stage of the process poses a serious risk of harm and legal action is deemed necessary and proportionate, there should be a caveat within an organisation’s policy and procedures to allow for this.
In the majority of cases, agencies will follow a procedure whereby;
1. A first breach would involve discussing the breach with the individual and warning them of the consequences if their anti-social behaviour were to continue.
2. A second breach would require an attendance at an interview/appointment.
3. A third breach, the investigating officer may consider legal action if proportionate to do so.
Example case studies
A pioneer of the ABC process, Paul Dunn, shares an ASB case which was resolved using the ABC process:
“A case in which 2 neighbours had been in a dispute for over 30 years and had forgotten what the initial issue was that had caused the complaint. Paul advised that the neighbours be invited to contribute to an ABC. Each neighbour gladly listed the behaviours which the other neighbour did which annoyed them. An ABC contract was written up including these behaviours as terms of the contract.
Neither neighbour wanted to instigate any further dispute by breaching these terms as they felt that they would be seen as the offender who had initially caused the problems so many years back, therefore resolving any ongoing anti-social behaviour.”
Julian Robertson, Anti-social Behaviour Reduction Officer at Leicestershire County Council shares their use of ABC’s when working with young people:
“I endeavour to attend all initial sign up meetings to advocate on behalf of all of those present, ensuring the young person understands the process and the possible further action that may be taken against them, the complaints are explained including dates and times, the proposed prohibitions explained and we also have a section on the ABC for the victims voice to be heard so that feeds into supporting evidence around why a certain exclusion is in place.
We have a very good outcome rating, as with all voluntary disposals not every young person will agree with the conditions or engage with the contract, but we can alter and amend the contracts to suit all parties and the ABC should be organic and be changed to suit the young person’s changes in behaviour, such as removing non-associations or lifting exclusion zones if they positively engage.”