UPDATED PROGRAMME
Welfare Reform and Housing: The Northern Impact Identifying the impacts, pitfalls and opportunities Wednesday 12th October 2011, York Racecourse
Supported by:
The Welfare Reform Bill represents one of the most significant changes for housing providers in over thirty years. The introduction of Universal Credit, the HMRC Real Time System, and reliance on internet based claim processes means there will be major implications for housing organisations to come. Changes are already being introduced to housing benefit in preparation for the implementation of Universal Credit. The implications of the ongoing welfare reforms present a number of challenges and potential opportunities. This conference provides an opportunity to hear from a range of speakers on the implications, the opportunities, and challenges of being prepared for the forthcoming changes. By attending this conference you will: Gain an insight into forthcoming welfare reforms and how these may impact on housing providers, local authorities and tenants Learn from the experience of others on how to prepare for what’s ahead Find out how to identify and deal with the financial implications of welfare reform for housing providers, including modelling for new household profiles and opportunities for innovation, efficiency and developing new business Consider how to deal with the financial impacts on tenants and the related implications of employability, worklessness and lack of access to information technology Find out how to ensure tenants can access advice and support services Understand the implications of administrative processes and new technology, such as the HMRC Real Time System, the potential impacts on business and tenants and how to plan for successful implementation
Who should attend? This conference is aimed at Housing Directors, Heads of Service, Senior Housing Managers, local authority housing strategists, policy makers, supported housing providers, senior housing benefit officers and those involved in planning tenant services.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Delegates will be able to record 4 Continuing Professional Development hours for attending this conference.
Programme 9.45
Registration and refreshments
10.15
Chair’s welcome and introduction
10.25
Welfare reform and housing – where are we now?
Dr Bert Provan, Visiting Fellow, London School of Economics and former Deputy Director and Head of Profession for Social Research, Communities and Local Government
Andrew Parfitt, Head of Housing Policy Division, Department of Work and Pensions In this session Andrew will outline the Governments overall policy position, recent changes and the implementation framework.
11.10
Universal Credit and worklessness – the implications for welfare reform
Professor Roy Sainsbury, Research Director, Welfare and Employment, York University Employment is a key factor in the Governments welfare reforms. In this session Roy will consider the implications of worklessness for the implementation of Universal Credit.
11.45
Professional practice sessions 1. Ensuring access to advice and information for tenants and others
Steve O’Hagan, Head of Support and Advice, Calico Enterprise Limited Karen Lynch, Help Direct Manager East Lancashire, Calico Enterprise Limited A major area of concern in relation to the implementation of welfare reform is access to effective advice for both tenants and housing providers. Government cuts have had a significant effect on advice services, particularly in local areas, over the last twelve months resulting in limited access to appropriate advice for tenants. This workshop will: provide an opportunity to learn about cost effective innovative advice service delivery methods consider ways in which effective advice is able to maximise income for both tenants and housing providers enable participants to consider how advice will be provided at the key moments for their tenants
2. Implications of the welfare reform for vulnerable tenants and supported housing providers
Lorraine Regan, Consultant, and former Head of Supporting People, Communities and Local Government Welfare reform provides a number of challenges to vulnerable tenants and providers of housing support and supported accommodation. This workshop will provide an opportunity to consider the wider impact of welfare and social reform, including Personalisation and Payments by Results and will cover: the implications of welfare reform for supported housing providers and their tenants wider implications of welfare and social reform for supported housing providers initiatives including: Payment by Results Personalisation how to plan to take advantage of opportunities and minimise the challenges
3. Implementing the Changes Jo Linney, Consultant, Linney Associates The administration of Universal Credit will involve a considerable change in how benefits are administered, how housing providers will engage with those delivering benefits and how tenants and claimants receive, claim and manage their benefits. This workshop will provide an opportunity to consider: the proposed administration processes planning to ensure minimum disruption to their business during the implementation phase how to identify and engage with relevant stakeholders in relation to the administration of benefits
4. How to evaluate the impact of welfare reform on individual organisations
Dr Bert Provan, Visiting Fellow, London School of Economics and former Deputy Director and Head of Profession for Social Research, Communities and Local Government This workshop will be an interactive discussion with participants to identify how welfare reform will affect housing providers and their tenants, and exchange ideas about how best to anticipate, monitor, and manage the issues from an organisational perspective. This is likely to include: how to identify the main organisational impacts and the most likely impacts on tenants and stakeholders how to measure these impacts what are the main preventative actions that can be taken how to build new types of alliance and links to replace the previous grant funded local authority regimes which provided assistance Consider the implications in specific domains such as homelessness, community cohesion, poverty and social exclusion
12.45
Lunch
13.40
Professional practice sessions (1 and 2 to be repeated) 5. A look at the small print
Jo Linney, Consultant, Linney Associates This workshop will consider the finer detail in relation to specific benefits that will affect tenants now and in the future, including: housing benefit universal credits disability benefits
6. The potential impact direct payments and solutions for protecting income streams Nick Peplow, Marketing Director, Allpay Richard Roberts, Head of Prepaid Card Sales, Allpay
Allpay have been part of round table discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions and housing providers to consider ways of ensuring safeguards to protect housing benefit payments that are received by housing providers.
The workshop will consider: the potential impacts of the abolition of direct payments what are the challenges what could solutions look like
14.35
Refreshments
14.50
Welfare Reform: modelling impacts for housing organisations
Louise Mattinson, Head of Local Community Services, Community Gateway Association Welfare Reform will bring a range of impacts and consequences for housing organisations. Community Gateway Association have been researching and modelling those impacts on tenant households. In this session, Louise will outline: The approach being taken by Community Gateway Association What has been learned and what further information is needed The next steps to mitigate the business risks and explore new opportunities and services
15.15
The Northern Impact
Charlotte Harrison, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) In this session Charlotte will set out the Northern Housing Consortium’s assessment of the cumulative impact of welfare reform and other social policy changes on housing and communities in the North, and consider what housing organisations need to do, and what the NHC is doing to raise its concerns with government.
15.40
Panel session
16.10
Chairs closing remarks
16.15
Close of conference.
This panel session will provide an opportunity for the panel to consider a number of key questions that arise during the day.
Welfare Reform and Housing: The Northern Impact Identifying the impacts, pitfalls and opportunities Wednesday 12th October 2011, York Racecourse Delegate fees Northern Housing Consortium Member
ÂŁ199
Non Member
ÂŁ249 All delegate fees are shown excluding VAT.
How to book Online To book your delegate place at this event and to view our full terms & conditions and cancellation policy, please click below.
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Telephone To make a provisional booking please telephone our events team;
0191 566 1000 Please note any telephone reservations are made on a provisional basis and must be confirmed in writing within 2 working days.
Contact us For further information or if you have a query please contact a member of the events team: Telephone: 0191 566 1000 Email: events@northern-consortium.org.uk
Download a copy of the programme here