Scottish Housing Matters - Winter 2014

SCOTTISH HOUSING MATTERS

NUMBER: 68 WINTER 2014

CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF HOUSING SCOTLAND

DAWN OF A NEW ERA

WHAT THE REFERENDUM RESULT MEANS FOR SCOTTISH HOUSING INDUSTRY MAKING A SPLASH WITH BUSINESS CONNECT SCOTLAND / PROMOTING EXCELLENCE IN DEMENTIA CARE / CIH SCOTLAND 2015 CONFERENCE / TEAM BLACKWOOD – ENGAGING CUSTOMERS IN SCRUTINY / COMMENT: INCREASE AFFORDABLE HOUSING SUPPLY THROUGH BETTER PARTNERSHIPS

Scottish Housing Matters | 1

IN THIS ISSUE MAKING A SPLASH WITH BUSINESS CONNECT SCOTLAND

NATIONAL GOOD PRACTICE AWARDS

6-8 CIH SCOTLAND ANNUAL HOUSING CONFERENCE 2015

16-17 9

BEST PRACTICE PITCH WORKSHOPS

10

THE VIEW FROM SOUTH BRITAIN

11

SEE EMPLOYABILITY IN THE ROUND!

12

REALL CHANGES AT INTERNATIONAL HOUSING CHARITY

18

INCREASE AFFORDABLE HOUSING SUPPLY - THROUGH

20

BETTER PARTNERSHIP WORKING

2 | Scottish Housing Matters

A CONFERENCE WITH A DIFFERENCE

26-27

TEAM BLACKWOOD ENGAGING CUSTOMERS IN SCRUTINTY

PROMOTING EXCELLENCE IN DEMENTIA CARE - THE ROLE OF HOUSING

34-35

38-39 CONTACT: If you are interested in

CHIPPING IN FOR TRUSSELL TRUST INTRODUCING CIH SCOTLAND’S NEW POLICY TEAM IT’S TIME TO MAKE RENTING RIGHT POLICY ROUND-UP

22

contributing an article, please contact editor Catherine Lowe at catherine.lowe@cih.org or 0131 225 4544.

24 28 30

ADVERTISE WITH US: To advertise in Scottish Housing Matters please contact John McClarey at john.mcclarey@cih.org or 0131 225 4544 DISCLAIMER: The views expressed by contributors in Scottish Housing Matters are not necessarily those of the Chartered Institute of Housing or the editor and should not be taken as representative of any of the

LEARNING WITH CIH SCOTLAND

36

CIH EVENTS ROUND-UP

41

MENTORING SUCCESS THE CIH WAY!

42

above.

CIH Scotland, 4th floor, 125 Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4AD 0131 225 4544 scotland.policy@cih.org

Scottish Housing Matters | 3

A WORD FROM THE CHAIR

But we also know that there are huge issues facing us all from reduced public resources and increased demands for our services. So I recognise that it is ever more important that as members of CIH in Scotland you feel supported in your role and in your personal development for that. The information and views contained in this issue of Scottish Housing Matters will, I hope, help you with that.

Over the past few months the CIH team in Scotland has undergone huge changes in staffing and I am extremely pleased with the new team we have appointed. A new executive director, Annie Mauger, has also been appointed to take charge of the teams in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and she is due to start in February 2015. Annie brings with her considerable experience of managing and developing a professional body including across the devolved countries.

WELCOME TO THIS WINTER ISSUE OF SCOTTISH HOUSING MATTERS While the referendum result is now known the consequences and outcome for housing and social policy in Scotland remain unclear. CIH made a submission to the Smith Commission setting out our vision of a housing system which works for everyone in the country and the powers we consider are necessary to deliver that. The Commission has now published its ‘heads of agreement’ on further devolved financial, welfare and taxation powers to Scotland.

CIH Scotland will continue to put forward its case for housing over the coming months as a draft bill is published in January and debated through Parliament.

Against this backdrop I have found it to be a fantastic opportunity to impress upon everyone just how important the work we do is – providing a vast range of housing and support services throughout the country supporting people in their homes and communities to thrive.

4 | Scottish Housing Matters

As CIH is reviewing its strategies and looking to develop further its services to encourage new members and support existing members over the coming year, it is great to have such a range of experience and talent in the team here in Scotland to support that.

We recently celebrated the annual CIH Excellence Awards in Scotland. May I congratulate all the entrants, finalists and winners for their great effort and success.

The Excellence Awards are all about highlighting and celebrating the great work and good practice which demonstrates the positive impact you are making to peoples’ lives. The more we can highlight this the better for all of us. There will be more on the winners in the next edition of Scottish Housing Matters.

Keith Anderson CIH Scotland chair

Scottish Housing Matters | 5

MAKING A SPLASH WITH BUSINESS CONNECT SCOTLAND

6 | Scottish Housing Matters

Business Connect Scotland is a new knowledge transfer initiative from HouseMark that allows housing professionals to engage with and learn from world-class businesses and social enterprises, gaining insight from real examples in the commercial sector. Please contact Kirsty Wells at kirsty.wells@housemark.co.uk, or 0131 240 5212.

Highland Spring Group is the largest bottled water

Branding and marketing

producer in the UK and has doubled in size in five years.

“Brand is shorthand for your reputation,” says Andrea

Kirsty Wells, Scotland Manager at HouseMark, recently

McQuaid, head of brand marketing at Highland Spring

took some of her members to the Perthshire-based

Group, making a point that will resonate with many social

business to learn the secrets of its success.

landlords. “It is something that impacts every corner of your business. A good reputation sells more, it helps

“There are a lot of similarities between a company like

negotiate a better deal and it manages your presence in

Highland Spring and your organisations – we are not that

the media – especially helpful should there be potential for

different,” says Fiona Gibson, HR director at Highland

negative media coverage. So reputation is everything.”

Spring Group, to a group of HouseMark Scotland members from housing associations, local authorities and the Scottish

McQuaid has the following advice for social landlords to

Government. “We are on a journey of transformation and

help pin down precisely what their brand proposition might

you should hopefully be able to take away things from this

be: “Find your unique space, what you are known for or

to use in your organisations,” she adds.

proud of. Own it and make sure it reflects what your target audience need. For example, your proposition could be

During the course of the day-long visit to Highland Spring

around ‘flexibility’; what you are offering to customers as

Group’s Blackford headquarters, it becomes clear there

they go through change in their lives in terms of new family

are a variety of areas where there are potential lessons for

members arriving or granny moving in. You’re all competing

housing providers. They include: branding and marketing,

for someone’s rent - identify what’s special about you.”

customer service and business planning.

“While Highland Spring Group works with a number of specialist agencies, smaller budgets shouldn’t mean you’re on your own,” says McQuaid. “Marketing trade magazines are a great resource and many agencies and creative directors publish regular blogs giving everyone access to the most cutting-edge thinking.”

Scottish Housing Matters | 7

Customer service

Business planning

In order to ensure you are best-placed to understand

To make best use of this market data, Highland Spring

what tenants perceive as your strengths, never miss an

Group used a ‘strategic business capability’ approach to

opportunity to use a customer interaction, or ‘touchpoint’,

assess what issues are critical for its success and the extent

to glean further information about your audience, advises

to which it is addressing them at present. This involved

McQuaid. Highland Spring Group maintains its own

identifying its areas of strategic importance and ranking

54,000-strong, opt-in consumer database and also accesses

them. There were twelve for Highland Spring Group and

shopper data through various organisations, including

what it found were that the areas that were critical had the

transactional data from shoppers.

most potential to improve. It has now embarked on a plan to strengthen these areas.

Highland Spring Group key facts:

• • • • • •

Formed in 1979 in Blackford, Perthshire Turnover of £97.7 million 2013 – 90 per cent of which is generated in England Has 460 employees across five sites in Scotland and Wales Privately owned by the Al-Tajir family in Dubai Largest bottled water supplier in the UK with 21 per cent market share In addition to Highland Spring, it owns the Speyside Glenlivet and Hydr8 brands

8 | Scottish Housing Matters

CIH SCOTLAND ANNUAL HOUSING CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2015

TEXT WRITTEN BY GREIG PORTER. CONFERENCE & EVENTS MANAGER, CIH SCOTLAND

The CIH Scotland Annual Housing Conference & Exhibition will once again take place at the SECC in Glasgow on 10-12 March. With 80 exhibitors, over 1500 attendees and a formidable line up of industry leading speakers, it’s the calendar highlight for housing professionals in Scotland.

What can delegates expect from the conference? Well

With digital inclusion high on the agenda, our conference

first off, we’ve frozen our delegate prices for the 2015

will carry its own digital features. Live feeds of online

event as we want as many housing professionals as

conversations will be streamed through digital hubs

possible to be a part of this unmissable event. Our

throughout the exhibition space. We’ll also be giving out

conference website is also now up and running. Please

a daily prize for the best conference tweet!

take a look at www.cihscotland-conference.org and check out our weather related ‘all change’ theme. While you’re

And what of the exhibition itself? More than half of the

there, take some time to answer our latest instant poll,

stand spaces have already been sold. If your organisation

gaging the temperature on important housing issues

wants to take part in Scotland’s biggest housing event,

in Scotland.

contact us without delay!

The conference programme will tackle the big issues

As we look forward to March 2015 and what promises to

facing the sector, with four key themes running over

be another exciting three days, we are already working on

the three days: Scotland’s housing system; affordability

the 2016 event. We are delighted that Edinburgh will be

and welfare; more than bricks and mortar; shaping

welcoming us, as we take the event to the stunning EICC.

the future of the workforce. Follow us on Twitter @ CIHScotland2015 or by using #CIHScot2015 so you

Looking forward to seeing you in both 2015 and 2016!

can be the first to hear what’s happening between now and the first day of conference. Also look out for our

Greig Porter

conference 2015 preview which will be mailed out in early

Conference & events manager

January 2015.

CIH Scotland greig.porter@cih.org 0131 240 5210 Scottish Housing Matters | 9

BEST PRACTICE PITCH WORKSHOPS Engaging with tenants and residents Spotting the signs of fuel poverty and how you respond Do you want to tell the delegates at the CIH Scotland conference what you know works at the frontline for your tenants and residents?

Here is your chance!

There are 10 x 10 minute slots available. Five on Tuesday 10 March on spotting the signs of fuel poverty and how you respond and five on Thursday 12 March on engaging with tenants and customers.

The workshops take place just before lunch each day, so you can continue your discussions over lunch at the conference.

The successful pitch winners will get a free place at conference on the day of the workshop. The judges will be CIH Scotland interim director Catherine Lowe,

10 | Scottish Housing Matters

HouseMark Scotland manager Kirsty Wells and Parkhead HA director of operations Graeme Aitken.

To win one of these best practice slots you need to do the following: Complete the attached form here. You will be asked to summarise in 250 words your best practice pitch. Remember – 10 minutes is not long – what are the key messages you want to get over? What are you doing well, why is it working, can other do it too?

Good luck!

The closing date for submission is the Friday 23 January 2015 at 5pm.

For more information please contact Catherine Lowe at catherine.lowe@cih.org

THE VIEW FROM SOUTH BRITAIN The vow may have been to Scotland but the reverberations continue to be felt across the UK with huge implications for housing. The all-party promise of greater devolution after the No vote has sparked demands for TEXT WRITTEN BY parity from Wales and from major English cities.

JULIAN BIRCH

Under the existing devolution settlement, the Welsh

This ‘reinvigorated’ right to buy was launched in 2012 with

Assembly has just passed its first-ever Housing Act,

an apparent promise to replace homes sold on a one-for-

including regulation of the private rented sector and

one basis. However, the pledge only applies to sales that are

changes to the homelessness legislation, and a second Bill

additional to those already forecast and the replacements

on tenancy reform is imminent. The Welsh Government has

are at higher ‘affordable’ rents rather than social rents.

been able to protect the housing and Supporting People

Far from being one-for-one, the record so far is around

budgets from the same cuts as in England but it lacks the

one new home for every seven sold. Just to rub it in, an

resources to mitigate against the bedroom tax in full as in

investigation by the Independent revealed that buyers of

Scotland. The Assembly will get some new powers over

many of the homes sold since 2012 have already become

tax and borrowing under a bill currently going through the

private landlords with the state picking up the bill for their

Westminster parliament. However, an all-party commission

new tenants’ housing benefit.

rejected devolution of stamp duty and housing benefit.

The Lyons Review put flesh on the bones of Labour’s pledge In England, the London mayor already has control over

to build 200,000 homes a year in England by 2020, a 50 per

housing investment and is calling for the devolution of the

cent increase on current levels in just five years. The report

billions of pounds worth of stamp duty raised in the capital.

impressed many observers with its recommendations on

Northern cities, led by Manchester, are calling for greater

planning, new garden cities and support for small house

control over areas like education, transport and housing

builders but even 200,000 will still leave England short of

and the UK coalition government is set to grant them new

the estimated 250,000 new homes a year needed to meet

powers in the autumn statement in December.

demand. Campaigners for more social housing were also left disappointed. The review’s hands were tied by Ed

Policies on the right to buy continue to diverge across the

Balls’s refusal to back any increase in

UK. In complete contrast to Scotland, the Westminster

borrowing caps for council housing or

government has introduced a series of measures to sell

more radical reform of the public sector

more of the social housing stock in England including

borrowing rules. Housing will instead

increased discounts of up to £100,000 and an imminent

be an unspecified ‘top priority’ for any

reduction in the qualifying period before tenants can buy.

future increase in capital investment.

Scottish Housing Matters | 11

TEXT WRITTEN BY GRANT ALEXANDER. EMPLOYABILITY OFFICER, LINK GROUP LTD

SEE EMPLOYABILITY IN THE ROUND! If you are asked a question and you’re passionate about the subject the response can lead to interesting places.

The Link group of companies provides new and improved homes for rent and sale, community regeneration services and support and care for individuals. It has some 10,000 tenants, service users and other customers throughout 26 Scottish local authority areas.

Grant Alexander was asked to respond to the Smith Commission consultation on the devolution of Department

Committed to the principles of social justice and inclusion,

of Work and Pensions (DWP) budgets and services and to

Link - as a social enterprise and charitable provider of

comment on the sanction regime. This is an edited

affordable social housing - promotes the welfare of individuals

version of his response.

by regenerating and re-investing in local communities.

12 | Scottish Housing Matters

Employability fits directly with Link’s strategic priorities

A transfer of DWP services and associated budgets (including

where the need to

improve employability prospects for

housing benefit at the moment and universal credit in

customers is recognised as way of building confidence and

future) to the Scottish Parliament would have provided

self-esteem, increasing individuals’ capability and

an opportunity for service integration that would support

developing independence.

a barrier-free journey from welfare into work. Moreover, having control of Job Centres would be better for customers

Against this backdrop, Link as an employer and community

if it was transferred to ensure the smooth, holistic approach

champion aims to increase the employability of our service

which appears to be necessary.

users, tenants and local communities by being involved in a range of employability initiatives.

Devolved services At present, the Scottish Government (SG) and its partners influence and deliver some of the most important services affecting an individual’s employability. These include education, skills, healthcare and childcare provision. In addition, many of the private, public and third sector partners also influence further and higher education to provide the right kind of learning, training and skills interventions.

But other major factors affecting employability - such as

The benefits of joining up

welfare benefits, personal taxation, help with the cost

Currently, the relevant levers required to support individuals

of childcare, pensions policy (such as retirement age) and

back into economic activity are contained within two

employment support - are reserved for the UK Parliament.

separate and often distinct systems: welfare (this label

These services do not always fit well with the systems

should be scrapped and we should revert to the original and

devolved to (and developed in) Scotland.

more appropriate term ‘social security’) and employment and skills. A robust approach to employability requires both

Consequently many people seeking to lift themselves and

systems to operate in a complementary manner:

their families out of poverty can often come up against

•

a social security system that underpins and provides a

barriers within the benefits system which prevent them from

stable platform from which individuals can step up into

connecting or reconnecting with the mainstream economy.

employment

Only by removing these barriers and by fully integrating the

•

an employability system that allows individuals to enter

benefits system with Scotland’s skills and lifelong learning

the skills pipeline at an appropriate point and focus on

system can sustainable positive outcomes be achieved.

achieving a positive destination by being supported to move along the pipeline at a pace appropriate to their

With the current review of additional powers for Scotland,

needs and abilities

an opportunity exists to resolve this ‘disconnect’ by creating

However, the incompatibility of these two current systems

a Scottish framework that would bring together the relevant

can often present difficulties for employability practitioners

services and powers necessary to allow for the development

and more importantly, the individuals that they support.

of skills and employment policy, the funding of services and full consideration of how all of these services could be delivered to best effect.

Scottish Housing Matters | 13

For example, Link Group has a subsidiary company called

Individuals who do not enjoy a settled way of life are

LinkLiving. It runs a number of projects, including its

at particular risk. Such people are less likely to be in a

SmartLiving Employability Programme.

An 18- year-old

position to follow rules and, as a result, are more likely to be

woman was participating in this programme where she

sanctioned. Evidence shows that one of the most immediate

continued to receive her state benefits. While on the course,

effects of a sanction is that rent does not get paid. When an

she also attended a mandatory triage work programme

individual is evicted, everything that has been put in place

activity once a fortnight. During this period, LinkLiving

to support their employability collapses. Time and energy

secured a number of Community Jobs Scotland (CJS) places

is required to provide crisis support to such people (and

which represented 30 hours per week paid employment

their families) rather than providing positive employability

for six months. On enquiring about the CJS position at the

support. The effect of the current sanctions regime is not

Job Centre, the young woman was advised that she was

to encourage people into work, but instead to remove any

ineligible to apply for the CJS post as triage was already in

reasonable prospect they may have of securing sustainable

receipt of funding from the UK Government in respect of

employment. Unfortunately, the removal of benefit does not

her place on the work programme. The woman was unable

often equate to a move into employment but instead to a

to be considered for the CJS (SG funded) position.

reliance on other forms of welfare – witness the emergence

She continues to receive

“

state benefits.

of foodbanks during the last few years.

An integrated system that

THE CHALLENGE POST SMITH

The sanctions regime does

is designed to focus on the

COMMISSION REPORTING IS TO MAKE

not support individuals to

ensure that this type of situation, one that serves no

SEPARATE SYSTEMS WORK IN THE BEST INTEREST OF CUSTOMERS

one’s interests (apart from, presumably, HM Treasury!), would

not

arise.

The

“

needs of individuals would

achieve

their

potential.

economic Instead

of

driving up the economy by seeing increasing numbers of individuals moving off benefits and into sustainable

challenge post-Smith Commission reporting is to make these

employment, increasing numbers of individuals are pushed

separate systems work in the best interest of customers!

in to poverty as a result of having their benefits reduced or removed. Instead of being supported along the strategic

Sanctions

skills pipeline, moving from welfare in to work in a supported

The recent round of welfare reforms has seen an increase in

sustainable way, individuals are falling out of the system

the use of sanctions, apparently introduced with the intention

which then often requires non-governmental organisations

of encouraging people to take up employment. While there

to step in to provide support in often difficult circumstances.

is much evidence to suggest conditionality cuts the number of people on benefits (with the possible exception of people

By its very nature, a sanctions regime imposes a form of

taking up low paid jobs) there is little evidence to support

punishment and serves to prevent individuals from moving

the argument that it increases engagement in the labour

forward. Unfortunately these do not always seem to be

market. Furthermore, the merits of a mandatory work

proportionate and are often applied arbitrarily.

programme that imposes sanctions on more people than it gets into work has to be questioned.

As an alternative, a person-centred approach (founded on customised support plans including realistic targets and

14 | Scottish Housing Matters

supported by a reform to the sanctions regime) would

extended to the development of employment and skills

provide a more desirable and sustainable approach

policy including a standardised performance framework

to employability.

for all stakeholders at national and local level and across all sectors. Ultimately, this would provide a more streamlined

Many people are trapped in unemployment due to the cost

service that would deliver better outcomes for unemployed

of housing and accommodation. Link recognises increasing

people, employers and Scotland as it strives to create a

the supply of affordable social housing will help many achieve

fairer civil society.

and sustain employment and reduce the burden of housing benefit. Helping people to obtain and maintain affordable

One last thought!

accommodation is part of the solution. Supporting them into employment is integral to the argument of sustainability.

While the Smith Commission report may not make all this happen now, we have to hope that the transfer of

The devolution of certain additional powers to the Scottish

further powers will focus on the opportunities to create a

Parliament and Scottish Government - empowering them

‘whole government’ approach to employability by aligning

to make decisions on all aspects of employability and skills

employment with other policies. By focusing on meeting the

- would better reflect the interests of unemployed people

needs of individuals, such powers could allow the creation

in Scotland. An integrated approach to the provision of

of a system and processes to support people dependant

employment support would take account any differences

on welfare and furthest away from the job market into

that exist between Scotland and the rest of the UK ie labour

employment.

market variations. This would also allow for reforms to the

opportunities for tackling low pay as well as addressing the

existing social security system in areas such as sanctions.

problem of balancing the supply and demand sides

Such an approach would also provide

of employment.

It would further enable closer links to be developed between education establishments, skills development providers

Grant Alexander

and the employment market. When taken together, this

Employability Officer, Link Group LTD

would provide a full package of support to those seeking employment. In time, this approach could be further

Scottish Housing Matters | 15

NATIONAL GOOD PRACTICE AWARDS 2014 Housing professionals and tenants came together to celebrate the best in tenant participation at the National Good Practice Awards 2014.

The awards, which were presented at the TPAS Scotland

tenants, residents, staff and landlords are all hard at work

Conference on 7 October, are produced by TPAS Scotland in

making lives better.

partnership with the Scottish Government Tenants’ Priorities Team and the CIH Scotland.

We would like to take this opportunity to commend all those who took part in this year’s awards - here’s a run down of the

Presenting at the ceremony, STV weatherman Sean Batty

winners and runners-up in each of the categories:

remarked on how the high standard of submissions had given the judges an almost impossible task, but the upside to this is that it highlights te message that Scotland’s

Best practice in peveloping communities award

•

WINNER: NG HOMES HOUSING AND COMMUNITY

Best practice in involving all – involving young people

•

REGENERATION TEAM •

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EASTHALL PARK HOUSING

Runner up: Shettleston Housing Association, Performance & Development Team

WINNER: EASTHALL RESIDENTS CO-OPERATIVE COOPERATIVE

•

Runner up: Wheatley Group, Schools Engagement Programme – Pathways to Success

Pictured left to right above, receiving the Best Practice in Developing Communities Award from STV’s Sean Batty and Anne

Pictured left to right above, receiving the Best Practice in Involving

Cook, Head of Tenant Priorities Team in the Scottish Government

All – Involving Young People category are Andy Gilbert, Meghan

are: ng homes CEO Robert Tamburrini, regeneration manager

Johnston, Robert Donaghy, Reece Lennox and John McMorrow,

Margaret Layden, director of regeneration John Devine and

Director at Easthall Park cooperative.

football development partnership manager Robert Docherty.

16 | Scotland Housing Matters

Best practice in involving all – hard to reach groups

•

WINNER: AFRICAN HOUSING FORUM,

Best practice in tenant led scrutiny of the charter

•

WHEATLEY GROUP •

Runner up: The Stag Group, Queens Cross Housing

WINNER: LINK SCRUTINY PANEL, LINK HOUSING ASSOCIATION

•

Runner up: Team Blackwood, Blackwood Homes

Association Pictured left to right above, receiving the Best Practice in Tenant Pictured left to right above, receiving the Best Practice in

Led Scrutiny of the Charter award are Sean Batty, Lind Cornwall,

Involving All – Hard to Reach groups category are

Elsie Boyce and Christine Kyle

Gordon Cowan, Linda Hunter, Sean Batty, Gordon Sloan, Loraine Strang and Harry Agyako

Tenant and resident group of the year

•

WINNER: PLANTATION COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION,

Tenant or resident of the year

•

HIGHLAND COUNCIL •

Runner up: Glenavon Residents Association, Maryhill

WINNER: ANNE CAMERON, SOUTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL

•

Runner up: Alison Kerr, West Lothian Council

Housing Association Pictured above is Lesley Baird, Director at TPAS Scotland Pictured above is Sean Batty with Lesley- Ann Boath receiving the tenant and resident group of the year award for Plantation Community Association.

with Anne Cameron receiving the tenant of the year award.

REALL CHANGES AT INTERNATIONAL HOUSING CHARITY TEXT WRITTEN BY HANNAH SALMON. COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, REALL

Homeless International, the only UK organisation dedicated exclusively to alleviating living condition in slums throughout the developing world, has recently re-branded as Reall.

Thanks to the ever-growing commitments from the UK

Reall – or Real Equity for All – isn’t just a new name. Reall

housing sector and the charity’s funding partners, they

represents a new way of looking at how the organisation

are working with more community organisations, in more

operates, how they work and what they do.

countries, than ever before to tackle the problems of slums and urban poverty.

Reall works with 26 partner organisations in 20 countries across Africa and Asia, helping them build the capabilities

As their funding has grown, so too have their aspirations.

they need to engage with local and national government,

The organisation felt that Homeless International no

secure finance and provide the water, sanitation and housing

longer adequately reflected the enterprising work they do

facilities that their community’s need.

and wanted to establish an identity that encapsulates the solutions they aim to provide and not just the problems they

As they reach out to an ever expanding number of slum

aim to tackle.

dwellers across the world, Reall aims to establish a global network

18 | Scottish Housing Matters

of

independent,

self-financing

Community

Development Enterprises that are capable of serving existing communities and those of future generations, anywhere where slums persist.

By leveraging the Reall network, they will be better able to empower their partners to build sustainable enterprises - capable of financing and maintaining affordable housing over the long term - thanks to worldwide transfer of skills, knowledge, education and shared experiences.

Reall, which emerged from the UK housing sector 25 years ago, believes that a similar model to housing associations is achievable in Africa and Asia.

For additional information about what Reall do, please go to www.reall.xyz

What difference can one hour make?

Every year, housing sector staff from across the UK have come together to support Reall in their HoursPay appeal, donating an hour of their pay, or whatever they can, to help transform the lives of slum dwellers across Africa and Asia.

The difference Reall are able to make has only been made possible by the kind support of people in the housing sector.

Donate and make a real difference You can register for the HoursPay Appeal at www.reall.xyz/ hourspay, so please promote this within your organisation and get behind this year’s appeal to help to improve the lives and futures of many more poor families living in slums.

For more information on how to get involved, please contact Pauline Lewis at pauline.lewis@reall.xyz

Reall at work-providing skills to local communities to make bricks, build houses and water wells.

Scottish Housing Matters | 19

INCREASING AFFORDABLE HOUSING SUPPLY THROUGH BETTER PARTNERSHIP WORKING

TEXT WRITTEN BY JIM HAYTON, POLICY MANAGER, ALACHO

Although the result of the referendum is now decided, the future shape of Scotland’s housing system is still the subject of constant discussion.

The first of these, “A guide to good practice in partnership working between Scottish Councils and RSLS” was commissioned by ALACHO from Tony Donohoe Consultants.

The report examined good practice in joint working between LAs and RSLs in the areas of strategic housing planning,

Scotland’s local authorities plan to play a key part in

the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (planning,

contributing to this process and over the past year ALACHO

monitoring and resources) and joint working in resourcing

has commissioned two pieces of research to help inform

and delivering new build affordable housing. The work

the debate.

was undertaken for in conjunction with SFHA and Scottish Government. 23 of Scotland’s 32 councils responded to a survey, from which six case study areas were chosen. Good practice points (GPPs) were identified in the key areas noted above.

20 | Scottish Housing Matters

Key GPPs identified in strategic housing planning were: •

Projects that meet a range of identified housing needs,

a local partnership group structure which involves RSLs

from social rent to mid-market to low cost home

playing an active role in contributing to the local housing

ownership

strategy, with membership governed by an agreed role •

•

•

Exploring feasibility of joint delivery (sharing resources

and remit document

and expertise) of individual new build projects is

strategic housing planning processes demonstrably

considered when planning the Affordable Housing

enhancing joint working with RSLs by allowing sufficient

Supply Programme, including extent of spare capacity

scope and time for them to become involved, and the

available in RSL development expertise.

development of shared priorities.

The findings of the report demonstrate that there are Key GPPs identified in planning and monitoring the

numerous examples of good partnership working evident in

Affordable Housing Supply Programme were:

Scotland’s local authority areas. Our task clearly is to ensure

•

A local development forum or similar group to plan and

that good practice is embedded as the norm

monitor the Affordable Housing Supply Programme

throughout Scotland.

at a local level, including housing and planning •

•

representatives from the LA

ALACHO has shared the report with Scottish Government,

Joint working on criteria and frameworks for assessing

SFHA and the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of HAs

project proposals for inclusion in the local Strategic

and has plans to generate wider awareness of the benefits

Housing Investment Plan.

of partnership working.

Programme monitoring arrangements and KPIs jointly agreed between the LA, Scottish Government and RSLs

Should you wish to see a copy of the report, you can find it

Key GPPs identified in resourcing the Affordable Housing

on the ALACHO website at

Supply Programme were:

www.alacho.org or drop me a

•

LAs assessing and communicating

to partners the

financial resources available to support the delivery of

note at jim.hayton@alacho.org

new homes for both the Strategic Housing Investment •

Plan and Strategic Local Programme

In the next issue of Scottish

Potential LA programme contributions identified,

Housing Matters I’ll look at

including second home council tax charges, commuted

another important piece of

sums realised through affordable housing policies, on-

research recently completed

lending, land disposal policy and other mechanisms

for ALACHO by HouseMark,

available to councils

which explores the capacity of Scottish local authorities to

Key GPPs identified in the delivery of new build affordable

fund new housing supply.

housing were: •

Mutual understanding of the procurement operating contexts for both LAs and RSLs, including consideration of any opportunities for, and benefits of, joint procurement (not only partnership between councils and RSLs, but also between councils)

Scottish Housing Matters | 21

CHIPPING IN FOR TRUSSELL TRUST This year’s CIH Scotland charity golf tournament, hosted by 2013 winners Everwarm Ltd, took place on Tuesday 9 September and was once again a huge success.

TEXT WRITTEN BY JOHN MCCLAREY, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, CIH SCOTLAND

Hosted in support of CIH Scotland’s chosen charity, the Trussell Trust Foodbank network, 18 teams took part from all corners of Scotland for the shotgun start Texas scramble tournament at West Calder’s Harburn golf course.

With

registration and a breakfast organised before tee off, entrants had the opportunity to network with old friends and meet new members of the housing industry.

Ore Valley Housing Association were crowned winners for the second time in three years. Andrew Saunders, Tommy Braid, David Bonar and David Fisher all played their part in a fantastic Ore Valley victory.

The second placed Strachan Office Supplies team could feel hard done by for missing out by such a small margin, but will no doubt be a little relieved that they missed out on

22 | Scottish Housing Matters

the duty of organising and hosting next year’s event! Third

that combat poverty and exclusion, sharing experiences to

placed Cairn Housing Association were just a little further

raise awareness of the issues.

adrift with a team of steady golfers.

CIH Scotland would like to thank all the participants of the The after dinner presentations and prize-giving was jointly

event, including housing associations such as RANCHA,

hosted by CIH Scotland Chair Keith Anderson and Everwarm

DGHP and Paragon as well as leading industry organisations

commercial director Kenny Saunders, where the top prize

like nPower, Scottish Power, Jotun, Simple Energy, Bosch

of a fourball at this years Ryder Cup venue Gleneagles

and Horsburgh to name but a few.

was handed to tournament champions Ore Valley Housing Association, along with a host of other brilliant prizes

The final total raised for the Trussell Trust from this event

including the CIH chair obscure golfing fact prize.

was £6215. Keith Anderson said, “This is a fantastic effort by everyone concerned. The Trussell Trust will be able to do

Following the prize-giving, Keith Anderson went on to explain

so much with this money raised. I would like to thank all the

the work the Trussell Trust undertakes within communities

organisations and teams for their generosity. And a special

to open foodbanks nationwide - their goal is for every

thank you to Everwarm for arranging the event and colleting

town to have one. The Trussell Trust foodbanks provide a

in the charity money.”

minimum of three days emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis. Its mission is to develop, run, and enable communities to replicate sustainable projects

Scottish Housing Matters | 23

INTRODUCING CIH SCOTLAND’S NEW POLICY TEAM Two new staff members have joined CIH Scotland forming the new Scotland policy team. David Ogilvie has joined as head of policy and public affairs and Ashley Campbell has joined as policy and practice officer.

The policy team is responsible for ensuring the

housing professionals keep pace with changes in

policies, guidance and legislation as well as

number of webinars for members. CIH Scotland also

interests of CIH members are reflected in national developing materials to support members across

the housing sector. These include briefing papers, guidance documents, best practice guides as well

as developing events and training packages to help

24 | Scottish Housing Matters

the sector. In 2015 we will also be introducing a

works to raise the profile of housing and ensure that housing issues are recognised as a national priority – we want to ensure that Scotland has a housing system that works for everyone.

Ashley joins the team with five years experience in housing at

David is already well-known to many in the Scottish social

the City of Edinburgh Council, having previously graduated

housing sector having worked most recently as policy

from the University of Stirling with a degree in criminology

manager for Scottish Federation of Housing Associations

and sociology in 2007. Her first “proper” job was with in

(SFHA) for over eight years, where he worked on a

the City of Edinburgh Council’s local housing office, dealing

range of policy areas, including property maintenance,

directly with council tenants and other local residents,

financial inclusion, fuel poverty, community regeneration,

answering queries on areas such as housing options,

homelessness, housing support, health and social care

homelessness, rent and council tax payments, housing

integration and most recently he led on welfare reform

benefit, repairs, noisy neighbours, more serious anti-social

matters. Prior to this, David has an extensive housing CV,

behaviour and local environmental concerns.

beginning his career in 1995 at a London housing association which provided services for refugees and asylum seekers.

Reflecting on that role, Ashley says: “The experience really

After gaining a postgraduate diploma in housing, David

opened my eyes to the issues faced by so many households

gained experience working on the housing frontline with

in need of decent, affordable housing in a city that was - and

Dunedin HA in Edinburgh, before moving to work on the local

still is - severely lacking this basic resource.”

housing strategy at East Lothian Council, and subsequently housing consultancy in England and Scotland.

She then took on a more strategic role within the council as a project manager for the housing and regeneration

On joining CIH Scotland, David said: “I’m delighted to be

team, working on a diverse range of projects including the

joining CIH Scotland. The housing profession is undergoing

city housing strategy, welfare reform mitigation work, data

a period of significant and ongoing change and challenge. I’m

collation and analysis, and co-ordinating and developing

really looking forward to working with colleagues, members

responses to local and national consultations.

and partners to address the many challenges that lie ahead, and make sure that housing professionals in Scotland are supported through those changes as we all work towards delivering a better housing system.”

TEXT WRITTEN BY LESLEY FRASER, DIRECTOR FOR HOUSING, REGENERATION AND WELFARE, SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

A CONFERENCE WITH A DIFFERENCE I was delighted to be at Murrayfield on 18 November for the Scottish Housing Event. There was a real buzz about the venue with people sharing ideas on the ideas wall, tweeting on #HousingEvent and contributing to lively debate and discussion in their workgroups.

Stakeholders from the public, private and third sectors came

The workgroup discussions focussed on eight areas that

together to help identify the actions we can take together

feed into three broad themes – homes, support and place:

and individually to deliver Ministers’ existing housing

•

Tenures and the housing journey

strategies and their vision that all people in Scotland live in

•

Sustainability and fuel poverty: behavioural change and

high quality homes that they can afford and that meet their needs.

long-term investment •

Step change for investment in housing – how do we achieve this?

This was a conference with a difference. Most notably we

•

asked the delegates to bring their ideas and commitment

Resources and how we value investment – prevention agenda and social benefits

with them and to work very hard in their workgroups to

•

Planning, land, infrastructure and development

identify actions that could be taken forward across the

•

Linking need and demand to communities – how do we

sector to deliver on our shared ambitions for housing.

deliver the homes and places Scotland needs?

•

26 | Scottish Housing Matters

Town centres, leadership and regeneration.

The background papers and outputs from the day are all available on the Scottish Government website

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-

Environment/Housing/reform/housing-event Delegates

brought

energy,

enthusiasm

and

commitment, making it a truly collaborative day. The range of delegates was diverse and opinions many, but the feedback is that people enjoyed hearing views from others who they would not usually meet or debate with.

The event was co-produced with members of the Housing Policy Advisory Group with workgroups and plenary sessions chaired by colleagues from across the sector. It followed a series of roundtable discussions with stakeholders during the summer which helped to frame the agenda for the event. The day was an opportunity for delegates from across the world of housing to bring their knowledge, expertise and ideas to identify actions that can be taken forward into a joint delivery plan for housing in Scotland.

The summer discussions and work at the event have generated a lot of ideas, suggestions and potential actions. The next step is to bring all of that together into a draft five-year joint delivery plan for housing in Scotland. The agenda of co-production for that plan is now well established, and over the next few months we will continue to work closely with the sector and the Housing Policy Advisory Group to take forward delivery.

The Scottish Housing Event was an important step in building true partnership working across the sector so

“There was a real buzz about the

that we build a sense of shared endeavour about how we

venue with people sharing ideas on the

can all contribute to creating a wealthier and more equal

ideas wall, tweeting on #HousingEvent

society. One that is founded on the First Minister’s three key priorities – participation, prosperity and fairness

and contributing to lively debate and discussion in their workgroups.”

Scottish Housing Matters | 27

TEXT WRITTEN BY FIONA KING. CAMPAIGNS & PUBLIC AFFAIRS MANAGER, SHELTER SCOTLAND

IT’S TIME TO MAKE RENTING RIGHT At Shelter Scotland we fight against homelessness and bad housing and campaign to prevent it in the first place. That means tackling the issues wherever our clients experience them, and increasingly that is in the private rented sector (PRS) which is groaning under the pressure of rapid growth.

That’s why we have launched our Make Renting Right

People come to us when they are experiencing problems

campaign, joining forces with a range of stakeholders to

with their housing and this can include facing eviction or

reform, modernise and improve the private rented

trouble with their landlord. Part of the issue is that there

sector in Scotland.

are around 100,000 landlords who rent out their properties across Scotland with operating practices ranging from

In recent years, we have seen the number of our clients

exceptional to extremely poor. Legislation from the Scottish

living in the private rented sector soar, which reflects that

Government in the past few years has started to tackle some

there are now 312,000 households living in the sector. This

of this poor practice and regulate this unwieldy sector but

includes one in four households which are now families with

there is more to be done.

children. The demographics have changed dramatically and will continue to change as the population grows and

As more and more people in Scotland choose the private

household sizes shrink.

rented sector for their home, the need to reform the tenancy is greater than ever.

28 | Scottish Housing Matters

We want to work with landlords, tenants and stakeholders across the country to make sure PRS is fit for purpose.

We’re calling for: 1. Stability for people wanting to make rented housing their home 2. Flexibility for people to stay in their home as long as they need 3. A modern tenancy that gives security and flexibility for tenants AND landlords 4. A fair system for sorting out renting problems when they occur 5. Predictable rents for tenants and landlords.

With social house building at a crisis low level and buying a property is financially out-of-reach for many in the current climate, private renting is no longer the preserve of students and part-time workers. In fact, the number of families living with children in the PRS has more than doubled in the last 10 years. That’s why we need to make sure the sector works for everyone.

This campaign coincides with the Scottish Government’s current consultation on a new tenancy in the private rented sector. We would encourage as many people as possible to respond to this – now is the chance to have your say and feed into this critical process for changing the current regime. We are also working constructively with partners in the landlord sector who are also committed to reforming and improving a fast-growing sector to make sure it works for everyone.

It is really encouraging to see housing - and especially private rented housing - high on the political agenda in Scotland. organisations and individuals asking them to support our

“Campaigning to make renting right”

campaign to Make Renting Right. Find out more and sign up

Fiona King,

Over the next few months we’ll be meeting with politicians,

at www.shelterscotland.org/makerentingright

Campaigns & Public Affairs Manager, Shelter Scotland

Scottish Housing Matters | 29

TEXT WRITTEN BY DAVID OGILVIE, HEAD OF POLICY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, CIH SCOTLAND

POLICY ROUND UP Scottish referendum and the Smith Commission Thursday 18 September 2014 was an historic day as an unprecedented 85 per cent of registered Scots voted on Scotland’s future within the United Kingdom. While a 55 per cent no vote ensured that Scotland will remain a part of the UK, the late promise of more devolved powers for Scotland meant that further change in the governance of the UK is on the way.

In the immediate aftermath of the referendum vote, Lord Smith of Kelvin was tasked with leading a commission to consider which additional powers should be transferred from Westminster to Holyrood. In the end, the Smith Commission received over 14,000 responses from individuals and organisations sharing their views and CIH Scotland was among that number.

CIH Scotland’s submission to the Smith Commission called for three key things: firstly, more fiscal powers to increase

30 | Scottish Housing Matters

flexibility in how new homes can be funded and maintained; secondly, a greater say over social security to ensure the benefit system in Scotland works in tune with the devolved policy priorities of the Scottish Parliament; and thirdly, greater powers over the energy market in order to address the cost of energy which is one of the main contributing factors in fuel poverty.

The Smith Commission report

was

published

on 27 November, ahead of the originally stated target

of

on

Andrews

St

publication Day,

and should be followed in very short order by publication legislation

of

draft

by

Burns

Night, 25 January.

Commenting on the Smith Commission report on the day of

Private Rented Sector

publication CIH said, “As we suggested in our submission

A Place to Stay, A Place to Call Home, published in 2013,

to the commission, the Scottish Government will be given

is the Scottish Government’s strategy to increase supply

the power to vary or top-up housing benefit, which means

and improve conditions in the private rented sector (PRS)

it will be able to give more support to people affected by

in Scotland.

the bedroom tax for example and help people out with the increasing cost of housing. Carer’s allowance and attendance

With 11 per cent of Scottish households now renting

allowance can affect the level of housing benefit people

privately and a series of high publicity campaigns calling

receive, so we will wait to see what impact the devolution of

for better conditions for private renters, politicians of all

those two benefits will have.

persuasions are eager to show their support for the sector resulting in various aspects of the strategy being realised in

“The funding of these extra powers will need careful

recent months.

monitoring, as the Scottish Government may not be able to make all the changes it wants if the budget is not in place,

The Scottish Government has published proposals to reform

but also to make sure that the new system doesn’t adversely

the PRS tenancy regime by introducing a single tenancy to

affect Wales, Northern Ireland and England.”

replace assured and short-assured tenancies.

While the

finer details have yet to be clarified, the prospect of radical

Scottish Government Housing Conference

changes to the way that the sector works is a testament to the commitment for change.

CIH Scotland joined an invited audience of 300 key stakeholders from across the housing sector at the Scottish

In addition, Gerry Moore has been appointed as Scotland’s

Government’s Housing Conference on 18 November

PRS champion – tasked with the job of driving initiatives to

at Murrayfield. The conference sought to provide the

encourage institutional investment in the sector leading to

opportunity for stakeholders from across all parts of the

an increased supply of better quality homes.

housing sector to come together to focus on the effective delivery of the Scottish Government’s housing strategies

In 2015 we can expect consultations on minimum energy

and to contribute to the development of a collaborative

efficiency standards and the condition of homes in the

Housing Action Plan for Scotland.

private sector.

The conference touched on all aspects of housing in Scotland including financing new supply across all tenures,

Enhanced Enforcement Area Regulations

maintaining and improving existing homes, joint working

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 includes provisions for local

across organisations and building sustainable communities.

authorities to apply to the Scottish Ministers to designate an

The Scottish Government will use the key discussion points

area as an Enhanced Enforcement Area (EEA) where there is

from the conference as the basis for the development of

evidence that the area is characterised by an overprovision

a five year delivery plan for housing in Scotland which we

or overconcentration of private rented housing that appears

understand should be published in early spring 2015.

to be overcrowded, of a poor environmental standard and there is a prevalence of antisocial behaviour. If EEA status is granted, the local authority will be given additional powers to improve the housing in that area.

Scottish Housing Matters | 31

The Scottish Government carried out a consultation to

Programme for Scottish Government

determine the type of evidence that local authorities would

Following her appointment as First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon

be expected to present in their application for an EEA and

announced her first Programme for the Scottish Government

the type of powers that should be granted.The regulations

on 26 November 2014. The speech focused on the creation

are now being finalised and are expected to come into effect

of a fairer and more equal Scotland, building upon the

from summer 2015.

momentum of the referendum to encourage participation in decision-making at a local level.

Housing Options In May 2014, the Scottish Housing Regulator published

The promise of radical changes to the way that income for

an enquiry into the use of the Housing Options approach

local services is generated was met with the announcement

across Scotland and its success in preventing and alleviating

that a commission will be established to examine alternatives

homelessness and the outcomes for people seeking housing

to the current council tax system in Scotland with a report

advice from local authorities. The report found that while the

due to be delivered in Autumn 2015. However, confirmation

Housing Options approach is working in some areas and has

of the continuation of the council tax freeze will do little to

real potential to deliver positive outcomes, implementation

ease financial pressure on local authorities before the

has been inconsistent and there is a need for national

next election.

guidance to support local authorities in delivering Housing Options. In light of these findings, the Scottish Government

The issue of land reform is to be debated in 2015 with

is now developing guidance with key stakeholders. We

the Scottish Government committing to respond to all 62

expect the guidance to be published in early 2015.

recommendations from the Land Reform Review Group ahead of the publication of a new Land Reform Bill.

In terms of housing supply, ÂŁ30 million additional funding

David Ogilvie

for Help to Buy will certainly help to support the private

Head of Policy & Public affairs,

construction industry and give many households access to

CIH Scotland.

homeownership. However, the First Minister’s speech was notable for its lack of reference to or discussion of wider issues of the supply of new homes across all tenures, including the delivery of social housing, private rented housing and intermediate tenures.

32 | Scottish Housing Matters

MEMBER BENEFITS As a member of CIH did you know that you get a whole range of benefits? These include access to a specialist team of housing policy professionals, up to date housing news, career workshops, webinars, discounts on training and events in Scotland.

Regardless of what organisation we are members of, at times we ask ourselves: is it good value for money, what benefits do I get, are they enough, are there added benefits the organisations can give me? That's why if you're a CIH member and you stay in Scotland, you do get more for your money! Over the years we've tried give members more benefits. Right now the additional benefits of being in Scotland include:

• Scottish Housing Matters – the quarterly magazine • One-off publications including good practice guides • Briefings on key policy and practice areas including the implementation of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014Member events – four times a year in different parts of Scotland • We hold a free annual conference for student members • Members have free access to our touchdown space in the Edinburgh office, and • You also get a discount to the CIH Scotland Annual Conference & Exhibition.

• New to Scotland in 2015 - policy and practice webinars

Scottish Housing Matters | 33

PROMOTING EXCELLENCE IN DEMENTIA CARE THE HOUSING ROLE TEXT WRITTEN BY WENDY JOHNSTON, PROJECT OFFICER-PROMOTING EXCELLENCE, SCOTTISH SOCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL & MARIAN REID, HEAD OF OPERATIONS AND DEMENTIA PROJECT LEAD, CIH SCOTLAND

The rate of dementia is growing and is now a national priority for the Scottish Government.

Scotland’s

housing

services

are

delivered

in

local

communities and are therefore ideally placed to make positive contributions to the lives of people living with dementia. Frontline housing practitioners can play a key

Alzheimer Scotland estimates around 88,000 people in

role in enabling people living with dementia to be active in

Scotland have dementia. It may be surprising to some, but

their communities and to continue to make a contribution

this figure includes 3,200 people who are under the age of

to society. Alongside carers, housing professionals can help

65. Many people affected are tenants who wish to remain in

to plan support and other services to meet the needs of

their homes.

relatives or friends living with dementia.

The National Dementia Strategy 2013-2016 acknowledges

CIH Scotland and the Joint Improvement Team (JIT) have

the importance of the housing environment in assisting

highlighted how the increase in the number of people

people with dementia. Commitment five states:

with dementia is becoming a significant issue for housing development and management. A 2012 skills and learning

‘We will take further action to support safe and supportive

survey, carried out by CIH Scotland, found gaps in knowledge

home environments and the importance of the use of

and understanding which housing practitioners have

adaptations and assistive technology, in maintaining the

identified as essential to enable them to support someone

independence and quality of life of people with dementia

with dementia. View the full survey report at

and their carers.’

www.cih.org/scotland.

34 | Scottish Housing Matters

As well as considering the design of accommodation and negotiating services with other professionals, housing staff also require skills in overcoming stigma which can negatively affect a person’s quality of life and make it more difficult for people with dementia to remain at home. CIH Scotland and JIT are committed to supporting staff in these roles to deliver brilliant services by Promoting Excellence.

Housing and Dementia Practice Workshops - Free half day workshops January – March 2015 In collaboration with the Scottish Social Services Council

(SSSC),

CIH

Scotland

and

are

running

a

JIT

number

of

interactive housing and dementia to

help

workshops attendees

understand how to use Promoting Excellence materials to improve knowledge and skills in the workplace. Promoting Excellence is a framework for staff who work with people who have dementia and their families and carers (find out more: SSSCC and Knowledge Network websites) The workshops will be focussing primarily on informed practice level which outlines the baseline knowledge and skills required by everyone working with people with dementia, including in their own home. The workshops underline that dementia is everybody’s business and explain how we can all contribute to improving the lives of people with dementia.

A pilot workshop was held in Edinburgh on 11 November with around 25 attendees. Their feedback has helped shape the structure and content of the remaining sessions.

The workshops are morning or afternoon only and are free.

They will be held in a range of venues between January and March 2015. Details below: •

16 January 2015 – CIH Scotland Offices, Edinburgh

•

February 2015 – Aberdeen (dates TBC)

•

February 2015 - Inverness (date TBC)

•

March 2015 – Borders (date TBC)

To register interest for any of the workshops, please contact Emma Patterson at emma.patterson@cih.org or telephone 0131 225 4544.

For any other queries about housing and dementia, contact Marian Reid at marian.reid@cih.org or telephone 0131 240 5214 (direct line).

Scottish Housing Matters | 35

LEARNING WITH CIH SCOTLAND Grow your housing credentials by adding a CIH Scotland training or qualification course to your CV in 2015. There’s never been a better time to learn with CIH Scotland.

NEW FRONTLINE FUTURES TRAINING COURSES AVAILABLE IN-HOUSE TO YOUR ORGANISATION...

Coaching at the frontline Frontline workers need to not only know their patch intimately, but have personal, informed relationships with the people they deliver services to. The officer at

Resilience at the frontline

the frontline needs more than ever to create a culture

Frontline housing staff are under increasing pressure – they

of working in partnership and cooperation with their

will experience many difficult or challenging situations

tenants. This programme has been designed to provide

and they will have to rely on their own personal resilience

frontline housing staff with coaching skills to help them

levels. This workshop has been designed to assist frontline

to help tenants take responsibility for their own lives and

housing staff to assess their own personal resilience and

life choices. This course will develop the coaching skills of

show them the skills and techniques that can help them

frontline housing staff and provide them with techniques to

work well in difficult and sometimes stressful situations.

support tenants to become more confident to develop and achieve their own outcomes.

Social heart commercial head How do frontline housing workers balance the need to

Leading the frontline of the future

do more for people with the commercial imperatives of

Our frontline housing staff are working differently - they

their organisation? This programme has been designed to

are being encouraged to self-manage, and take greater

provide frontline housing staff with strategies, tools and

levels of responsibility. Leaders need to lead differently.

techniques to help them manage the tension between

Our leaders and managers need to have different skills and

supporting their customers more and maximising income

mind-sets to ensure staff are supported in their challenging

and minimising costs.

and changing environment. This participative workshop will allow leaders and managers to reflect on their current leadership style and develop new techniques to lead an empowered frontline.

Please contact Mark Reid or Sarah Greally on 0131 225 4544 or scotland@cih.org to discuss further.

36 | Scottish Housing Matters

CIH SCOTLAND QUALIFICATION ENROLMENT DATES FOR 2015 CIH LEVEL 2 CERTIFICATE IN HOUSING MAINTENANCE (equivalent to Level 5 SCQF) Day 1: 4 February 2015, Edinburgh

NEW TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR 2015 NOW AVAILABLE TO VIEW ONLINE - www.cih.org/scotland

Delivered over five sessions, spread across approximately

To book your course and to find out more about the

four months, this qualification will give you an

training and qualifications we’re currently offering to

understanding of required maintenance skills and the

support housing staff in Scotland visit www.cih.org/

knowledge to help you provide an excellent maintenance

scotland. Our courses are based on the latest policy

service to customers. On average you should expect

thinking and best practice. With proven favourites and

to take around five to six months to fully complete

exciting new additions, there’s something for everyone in

the qualification. The qualification also provides the

our new programme! We’ll be adding to this menu during

underpinning knowledge element of the Level 2 Modern

2015 so if there are topics you think are missing, let us

Apprenticeship in Housing.

know by emailing scotland@cih.org or phoning 0131 225 4544. If you’re not sure which course is right for you, call us

CIH LEVEL 2 CERTIFICATE IN HOUSING PRACTICE (equivalent to Level 5 SCQF) Day 1: 10 February 2015, Edinburgh

for an informal no obligation chat – we’re here to help you

Delivered over four sessions, spread across approximately

We know that organisations are different and

three months, this qualification is ideal for providing a basic introduction to housing. It will also help develop some of the skills useful to housing-related activities whether paid or voluntary. On average, you should expect to take around four to five months to complete the qualification.

The qualification also provides the underpinning knowledge element of the Level 2 Modern Apprenticeship in Housing.

and your organisation be the best you can be!

NEED US TO COME TO YOU? sometimes you need something designed just

for you, delivered in a way and a time that suits you. We can design training and development

programmes to match your requirements or we can adapt any of our existing courses, including

customising qualifications programmes to suit you.

All of our courses, qualifications and workshops

CIH LEVEL 3 CERTIFICATE IN HOUSING PRACTICE (equivalent to Level 6/7 SCQF) Day 1: 19 March 2015, Edinburgh

can be delivered exclusively to your organisation,

Delivered over eight sessions, spread over approximately

0131 225 4544 or email scotland@cih.org

or to a group of organisations, at a date and

location convenient to you. To find out more

please contact Mark Reid or Sarah Greally on

nine to ten months, this qualification is the industry standard CIH qualification at Level 3. This qualification will give you a greater understanding of the key areas in delivering housing services. You will develop communication skills including report writing, team working and customer service skills. On average, you should expect to take around 12 months to fully complete the qualification.

Scottish Housing Matters | 37

TEAM BLACKWOOD ENGAGING CUSTOMERS IN SCRUTINY

TEXT WRITTEN BY NEIL MCKNIGHT, HOUSING AND CARE DIRECTOR, BLACKWOOD

“Fun, friendship, laughter and learning” is how Team Blackwood describe it. They believe the name reflects the genuine commitment of everyone in Blackwood – tenants, staff, contractors and board – to working together to improve service delivery through customer influence.

Involving

customers

in

the

scrutiny

of

Blackwood’s

Introductory meetings on exploring what scrutiny could

performance is seen as a priority to help us improve our

mean were held in early 2013 in Edinburgh, Glasgow and

customer focus. We developed our new customer service

Aberdeen. Blackwood trialled payment for attendance, to

standards in line with the emerging charter outcomes,

see if this would attract some different faces. Indeed it did,

which were linked to our performance framework, allowing

but there was unanimity across the country that this should

us to easily capture and report on our performance to our

be a one-off and that customer engagement should remain

customers. But we faced big challenges, mainly due to our

an unpaid activity.

large geographic spread, having small-scale developments of housing stock in all 29 mainland local authorities.

38 | Scottish Housing Matters

This is a great example of how voluntary activity underpins our values in Blackwood, and Team Blackwood says it is repaid in fun and friendship as well as helping us. TPAS provided guidance and support in the early days, and helped establish the panels in the East and West Regions. The focus was on ‘minding our Ps and Qs’ – performance and quality – with lots of learning across the whole business and analysis of comparative data between regions, between years and between comparable organisations. But it is not all number crunching - when customers identified a topic that particularly interested them, then that is where they focussed - for example, learning how to point housing application forms or completely redrafting letters sent to families when tenants die.

This is where we gained some quick wins and practical changes to our processes.

Each piece of work has been used to explore the Scottish Social Housing Charter: •

Which outcome does this information fit?

•

What is Blackwood’s performance on that outcome?

•

Which indicators are required to give a full analysis of performance against that outcome?

•

What improvements could be implemented to make our performance on that outcome stronger or more customer-focussed?

Over the first few months, the emphasis was on panel members gaining a very broad understanding of the whole business ranging from repairs to planned maintenance to relet times and arrears, via complaints and communications.

Communication became central to our work as we focussed throughout 2014 on the annual charter report to customers.

Team Blackwood members thoroughly scrutinised the full charter return before it was submitted to the regulator and then began the task of making all the data understandable to a broader audience. Some decisions were made very early – “easy read”, “no jargon”, “no pie charts” and “no

graphs”! Panel members were very clear that the easiest thing to understand is text - graphs can be tricky for some people so we were to make it simple by using text to explain the trends. It was very important that we described the improvements we would make.

And so it was…the Blackwood annual return on the charter was launched by our board and Team Blackwood members on 8 October 2014, prior to distribution to all our staff including our care staff, and customers. It is a simple, clear report, outlining clear improvements against which team Blackwood will track progress in the coming year.

Team Blackwood members now have their own action plan, beginning with an in-depth scrutiny of Blackwood’s performance against outcome six on estate management and anti-social behaviour. Working across both east and west panels and with two north region customers also involved, work is underway to deeply delve into policy, procedure,

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practice and performance. The recommendations will go to the Blackwood Board in early 2015. Once that is concluded, Team Blackwood members have selected their next mission: to get to grips with Blackwood’s performance against outcome 13 – value for money.

Our panel members share a common passion for ensuring that Blackwood services continue to be developed and ultimately provide value for money.

We have made a real effort to ensure the critical work of Team Blackwood is both fun and meaningful.

A good example of this was our TV Times event, where staff, board members and customers worked together on a number of areas in the format of popular game shows.

This approach not only helped break down information into manageable and understandable chunks, it also helped ensure challenge was undertaken in a positive and direct way. It allowed participation by a wide range of staff, who would not normally have been involved in scrutiny events.

Feedback from the event highlighted that the approach felt very participative and extremely useful in breaking down barriers and increasing the understanding of issues by both tenants and staff, as well as having plenty of opportunities for fun and laughter, not something generally associated

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with scrutiny! The event has shaped the focus of future panel meetings, allowing customers to identify areas where they felt more detailed analysis was required, or simply where more information is needed to ensure they had a clearer understanding of issues.

It was great to see the hard work of Team Blackwood recognised when they were recently runners up at the National Good Practice Awards under the category best practice in tenant-led scrutiny of the charter award in St Andrews in November. This underlines the work and commitment made by Team Blackwood members to work together to improve service delivery through customer influence.

CIH SCOTLAND EVENTS ROUND-UP 2014 has been a busy and exciting year for the CIH events team. We’ve seen new babies, said goodbye to some old faces and welcomed some new ones as well. We rounded off the year with two excellent events. Our topical briefing on the Smith Commission took place on 9 December in Glasgow and we held our final event of the year – on health, housing and social care – on 11 December in Edinburgh As we head into the new year we will be addressing ‘Building a better private rented sector in Scotland’ on 29 January. Following shortly after, expert speakers will be tackling ‘digital inclusion’ on 5 February at the CIH Scotland office in Edinburgh. Our final event of the winter period will be ‘generation rent’ which looks at young people’s experience of the housing system in Scotland. At time of writing we were working on more events which will be taking place early in 2015, so please check the website for full details: www.cih.org/scotland During 2015 CIH Scotland will be working hard to bring you the hottest topics and keep you up to date by tackling the crucial issues in the sector. And remember, if there are any topics you would like us to cover please drop us a line at: scotland@cih.org Best wishes for 2015 Greig Porter Conference & Events Manager, CIH Scotland greig.porter@cih.org 0131 240 5210

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IMAGES TAKEN BY

TEXT WRITTEN BY KIRSTY WELLS

TEXT WRITTEN BY HELEN BARCLAY, DIRECTOR OF HOUSING & PROPERTY SERVICES VIEWPOINT HA

MENTORING SUCCESS THE CIH WAY! Did you know that CIH offers a mentoring support service to chartered members? It offers a useful framework to help explore your career possibilities and to identify relevant development opportunities, guided by a qualified and experienced colleague from the housing industry.

The scheme lasts about a year, or until agreed objectives

Working with a mentor can help a mentee to:

have been achieved.

•

increase personal knowledge and understanding of housing

The mentoring scheme is designed for:

•

obtain advice, help and encouragement

•

people who are new to housing exploring

•

establish a career development plan

their career possibilities

•

provide networking opportunities

•

people looking to develop their skills

•

stimulate thinking about potential future

•

managers looking for higher level career development opportunities

•

people looking to update their skills.

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employment options •

provide a confidential and safe environment in which to develop.

The scheme operates across the UK and here is the

benefits. At the time I thought my position was going to be

experience of one mentor and mentee here in Scotland:

short term as a means of getting back into the work place.

Helen Barclay has been a mentor on the CIH scheme since 2008. Her reflections of the experience are:

“After a year of working as a caseworker I felt it would be a good idea to think about returning to housing and I was not sure how much had changed. I decided to contact CIH who suggested going through the mentoring scheme. Through

“I was interested in the mentoring scheme as I felt I had

the mentoring I was put into contact with Helen. Meeting

undertaken a process of transition and was in a senior

Helen has been an excellent experience for me. It has allowed

position where I could work with people who were keen to

me to reflect on my current position - not only the positives

develop in the housing movement. I enjoy helping others,

that my role brings me but how much knowledge of housing

and have the ability to stimulate people’s thinking about

I still have. I am now a senior caseworker and deal with the

themselves and more importantly how to reflect on their

more complicated cases that constituents bring to their MP,

experience and ambition.

often including welfare benefits and housing; a service which is very much required with the reductions in benefits and the

“I started working with my second mentee in May 2013.

shortage of suitable housing. This role provides me with a

Donna Dougall works with an MP and was feeling a bit

great deal of variety and I found that the skills I have gained

daunted in her role and was lacking in some self confidence.

after many years in a local authority housing department

Donna had worked with local authorities previously and

have been very useful.

wished to consider her future return to this sector. As part of the mentoring work with Donna, she undertook a process

“I have had several interviews for housing management

of reviewing her work and home priorities to identify the

posts but was never sure what my next career route would

kind of future role she was looking for.

be. The fact that I enjoy my current role and it provides me with immense personal satisfaction has probably prevented

“Over the last 18 months Donna has grown in confidence

me from returning to more mainstream housing at least

and now feels she would like to continue working in politics

until now!

as she has been successful in lobbying for people’s rights.

experiences I am gaining from my current role mean that I

As a mentor I have suggested that Donna now look for a

am considering a future role in housing in the third sector.”

However, the mentoring combined with the

role where she can use her housing knowledge and her campaigning skills in a political environment.”

If you are interested in being a mentor or mentee please email

Here’s what Donna gained from the experience as a mentee:

membership.services@cih.org or call 024 7685 1700 for more information.

“I gave up my position as housing manager with a local authority to stay at home and look after my two sons. In my heart of hearts I knew that if I didn’t spend any time with them before they went to school I would end up regretting it. After four years I decided that I would like to return to employment and started working for an MP as a caseworker, predominantly dealing with cases involving housing and

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