2ndAnnual Tenant Panel conference Transparency and Value for Money
Thursday 18th October 2012, York Racecourse
Tenant Panels for scrutiny and complaints are the focus of the 2012 Regulatory Framework and the Localism Act, published in November 2011. The regulator expects a more open, transparent drive for a real partnership between tenants and landlords and co-regulation is the key to making this happen. Our transparency and value for money conference focuses on the opportunity to hold landlords to account in delivering quality services. It will provide a platform, and a networking environment, for tenants and landlords to learn, share and support each other in their own development. You will hear from tenants and landlord practitioners about scrutiny, complaints and value for money, as well as government agencies and independent experts. This conference will cover all of the key issues including: Tenant involvement in the formulation of policies; the setting and monitoring national and local standards and making recommendations on performance improvements. The new Value for Money (VfM) standard; tenants are one of the biggest stakeholders for landlords to demonstrate on-going improvements in value for money. Landlord engagement with tenants on new ways of working including cash back for specific services; managing their own home under the Right to Manage, and setting up an Independent Designated Complaints Panel outside of the landlords complaints procedure. There are key plenary sessions and 14 Professional Practice Sessions (workshops) to choose from. Who should attend? New and existing residents engaging with their landlord on scrutiny and complaints; mystery shoppers and tenant inspectors. Any landlord interested in staying ahead of the new agendas, including Directors of Housing, Repairs, & Transformational Change; Policy and Performance, Community and Tenant Involvement Managers. Continuing Professional Development Delegates will be able to record 5 Continuing Professional Development hours for attending this conference.
Programme
9.30
Registration, refreshments and exhibition viewing
10.00
Joint Chairs introduction and welcome Carole Burchett, Resident at Soha Housing
Caroline Field, Head of Resident Involvement, Riverside Housing Group
10.10
Welfare reform, housing, health and social care – are we doing enough to prepare for the changes Kevin Dodd, Chief Executive of Wakefield and District Housing and Vice Chair of the Northern Housing Consortium. Many changes from government policy have yet to impact on residents, communities and landlords. Some decisions have been made and others are in consultation. This session will explore the latest changes in: Localism Welfare Reform Health and social care Kevin will also consider how tenants can network and influence outcomes
10.40
The Economic Standards, and Value for Money Neil Talbot, Head of Regulatory Framework, Homes and Communities Agency Neil will discuss the new Economic Standards and what the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) expects from landlords. Concentrating on value for money (VfM) and how this will be managed and monitored by the HCA. Neil will discuss: Changes in regulation and the regulator's role to Economic regulation Value for money expectations The role of Boards and Tenant Panels on VfM
11.00
Refreshments
11.20
Designated Complaints Panels Dr Mike Biles, Housing Ombudsman With reference to designated complaint panels the Housing Ombudsman will explain: How housing complaints will be dealt with once the changes in the Localism Act come into force on 1 April 2013 How the Ombudsman will interface with Review Panels, Scrutiny Panels, and Designated Persons
11.40
Question and answer session
11.50
Professional Practice Sessions Please choose from sessions: 1, 3, 9, 10, 12 and 13
12.40
Lunch
13.40
Professional Practice Sessions Please choose from sessions: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 14
14.25
Refreshments
14.45
Professional Practice Sessions Please choose from sessions: 3, 5, 6, 8, 11 and 12
15.30
Move to main room for a 15.35 start
15.35
Tenant Cashback Ian Rumsam, Head of Home Works, and Resident, from Together Housing Group Andy Johnson, Project Manager for Cashback, Bromford Living Together Housing Group and Bromford Living are one of the national pilots for tenant cashback. They are approaching the Cashback initiative through rewarding positive tenant behaviour. In this session they will explain: What Cashback is Working with tenants to pilot the scheme to develop an offer which is now being tested and how success is being measured How they set up their schemes and targeted involvement and the different ways in which their schemes operate Handy hints and tips for those considering how to approach this new regulatory expectation
16.10
Question and answer session
16.15
Closing remarks from joint Chairpersons
16.20
Close of conference PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE SESSION CHOICES There is a choice of 3 workshops from 14. You will attend one workshop in the morning (11.50) and two in the afternoon (13.40 and 14.45). The session times are noted beneath the title. Please ensure you pick a workshop for the relevant time slot. The following workshops are available at: 11.50: 1, 3, 9, 10, 12 and 13 13.40: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 14 14.45: 3, 5, 6, 8, 11 and 12 Note: All workshops will be for 45 minutes duration.
1. Are you new to scrutiny? How to develop skills to complete your first service scrutiny Tenants and staff at Fabrick Housing Group – Tees Valley Housing Association and Erimus Housing 11.50 Drawing on experience from their first service scrutiny, this workshop will discuss: What attracted tenants to become involved in scrutiny Involving new and existing tenants. Training delivered to acquire skills for scrutiny Approaches to reviewing polices and discussing these with staff and tenants The highs and lows and where we are now 2. Scrutinising voids (empty homes) services Tenants and staff at Wulvern Housing 13.40 The void property process can be a source of discontent amongst stakeholders. In this workshop Wulvern Housing will discuss: Their approach to scrutinising the voids service Reviewing information, performance and agreeing areas for improvement Reporting recommendations Preparing to present the report to Board Hints and tips on what to look out for when scrutinising this service 3. Scrutinising value for money Yvonne Davies, Managing Director, Scrutiny and Empowerment Partners 11.50 & 14.45 Yvonne will discuss ideas and approaches which may be available to landlords and tenants on VFM engagement with residents and cover: What is VFM? Scrutinising VFM Examples of how this has worked Hints and tips for landlords and tenants
4. Grounds maintenance scrutiny Tenants and staff at New Charter Housing 13.40 Sharing their experience of implementing scrutiny into their grounds maintenance services, New Charter will discuss: Their approach to scrutinising the grounds maintenance service Reviewing information, performance and agreeing areas for improvement Reporting recommendations Preparing to present the report to Board Hints and tips on what to look out for when scrutinising this service
5. Setting up a cross landlord designated Complaints Panel Tenants and staff from Salix Homes and other north landlords 13.40 & 14.45 Salix Homes started to establish a Complaints Panel, however they quickly realised that not many of their own complaints reached that stage. In order to achieve maximum value and maintain the skills of the involved residents they reached an agreement with other landlords to work and learn together. This workshop will discuss: Active resident involvement in complaints Plans and activities underway for change by 2013 Recruitment, training and support for the new designated Panel Arrangements for cross working
6. Engaging with harder to reach groups Tenants and Staff at Preston Community Gateway Association 14.45 Community Gateway has had a great deal of success in engaging with harder to reach tenants. This workshop will explain their approach to getting out into the community, including: Running road shows on estates and what brings tenants out to engage Engaging with new European communities Involving younger residents and tenants
7. Local scrutiny in a large organisation Tenants and staff at AmicusHorizon 13.40 AmicusHorizon have challenges in working across a number of southern counties. The workshop will explain: Their approach to engagement and scrutiny Engagement in local and collective priorities Their reporting structures Hints and tips for engagement and empowerment across a group
8. Modern ways to engage younger tenants via social media Jamie Powis, KicFM and Bromford Living resident 13.40 & 14.45 Bromford have made interesting and innovative use of social media for “virtual (on line) meetings�, inviting a wide range of tenants to participate. Their partner in developing this work has been KicFM. Jamie at KicFM is also an engaged resident at Bromford Living. Join this workshop, get modern and find out: What is social media and how can it be used to engage tenants and communities? How to reach a wider audience, cheaply and effectively How to gather customer feedback using Twitter and Facebook 9. Anti-social behaviour (ASB) scrutiny Tenants and staff at Dale and Valley Homes 11.50 Considering their approach to scrutinising ASB services, the workshop will consider: The approach to reviewing information, reviewing performance, agreeing the strengths and areas for improvement Pulling together a report with recommendations Preparing to present the report to Board Hints and tips on what to look out for when scrutinising this service
10. Older persons services scrutiny Tenants and staff at Calico Homes 11.50 Looking at scrutinising services for older people, this workshop will discuss: The approach to reviewing information, reviewing performance, agreeing the strengths and areas for improvement Pulling together a report with recommendations Preparing to present the report to Board Hints and tips on what to look out for when scrutinising this service 11. Attracting, using and rewarding feedback from residents Tenants and residents from Family HA 14.45 Family HA have set up a trust to enable payments to be made to residents for their feedback. This enables payments to be given as loans which supports those on benefits to give feedback without concerns of impact on their income. This workshop will cover: The setting up of the trust with Birmingham Council for Voluntary Services How rewards are paid and what feedback is rewarded How Family HA attract resident feedback in less traditional ways, through conferences and coach trips What impact the increased feedback has had on their service 12. Managing relations with your board, presenting reports and monitoring results Tenants and staff from Helena Partnerships 11.50 & 14.45 Helena Partnerships scrutiny arrangements have been in place for over 2 years. Relationships between the Panel and the Board need to be kept fresh and alive whilst also holding the landlord to account, and communication is key. This session will cover: The frequency and subject matters for discussion with the Board Chair and Chief Executive Engagement with the wider Board and the panels influence on policy and strategic direction Their approach to presenting difficult messages through reports to the Board The role of the Board and the panel in monitoring the results and engagement
13. Engaging and involving other tenants in scrutiny panels Tenants and staff at Wirral Partnership Homes 11.50 Wirral Partnership Homes recognise the importance of gathering as many views as possible from tenants as possible to hold them to account. A current review of governance is underway to consider the links between scrutiny, the Board and other involvement structures. This workshop will share: Upward communication to the scrutiny panel from other residents, both involved and non-involved The approach of the Panel to invite comments from recent service users into service scrutiny How all of this leads to a more rounded service scrutiny 14. Scrutiny with dispersed stock Tenant and staff at Wherry HA 13.40 Wherry HA is based in the East of England; it has challenges with dispersed communities and a wide geographical base, making it harder for tenants to travel to meetings. This workshop will cover: The Wherry approach to scrutiny and engagement The joint working across Housing providers in Norfolk to make coregulation easier to manage Hints and tips for working with remote tenants and achieving meaningful engagement
2ndAnnual Tenant Panel conference Transparency and Value for Money
Thursday 18th October 2012, York Racecourse
Delegate fees: Book by 7th September 2012 for discounted rates: £99+vat Tenants or leaseholders £179+vat Members of NHC or SEP £229+vat Non-Members of NHC & SEP Book on or after 8th September: £119+vat Tenants or leaseholders £199+vat Members of NHC or SEP £249+vat Non-Members of NHC & SEP
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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 NHC events team on the number above or by e-mail: events@northern-consortium.org.uk