NHF Board Member Managing tenant scrutiny 2 Feb...
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NHF Board Member conference Managing tenant scrutiny 2 nd Feb 2013
Transcript of NHF Board Member Managing tenant scrutiny 2 Feb...
NHF Board
Member
conference
Managing
tenant scrutiny
2nd Feb 2013
What is required? – involvement in housing related
policies & services; scrutiny of performance & support
for “the formation and activities of tenant panels”
Ensuring that landlords deliver good services to tenants
Self-regulation – “Landlords are accountable to their
tenants, not to the regulator. Tenants must have the
information and opportunities they need to hold
landlords to account and to shape service delivery.”
Department of Communities & Local Government
Honest and robust, evidence based self-assessment,
external challenge & regular reporting to tenants
Designated Tenant Panels
Designated Tenant Panels
• the formal role of referring
complaints to the Housing
Ombudsman
• honest broker role -
constructive challenge
• debate with tenants about
setting up designated panels
• an audit trail for decisions
• none, one or more than one
• relationships with other
designated persons
• national register of
Designated Tenant Panels
“Tenants know their housing
better than anyone. They are
best placed to know what’s
working and what isn’t. Good
landlords understand that
listening to tenants is not just
the right thing to do. It is also
good for business”.
Getting outcomes for
tenants
Banning the phrase “best practice”
• Soha - Portfolio holders and scrutiny approach
• Gentoo – standards based groups & “Customer Link”
• Helena – scrutiny & Young Inspectors
• Paradigm - Resident Internal Auditors
• Preston - Gateway Tenant Committee
• Rooftop - Resident Action Team
Tenant scrutiny
• different ways for tenants to be involved in scrutiny
• recruitment to scrutiny panels – the chairing role?
• the independence issue?
• ensuring that tenants can constructively challenge
• methods to choose what will be scrutinised
National Housing Federation Board Members’ Conference
Tenant scrutiny – how are you managing this?
2nd February 2013
Yvonne Davies
Scrutiny and Empowerment Partners Ltd
audit
inspection /
regulation
the press
elections
management
processes customer
insight / complaints
competition
/ choice local authority
board members social media
redress
Co-regulation and scrutiny - part of a
wider web of landlord accountability
Challenges and opportunities
“Get the culture right: tenants, board and staff need to trust and respect eachother for co-regulation to work well”
Soha Housing
What happens during scrutiny – common approaches
Scrutiny in 13 -17 weeks
• Presentation from Manager on the service
• Service review of promises made to tenants
• Testing promises - interviews, focus groups, observation, shadowing, mystery shopping, reviewing satisfaction, performance and benchmarking (quality as well as data).
• Report writing – pulling together strengths and weaknesses and recommendations (commonly tested on officers first)
• Presentation to Board
• Actions - agreement and planning
• Monitoring – by who and when?
Four principles of effective scrutiny
Advantages to Board of the Scrutiny Challenge (1)
Evidenced based recommendations helps Boards to fulfil responsibilities and meet organisational objectives
Provides assurance about performance and contributes to good governance
Evidences how decisions are working on the ground
Additional source of in depth consumer opinion, on top of that already gleaned from Tenant Board Members
Provides feedback on what tenants might find acceptable in times of cuts
“Our annual report was large and costly in production; resident engagement enable sit to be reduced to a few pages of interest
on what residents wanted to know”
Family Housing (Birmingham)
Advantages to Board of the Scrutiny Challenge (2)
More tenant shaped services = increased satisfaction
Boards hear from tenants and nothing is filtered – supports openness and transparency
Helps to tighten up involvement structures, make them more focussed and triggers actions on real priorities
Removes assumption and presumption, gives a real reality check on the quality of services and the priorities of tenants
Complements the challenge from the Board
“Many organisations have only got the critical aspect of co-regulation. It is the ‘friend’ which enables us to work together
to solve problems”
Amicus Horizon
Scrutiny Panels and Boards – different starting points
Re-inventing involvement: Riverside Housing Group – 2 years
Value for Money: New Charter Scrutiny Panel -£100,000 saving in the grounds maintenance contract and options for local labour
Meeting up: Wirral Partnership Homes & Advisory and Scrutiny Panel – quarterly meetings with Chair and CEO
Strategy: East Durham Homes & Customer Inspection and Improvement Panel - task & finish groups & 12 month joint plans Joint Complaint Panels: Together Housing, New Charter, City West and Salix Homes - working together, independence and value
“There may be pressure to get results quickly. It needs time for those involved to truly understand what is expected of them and how they might go about achieving it. Training and support is essential”
Wherry HA
Scrutiny Panels and Boards – different approaches
• Choosing subjects for scrutiny at Board: varies , either one a year (recommended only) or, left to the tenants.
• Fabrick Housing Group: 2 landlords, 2 Resident Scrutiny Panel > 2 Performance Committees
• Trafford Housing Trust: Quality & Improvement Panel > Board
• Liverpool Mutual Homes: Tenant Scrutiny Panel > Customer Experience Committee of Tenant Board Members
• Soha Housing: Virtual scrutiny meetings
• Salix Homes: The Senate – Board delegation of performance top level review
“ What are you afraid of?”
Peter Styche, Board Chair:
Helena Partnerships and Salix Homes
Bed time reading Developing tenant scrutiny
and co-regulation in social housing (lessons from the co-regulatory champions)
Stories in tenants scrutiny and co-regulation in social housing (Case Studies)
Top tips for tenants: holding your landlord to account through scrutiny
Publications page of: www.tenantadvisor.net/events
Remember – Boards and staff need training too!
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