Plus Dane have been members of our our Scrutiny and Involvement Network. Their residents and staff attend our Unconferences, to share ideas and hear from key sector speakers. The most recent was on the Social Housing White paper, supported by the MHCLG.
Members of the network access discounted consultancy and training. We have supported training and development of the Customer Scrutiny Panel; given advice on the latest ideas and innovation in engagement and involvement which has supported organisational thinking on their engagement approach. More recently we have advised on good practice in engaging residents in safety matters.
Plus Dane have been working with Yvonne for a number of years to help develop our customer engagement arrangements and she is our go-to for whenever we need support and advice. I’ve found that she is well connected, has her finger on the pulse and she is more than happy to share her knowledge by keeping members of her network fully briefed on key developments.
Last year in preparation for the social housing white paper we invited Yvonne to undertake research on how landlords were preparing for the new requirements and what challenges she anticipated – Yvonne provided a very comprehensive document that we were able to digest to help with developing our thinking and we have used this in the development of our new customer voice strategy. There are many times she has acted as a sounding board for us and she is always at the end of a telephone for advice. She has a diverse network and we have benefited from this many times.
Yvonne has also supported our Scrutiny Panel by hosting their annual review, where she guided the Panel through the work they had done and supported them to reflect on their experiences and understand areas for improvement. Plus Dane is a Scrutiny-Net member and meets regularly with Yvonne and other members to develop our understanding of how to get the most from customer engagement. Being part of the network allows us and our customers to gain access to many events and conferences – and we know that these are always lively events with lots of useful take-aways.
Yvonne’s work is always high-quality and she is professional in her approach – both staff and customers always look forward to working with her . She understands completely the challenges we face as a landlords and helps us to make sense of what is coming over the horizon. On a personal note, she is friendly, approachable and a pleasure to work with.