The Social Housing White Paper – A Charter for Residents and the NHF Code of Governance 2020, give us a steer on compliance with new and existing consumer regulation and governance approaches.
We face:
- New measures in 2021/22 – the publication of our key performance information (KPI) on customer satisfaction and expenditure, where league table promises by the Regulator and government have not yet been dismissed.
- Publication of required customer satisfaction against the Regulator’s fixed indicators and we will be measured by our performance.
- New challenges are coming for Local Authorities and ALMOs who have not previously been assessed for compliance, by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH)
- A new 7-point SHWP Charter will lead us to review our compliance and customer facing services. We will be expected to evidence a customer focussed, professional service which takes account of customer priorities.
- For adopters of the Together with Tenants Charter, we will be expected evidence assurance of the delivery of the 6 promises to residents.
- Challenges to the way we deliver our existing strategies, policies and services which we have delivered differently during the pandemic. Changes as a result, including new digital service delivery the way we work at home and in the work place.
- Existing KPIs which need a refresh in the light of forthcoming demands for services and for regulation
- Pressures to grow our homes, to support the governments affordable homes programme, as well as planning reform
- Requests to address worklessness and homelessness, particularly for young people and those sleeping rough
- New policy challenges to achieve new decency standards, safe homes, carbon zero and energy efficiency targets in the Future Homes Standard
- A proactive Housing Ombudsman, who is already naming and shaming and fining organisations who do not comply with complaint promises
- A new Consumer regulator in the RSH, a new 4-year inspection programme and a possible rating for our consumer regulatory compliance
…. and more
The proposed challenges and changes make it clear that every social housing tenant is entitled to understand what to expect from their landlord. In turn, the landlord must be clear of their offer and promises on service delivery standards.
How we can help
We have many years of experience in inspection, service review and regulation. We employ associates who are experts in consumer and economic strategy, policy and service reviews, performance management and the collation of softer information to measure success.
We work with staff, residents, boards/councils and staff to support you to develop the changes required to be fit for the future and compliant.
Corporate Plan
We can share up to date national housing direction and information with you and facilitate discussions to enable boards/councils, executives and residents to pull out what they wish to achieve, their priorities, culture, values, mission and purpose.
We can be your critical friend to achieve an outcome-based plan.
We can help you shape responses to the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats faced by your organisation and your working environment.
Strategy review
It is our role to be up to date with current government, regulatory and sector thinking and good practices.
We can support you in a critical friend role to ensure you capture your strategic objectives by translating these into tangible outcomes and actions which can be measured, in strategy reviews and by your customers.
Policy review
We can support your review of policy to deliver your strategies and support you to measure outcomes.
We can engage residents and staff transparently in these reviews, to ensure buy in and transparent, accountable monitoring.
Service Review
Customers and staff have great ideas for service improvement. Not all of these require a strategy or policy review – some important changes are often possible within existing written documentation.
We can facilitate events and support you, to pull out ideas for value for money, service improvement, efficiency and suggest key quick actions for delivery, as well as some longer-term goals.
We aim to support your business delivery objectives whilst also meeting customer satisfaction needs, in both the short and long term.
Set Service Standards
We cn help you to engage customers the delivery of services, as they would hope to receive them.
We will help you facilitate meetings, tease out the promises and standards you have already set in your Corporate Plan, Strategies, Policies and existing standards. We will help you to review these against future demands and your strategic direction, to ensure you are “fit for the future”.
Review Good Practice
If we work with you, we will share this freely.
Our team is a walking encyclopaedia of good practice.
We have worked across England in social housing for more years than we care to remember, soaking up what works and we have picked up many hints and tips to help you, along the way. We can help with solutions for your problems and give you a choice on options for delivery.
Support Complaint Management
On of the key changes in 2020, was the Code for Complaints Handling from the Housing Ombudsman and the new annual assessment of complaints handling at Board/Council, shared publicly and at least annually in the end of December each year.
We can help you with a health check of your complaints policy and processes.
We can review your approach to complaints, review your advocacy support for residents, review the role of residents in complaints management, consider your reporting and lessons learnt.
We can investigate sticky complaints independently where you feel this might help or expediate resolution and redress.
We can as interview residents and officers involved and report on lessons learnt to help you consider improvements. We can help you improve reporting and record keeping, training your staff so that you can properly investigate a compliant which has escalated.