The aim of the Supported Housing (Regulatory) Oversight Act is to improve oversight of rogue exempt accommodation providers – but it will also impact on all landlords providing supported housing. It’s essential that all housing associations and councils are aware of, and prepare for, the upcoming administrative changes to avoid getting caught out.

Last year, an inquiry by MPs into exempt accommodation described some people’s experience as “beyond disgraceful” and noted “the exploitation of the system by people seeking to make profit.” The regulation of exempt accommodation providers, in particular, was described as far from adequate. Earlier this year BBC’s Panorama exposed the terrible conditions facing some people living in exempt accommodation – and the greed of a number of rogue landlords exploiting the system.

The call for action to root out those putting a quick profit above the needs of our most vulnerable people has been heard. The new legislation moving through Parliament is set to do just that.

What the workshop will cover:

This workshop will provide delegates with the knowledge they need to prepare their organisations for the regulatory changes ahead, including:

• National minimum standards for supported housing
• New licensing schemes
• New enforcement powers
• A requirement for local authorities to publish a Supported Housing Strategy
• A national oversight committee.

It will also explore the impact of the £20 million government funding allocated to 26 local authorities to build on existing pilots designed to help improve the quality and value for money of supported housing.

Essential for:

• Providers of supported housing
• Commissioners of supported housing
• Strategic housing leads
• Housing benefit teams
• Homelessness teams
• Safeguarding leads
• Private sector enforcement leads.

10.30 Chair’s welcome and introduction

• • Emma Lindley, Associate, HQN

10.40 The long road to change

• • Emma Lindley, Associate, HQN

11.10 An overview of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act

• • Emma Hardman, Partner, Anthony Collins

11.50 Panel discussion: Lessons from Birmingham providers

• • Matthew Baird, Founder, The Social Housing Round Table – Director and Owner, Baird and Co Recruitment – Co-Chair of the Board, Spring Housing Association

  • Eden Bailey, Head of Housing, HFT

  • Bhupinder Kullar, Senior Manager, Comfort Home Housing Association CIC

  • Rhiannon Kanneh, Head of Performance, Spring Housing Association

12.20 Lunch 

13.00 Pilot evaluation findings

• • Emma McKay, Research Director, Kantar Public

  • Holly Captainino, Associate Research Director, Kantar Public

13.30 Lessons from Hull City Council – pilot area

• • John Bower, Supported  Accommodation Review Team Manager, Hull City Council

13.50 Break 

14.00 Lessons from Mansfield District Council – a Supported Housing Improvement Programme area

• • Mallory Seddon, Housing Needs & Safeguarding Manager, Mansfield District Council

14.30 How to use the HQN Supported Housing Oversight toolkit

• • Emma Lindley, Associate, HQN

15.00 Closing remarks from the Chair

• • Emma Lindley, Associate, HQN

Emma Lindley, Associate, HQN

Emma is a lead associate for HQN’s Strategic Network and has been an HQN Associate since 2013 . She regularly write briefings for HQN and has produced a toolkit on allocations and lettings. Emma has nine years’ experience working of in housing associations and a local authority in the East Midlands. She has worked in a variety of roles including managing a PRS portfolio, providing housing options advice, tenancy management and most recently strategic housing with responsibility for the homelessness service, affordable housing delivery and private sector renewal strategy.

Holly Captainino, Associate Research Director, Kantar Public

Holly is an Associate Research Director at Kantar Public, where she managed the Supported Housing Oversight Pilots (SHOP) evaluation for DLUHC in 2021-22. Holly has 6 years experience in the research and evaluation sector, including running evaluations for DEFRA, the Home Office and DIT.

Emma McKay, Research Director, Kantar Public

Emma is a Research Director at Kantar Public, where she led the Supported Housing Oversight Pilots (SHOP) evaluation for DLUHC in 2021-22. Emma has over 10 years’ experience in policy and research roles and has conducted research and evaluation for government departments including DWP, Home Office and DfE. Prior to joining Kantar Public Emma worked for research agency ComRes, as well as the Young Women’s Trust, Charity Retail Association and British Academy.

Mallory Seddon, Housing Needs & Safeguarding Manager, Mansfield District Council

Mallory has worked within local government for eight years within community safety and housing needs. Mallory manages the homeless department including temporary accommodation, choice based lettings and the local authorities sheltered housing schemes. She has introduced the DAHA accreditation for Mansfield District Council to improve domestic standards across the local authority, the first to achieve this in the County and she has implemented a Housing First project within the district.

Mallory has been successful with several grant funded bids to develop projects for rough sleepers and as part of this work has secured funding for the Supported Housing Improvement Programme.

John Bower, Supported  Accommodation Review Team Manager, Hull City Council

John Bower is a Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner and has worked for Hull City Council since 2004 in the Private Housing Service. John has considerable experience in the enforcement of housing conditions in Houses in Multiple Occupation and since 2019 has led a multi-disciplinary Team working with the supported housing sector in Hull, to improve both the quality of housing conditions and support to residents, also feeding into the national debate regarding the regulation of this sector of housing, as one of the original Supported Housing Pilot Authorities. Currently managing the multi-disciplinary team delivering the Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP) in Hull, John also provides advice and guidance to other SHIP Authorities.

Emma Hardman, Partner, Anthony Collins

Emma leads the Housing Management and Right to Buy teams at Anthony Collins. She is co-author of the NHF publication ‘Service charges and estate rentcharges: a guide for social landlords’.

She acts on behalf of landlords, primarily registered providers and charitable landlords, in relation to all housing management issues providing practical solutions to complex scenarios. This includes advice on occupancy agreements, policies and procedures, rent and service charge setting and disputes arising, and regulatory issues. She particularly enjoys client training.

Matthew Baird, Founder, The Social Housing Round Table – Director and Owner, Baird and Co Recruitment – Co-Chair of the Board, Spring Housing Association 

Matt Baird is the Founder of The Social Housing Round Table, a free weekly networking event for anyone and everyone to really try and make a change for the sector and is also Co-Chair of the Board for Spring Housing Association in Birmingham, a Charity supporting Refugees and Young People across Birmingham and Warwickshire.

Day to day he is the Director and Owner of Baird and Co Recruitment, The Ethical Social Housing Recruitment Business that prides itself on really and truly understanding the industry. Matt has worked in the recruitment industry for over a decade supporting with a wide range of positions including Executive roles across Councils, Housing Associations, Charities and Domestic Abuse Services with a range of needs including supporting staff, providing strategic insight and helping with restructures.

Bhupinder Kullar, Senior Manager, Comfort Home Housing Association CIC

Bhupinder started working in the 3^rd sector after a long career as a shop keeper. Bhupinder started work with Richmond Fellowship as an Alcohol Support Worker at Aquarius. Due to his lived experience many years ago, Bhupinder had extensive knowledge on how alcoholism, and substance misuse more widely, often goes together with housing deprivation. It was, however, the realisation that this unfortunate relationship (between alcoholism and homelessness) had only grown in recent years that led to Bhupinder to seeking employment within the housing sector four years ago, beginning with Spring Housing. After gaining an immense amount of training and experience from Spring Housing, Bhupinder was able to gain a managerial role within a smaller managing agent company called Clear Housing.  Bhupinder worked tirelessly on the frontline during the pandemic despite being at high risk of contracting the virus due to having long term cirrhosis of the liver caused by alcoholism in his younger years. The hard work, compassion, and dedication that Bhupinder had shown during that period has manged to elevate Bhupinder to a senior management role in a CIC company that his bosses at Clear Housing set up for Bhupinder, so that he may continue his efforts to help eradicate homelessness in our city. Bhupinder continues to run Comfort Home Housing Association CIC from his office in Bearwood. They are a relatively small company that insist they will concentrate on delivering “good quality meaningful support” to their clients.

Rhiannon Kanneh, Head of Performance, Spring Housing Association

Rhiannon is Head of Performance at Spring Housing Association. She has 15 years experience in housing and homelessness service delivery and delivers training and consultancy to third sector organisations across the West Midlands.

At Spring Housing Association, Rhiannon leads on policy development and quality management across the business, with a focus on safeguarding and customer wellbeing.

Eden Bailey, Head of Housing, HFT

If you are unable to attend an event or public training course, please let us know in writing (email is fine) at least 48 hours before. Please email [email protected]

Otherwise, a cancellation fee of £60 plus VAT will be chargeable.

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