“Unfortunately, throughout our casework we are seeing poor complaint handling practices, from delays and lack of empathy to no responses at all.” Richard Blakeway, The Housing Ombudsman

Social housing providers have never been under more scrutiny over the way they manage complaints – by both the Housing Ombudsman and, since April, the Regulator of Social Housing.

But despite significant investment by landlords in trying to get on top of complaints and understanding their root causes, the Ombudsman is currently reporting record numbers and a rising maladministration rate resulting in millions being paid out in compensation.

Since the Housing Ombudsman’s complaint handling code became statutory on 1 April, all landlords are now obliged by law to follow its requirements. As part of this landlords have, for the first time, been required to complete, submit and publish an annual self-assessment detailing how they are performing against the Ombudsman’s code.

In addition, there is now a requirement as part of the regulator’s new Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard for registered providers to ensure their approach to handling complaints is ‘simple, accessible and publicised’ and complaints are addressed ‘fairly, effectively and promptly’.

In order to stay compliant, it is important that landlords regularly review their approach to complaint management, looking at all aspects of the journey from first contact to (hopefully) satisfactory resolution.

Our timely masterclass will help complaint handling and operational teams stay on top of the day job, keep up to date with the latest best practice, look at different approaches to complaint management, and learn from what others are doing.

About the masterclass

Damian Roche, HQN Director and author of HQN’s recently updated complaints toolkit, will lead the session. He’ll use his extensive experience of undertaking assessments against the regulator’s consumer standards, as well as complaint handling reviews, to explore different approaches and solutions.

Emma Wilson, HQN associate, will talk about her experience as a practitioner and complaints specialist focusing on case studies and examples of best practice covering all aspects of complaints handling.

This virtual workshop will cover all aspects of the complaints journey, including:

• Getting off to a good start – how to get the initial response right in tone and content
• Seeing a complaint through to the end – making sure everything is followed up, checked and signed off
• Getting the culture right – keeping everyone on board
• Managing data, record keeping/IT
• Approaches to learning from complaints and learning from Housing Ombudsman reports
• Monitoring, analysis and reporting including the TSMs
• Resources – what skills and qualities are needed? What are the right staffing levels? How to recruit and retain staff
• The important role of tenants in the complaints process, including the importance of the feedback loop.

All delegates will receive a copy of HQN’s revised toolkit.

If you have a particular challenge that you’d like to discuss please let us know. We’ll make sure to cover it.

If you’re looking for solutions this is the workshop for you.

10.30am Welcome and introductions

• Damian Roche, Director, HQN

10.35am What are the requirements and expectations for complaints?

• Damian Roche, Director, HQN

Damian will set out the Housing Ombudsman’s expectations and legal requirements as well as the Regulator’s role in checking compliance, providing the foundations for the morning of practical advice and tips on how to improve your responses and outcomes.

11.05am Complaints handling – how to get it right

• Emma Wilson, Associate, HQN

Emma will talk about her experience as a practitioner and complaints specialist, focusing on case studies and examples of best practice covering all aspects of complaints handling including how to ensure a complete customer focus at all stages of the process.

11.45am Break

12.00pm Findings from reviews and mock inspections – different approaches

• Damian Roche, Director, HQN

Damian will highlight findings from his work across the country with a variety of landlords, reviewing complaints processes and helping to prepare organisations for inspection.  He will look at different approaches to complaint management and share learning from what others are doing.

12.30pm Learning from severe maladministration

• Emma Wilson, Associate, HQN

Drawing on her work reviewing several severe maladministration cases Emma will highlight the common mistakes, themes and easy ways to prevent your cases getting to the Housing Ombudsman in the first place or if they do, being judged as severe maladministration.

1.00pm The HQN complaints toolkit – how to make the best use of it

• Damian Roche, Director, HQN

Damian will introduce the updated HQN complaints toolkit and talk delegates through how to make best use of it.

1.25pm Closing remarks

1.30pm Close

Damian Roche, Operations Director, HQN

Damian began his career working in homelessness and housing advice before moving into housing management. He has over 20 years’ experience at senior level in a variety of housing organisations, including local authorities and housing associations. For much of the last decade, Damian was Director of Customer Experience at Accent, with responsibility for customer facing services, including tenancy and estates management, leasehold services and repairs and maintenance, to over 4,700 homes.

Emma Wilson, HQN Associate, HQN

Emma is a highly respected housing professional with over 25 years’ experience in the sector and is passionate about providing brilliant services to customers.

She was executive director for neighbourhoods at New Charter Group/Jigsaw Homes for a number of years with responsibility for the transformation of allocations, neighbourhood management, customer services, resident involvement, estates services and independent living. She has developed a high level of senior management experience, and more recently held an interim management role for a large Midlands-based housing association as director of retirement and supported living.

Prior to joining New Charter, Emma worked for a number of LSVT organisations leading on delivering the commitments made to customers.

Emma has a track record of delivering large change programmes, working across diverse service areas, managing multiple projects and governance. She is a qualified coach and has supported a number of senior executives to achieve their aspirations. She specialises in policy review, regulatory compliance, consumer standards, project and interim management and governance.

Most recently, she has been supporting providers with their approach to customer voice, reviewing complaints services and customer engagement frameworks to meet regulatory and Housing Ombudsman requirements, creation of customer committees to enhance governance structures and ensuring organisations are prepared for changes in consumer regulation.

Recent interim assignments include nine months as interim director for retirement and supported living at Midland Heart (2021), eight months as executive director of customer services at settle (2022) and nine months at Yorkshire Housing as director of customer experience (2023/2024).

Achievements at Yorkshire Housing include:

• Creation of the three-year customer obsession strategy
• Development of place planning model for 16 geographical areas
• Redesigning the complaint handling service, transforming performance and quality under new leadership delivering a fully compliant service
• Redesigning the customer experience centre focusing on delivering a quality resolution service, obsessed with making the customer happy.

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.

If you are using a package place to attend and do not inform us within the agreed time frame, then a place will be taken to cover your non-attendance.

Cancellations must be made in writing, and will be acknowledged by HQN Limited.