The regulatory regime firmly places the responsibility for compliance on the governing body. They are the ones the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) will hold to account. For housing associations, that is the board. For councils, it’s the elected councillors. But they can’t do it alone – they need the right support, information and advice from their CEOs and directors. That is where good governance structures and reporting mechanisms can make all the difference.

The recent Grenfell inquiry report identified three essential requirements for robust governance:

• Strong oversight from scrutiny bodies (boards, committees, tenant scrutiny groups, cabinet, full council and council committees)
• An open and transparent relationship between managers, the executive team and the governing body
• A strong, positive relationship between landlords and residents.

The RSH operates on the principle of co-regulation and wants to see that your governing body is getting the assurance it needs. Getting the right structures in place to provide timely, accurate and relevant information is key to good governance. And so is deciding what to report, when and to whom.

What level of assurance is needed?

What structures work best?

How much information should go to board, and how often?

There’s no one right answer. That’s why we’ve put this practical workshop together: to help you consider the options and what works best for you.

Maximize our expertise! Send us an overview of your governance arrangements on one page and our experts will provide you with constructive feedback.

What will be covered:

• The first principles of good governance – three lines of defence
• What good assurance looks like
• Your options for governance and scrutiny structures to set priorities and drive improvements
• How to ensure the tenant voice is heard, listened to and acted on
• What information your governing body needs and the frequency
• How governing bodies fit in with other committees, scrutiny bodies
• How to identify, manage and mitigate risks.

Why attend?

• Understand the difference between assurance and reassurance
• Get clarity on what to report and where
• Hear from other practitioners about what works best for them
• Get the lessons learnt through inspection and regulation from HQN experts
• Understand how to evidence resident involvement in decision making and shaping services.

This is an unmissable event for senior executives and governance managers, especially those thinking about how to get the reporting systems right and find the correct balance between providing assurance and swamping the governing body with data overload. Make sure your reporting is fit for purpose and book today.

Essential for:

• Executive Directors
• Governance Managers
• Company Secretaries
• Performance management/information teams
• Data teams.

Chloe Fletcher, Director, HQN

Chloe has worked in the social housing sector for over 25 years, since her first role in housing management with JSS Pinnacle as a trainee housing officer. She completed a Masters in Housing with Professional Qualification at the London School of Economics and then moved into housing policy, working on behalf of the London boroughs, initially for London Housing Unit and then London Councils. She joined the National Federation of ALMOs (NFA) in 2007 working with members, government officials and wider housing stakeholders to develop NFA policy and support the ALMO movement. She brings her wide range of housing management and policy knowledge to HQN as director, working across the business and bringing her skills and experience to the whole social housing sector.

Lydia Dlaboha, Deputy CEO, HQN

Lydia joined HQN in 2007 and is currently the Deputy CEO. Her background is in housing management – both general needs and supported. She has worked extensively as a consultant on a wide variety of performance improvement projects. In her current role, Lydia has responsibility for overseeing all of HQN’s work and for quality assurance in particular. She spends the majority of her time talking to HQN members to make sure that our service meets their needs and on consultancy-related work.

Annette Brandwood, Director of Governance and Assurance, Cobalt Housing

Annette is an experienced Director of Governance and Assurance with a demonstrated history of working in the not-for-profit and private sectors including Management of Risk Practitioner, corporate governance, quality improvement, leadership, performance management, and is also a Prince 2 Practitioner.

Annette is a lead auditor with a Post Graduate Diploma in Total Quality Management.

Rachel Taylor, Executive Director of Resources, Berneslai Homes

Rachel enjoys working with numbers, so after doing a maths degree, becoming an accountant seemed the natural choice. After working in local government, a large accountancy firm and education, Rachel moved to social housing and has held senior leadership roles in ALMOs and housing associations.

Her favourite value is ‘curious’ as she likes to find out about the people she works with and understand how things work. Rachel has a passion for making sure customers are listened to and treated well – knowing what’s important to customers enables organisations to deliver value for money.

Gordon Perry, Former CEO of Accent Group, Governing Board Member, Chartered Institute of Housing

Gordon Perry has over 40 years’ experience in social housing, including senior roles at Accent, Camden, and Kensington & Chelsea TMO. He’s advised boards on governance and regulation, served on the CIH Governing Board, and held board roles with Broadacres, Trafford Housing Trust, and One Manchester.

Katie Finch, Director of Assurance and Building Services, Citizen Housing

Katie has spent over 15 years in housing developing corporate services functions. Katie is Citizen’s Director of Assurance and Business Services with responsibility for governance and regulation. This involves working closely with board and committee members and ensuring decision making meets the highest standards. During her time in the role the Customer Assurance Committee was established and has been part of recruiting customers to ensure their voice is heard throughout the decision making at Citizen.

Scott Worth, Director of Customer Experience, Citizen Housing

10:30am Welcome and introductions

• Chloe Fletcher, Director, HQN

10:40am What does good governance look like?

• Lydia Dlaboha, Deputy CEO, HQN

Lydia Dlaboha, Deputy CEO at HQN, will set the scene outlining what effective governance means for councils and housing associations. With extensive experience preparing social housing providers for inspections, Lydia will unpack:

• The core principles of good governance
• What the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) expects
• Real-world examples of good and poor governance in action
• Common issues organisations are getting wrong – and how to fix them.

11:10am Co-regulation – what assurance do you need?

• Annette Brandwood, Director of Governance and Assurance, Cobalt Housing

Annette Brandwood will discuss how they ensure their governance is strategic, risk aware and inspection ready.  She will provide an inside look at the governance practices that helped Cobalt retain its G1 rating – and the lessons you can apply in your own organisation.

11:40am Break

12:00pm Inspections – what your governance team need to know

• Rachel Taylor, Executive Director of Resources, Berneslai Homes

In this practical session Rachel Taylor will share first-hand insight from Barnsley Council’s recent consumer inspection and what it revealed about governance at both the ALMO, Bernelsai Homes and Barnsley Council.  Rachel will discuss how they keep council members fully informed on consumer standards, ensure the tenant voice is heard, and maintain clear governance arrangements within the council.

12:30pm What do board members want to see?

• Gordon Perry, Former CEO of Accent Group, Governing Board Member, Chartered Institute of Housing

With years of experience on boards across the sector, Gordon Perry shares what board members actually need from executive teams—clear assurance, not information overload, a focus on risk and strategic issues. He’ll cover what works, what doesn’t, in getting the right information across and offer practical tips for striking the right balance so boards can focus, challenge, and lead effectively.

1:00pm How to build the tenant voice into your governance

• Katie Finch, Director of Assurance and Building Services, Citizen Housing

• Scott Worth, Director of Customer Experience, Citizen Housing

Discover how Citizen Housing makes tenant voice count – at every level. Katie Finch and Scott Worth will reveal how they embed tenant feedback into governance, engage residents across the organisation, and use insights to drive real service improvements and better outcomes.

1:30pm Close

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. Delegates may be substituted at any time.