Make sure you’re using tenant feedback and experience effectively – whether it’s the customer experience of the contact centre or moving into a new home. Afterall, they are the experts when it comes to judging the quality and responsiveness of your services.

The consumer standards are based on the principles of co-regulation.  The Regulator of Social Housing expects registered providers to demonstrate their compliance, to provide evidence of this and how and where they get assurance of it.

There are many different ways of demonstrating assurance – from expert reviews to internal audits and regular quality checks. Residents are one important way – which is often overlooked or undervalued.

So, how can we improve on this?

This workshop takes a look at the different ways in which organisations get assurance of compliance and how resident engagement activity can link into this and play an important part:

• Tenant feedback and surveys
• Reality checking and mystery shopping
• Estate inspections
• Scrutiny exercises
• Reviewing policies and practices.

The above are just a handful of ways that tenants’ views and experiences can be taken on board to challenge and improve services, reported alongside other performance indicators.

We’ll look at examples of how housing organisations are involving residents to scrutinise and test out their services and provide governing bodies with an insight into how things are working on the ground.

We’ll explore best practice in resident engagement in areas such as repairs and maintenance, property safety, housing management and estate services.

We’ll hear from practitioners; both landlords and residents, on how engagement provides assurance through resident-led scrutiny activities, resident audits, inspections and monitoring within their organisations.

Led by HQN Associate Jane Eyles, our virtual workshop offers practical ideas on how to structure and report on your resident engagement opportunities so that they really test out your services and provide assurance of compliance against all four standards.

What will be covered:

• Understanding what the Regulator of Social Housing means by “assurance” and what they are looking for
• Examples of the different ways of demonstrating compliance
• How resident engagement opportunities can provide additional assurance
• Case studies from sector colleagues
• Discussing ideas and best practice in the sector.

Who should attend:

This practical workshop is essential for anyone involved in resident engagement, governance, compliance, quality assurance and operations including:

• Chief executives
• Board members and councillors
• Directors of housing
• Operational teams
• Governance and compliance teams
• Resident engagement teams.

10:00am  Welcome and Introductions

• Jane Eyles, Associate, HQN

10:10am What is assurance?

• Jane Eyles, Associate, HQN

10:30am  What does the Regulator say? The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard

• Fleur Priest-Stephens, Head of Tenant Engagement, Regulator of Social Housing

11:00am  A governance perspective

• Margaret Dodwell, Senior Operating Officer, Vivid Homes

11:30am  Break

11:40am  Overview of best practice from the sector – officers and residents

• Paula Grabot, Chair, SNG Scrutiny Co-ordination Group

• Pete Davies, Resident Voice and Engagement Facilitator, Hexagon Housing Association

• Sonji Nurse, Board member and engaged resident, Hexagon Housing Association

12:30pm  Discussion – where are you now? What needs to be done?

• Jane Eyles, Associate, HQN

12:55pm  Summary

• Jane Eyles, Associate, HQN

1:00pm Close

Jane Eyles, Associate, HQN

Jane has been a social housing resident, board member and consultant specialising in resident engagement since 1990. This means she is able to bring multiple perspectives into housing to her role of HQN associate.

She has held senior positions such as Head of Housing for Brighton Housing Trust, Head of Engagement for LB Camden, Genesis and Hexagon and Tpas SE Regional Manager as well as 20 years consultancy including the development of resident led scrutiny.

Pete Davies, Resident Voice and Engagement Facilitator, Hexagon Housing Association

With over 15 years in neighbourhoods, communities and more recently resident engagement, Pete brings his sector experience from a range of providers to his current work at Hexagon. Also an associate with Tpas, Pete enjoys facilitating meaningful processes and conversations between residents and staff to enable and evidence impactful change at both operational and strategic levels.

Sonji Nurse, Board member and engaged tenant, Hexagon Housing Association

Sonji is an experienced strategic, change management and operational leader, whose prowess has consistently driven performance enhancement, delivering tangible results over more than two decades across the private, legal, non-profit and public sectors. Her strategic planning, change management acumen and unwavering commitment to community service have enabled her to navigate complex organisations and deliver tangible results and positive outcomes, leaving a lasting legacy of innovation and service excellence.

Beyond her professional achievements, Sonji’s dedication to her community is evident in her long-standing volunteer work. Sonji has also spent over a decade championing resident’s interests, contributing to the procurement of a new repairs contract that prioritises quality service delivery for all residents, ensuring that residents voices are represented. She’s a member of a number of groups, including the performance review and strategic core groups at her housing association. Their remit is to scrutinise the HA’s performance and make recommendations to the board so that service delivery is optimised. Sonji is a Housing Ombudsman Resident Panel Member.

Paula Grabot, Chair, SNG Scrutiny Co-ordination Group

As a volunteer and chair of the scrutiny panel at Sovereign Housing Association, Paula plays an integral role in ensuring that the voices of residents are heard.

Paula’s involvement allows her to work closely with both fellow residents and staff members to assess and improve the quality of services provided by Sovereign. Through this role she contributes to fostering transparency, accountability and continuous improvement within the organisation, helping to create a positive and responsive environment for all residents.

Margaret Dodwell, CEO, Vivid Homes

Margaret has worked in the social housing sector for almost 30 years and is a member of both the chartered Institute of public finance and accountancy and the Institute of housing.

Margaret has been a finance director, managing director, Executive director of customer service and a CEO.  Since October 2023 has been the chief operating officer for vivid, 36,000 housing association based in and around Hampshire.

Margaret has also been and non-executive director for three housing associations and is currently an audit and risk committee chair.

Fleur Priest-Stephens, Head of Tenant Engagement, RSH

Fleur is Head of Tenant Engagement at the Regulator of Social Housing, having joined RSH in 2021. Fleur has 15 years’ experience working in housing, including previous roles with the National Housing Federation and the Chartered Institute of Housing.

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.