Date of Meeting: / 18th February 2014
Item Number / 6.1
Subject: / Customer Engagement Strategy
Originator: / Jan Brennan
Recommendation: / To approve the Customer Engagement Strategy
Financial Implications: / None
Confidentiality / This report is not confidential
CUSTOMERENGAGEMENT
STRATEGY
CONTENTS
STATEMENT OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
1.Introduction
2.Background to Linstone
3.Legal Background
4.Scottish Social Housing Charter (SSHC) 2012
5.The Current Position
6.Links to Business Objectives
7.Links to other Strategic & Police Documents
8.Developing the Strategy
8.What do we mean by engagement?
9.Outcomes and Key Aims
10.Objectives
11.Resources for Customer Engagement
12.Support for Tenant Organisations
13.Register of Interested Tenants
14.Staff Involvement in Customer Engagement
15.Monitoring and Review of the Strategy
Appendix 1
Annual Programme of Consultation
STATEMENT OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
Linstone Housing Association is mindful of the definition of equal opportunities set out within the Scotland Act 1998 which states that ‘equal opportunities means the prevention, elimination or regulation of discrimination between persons on grounds of sex or marital status, on racial grounds, or on grounds of disability, age, sexual orientation, language or social origin, or of other personal attributes, including beliefs or opinions, such as religious beliefs or political opinion’.
As a Housing Association we are working towards building equalities consideration into all areas of our work.
1.Introduction
The Association’s Customer Engagement Strategy is intended to firmly establish customer engagement as one of the key priorities for Linstone Housing Association. Views have beensought fromtenants, owners, Management Committee and members of staff in the development of this strategy.
2.Background to Linstone
Linstone Housing Association Limited was set up in 1998 as a Charitable Housing Association to purchase most of the former Scottish Homes stock in Renfrewshire. We currently employ around 35 staff, managing just under 1,600 properties. We also provide factoring and estate management services to over 2,300 owner occupiers, as well as care and estate caretaking services.
As at March 31 March 2013 the association owned 1570 properties, 708 dwellings in Linwood, 664 properties in the Johnstone and surrounding areas, Paisley and Renfrew have183, with Kilbarchan and Bridge of Weir only 15 properties.
There are small pockets of properties located in our areas which on occasion are classified as low demand. The issue is not wholly attributed to the physical quality of the properties, but also about the capability of tenants to sustain tenancies.
Since 1998 the Association has invested over £12 million in improving our tenants’ homes on a range of areas including double glazing, central heating programmes and kitchen and bathroom renewal. We have also invested well over £12 million on cyclical programmes of painterwork, gas servicing, asbestos management, landscaping and carrying out reactive repairs to ensure our properties and communities are maintained to the highest possible standard.
3.Legal Background
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 requires social landlords to consult tenants and registered tenant groups on proposals which affect them, and to take account of their views. This includes:
- polices in relation to housing management, repairs or maintenance, where the proposal is likely to affect the tenant;
- the standard of service in relation to housing management, repairs and maintenance;
4.Scottish Social Housing Charter (SSHC) 2012
The SSHC came into force in April 2012 setting the results and standards that all social landlords should achieve for their customers. It encourages us to work closely with our customers to deliver high quality services. Tenant scrutiny forms a key element of the Charter requirements. The Charter outcome for Tenant Participation is No 3:
“Social landlords manage their businesses so that:
Tenants and other customers find it easy to participate in and influence their landlord’s decisions at a level they feel comfortable with.” (Scottish Social Housing Charter - April 2012)
Measurement of our achievement of the Charter outcomes will be based upon our self-assessment of performance. Although the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) is not prescriptive it must fulfil a number of requirements. This will form part of the action plan.
5.The Current Position
As a social landlord operating within various areas we are also the estate managers to over 2,300 owner-occupiers. The Association provides support to theOwners Focus Group which represents owners from all areas of Linstone’s stock, and has been running for the last 4 years.
Although owner-occupiers are not covered in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 it is recognised that they are still service users and therefore customers of the Association. Therefore it felt it was appropriate to rename the strategy ‘Customer Engagement Strategy’.
Results from the most recent Customer Satisfaction survey (August 2011), highlighted that nearly 70% do not want to become involved with the Association. Just over 50% stated their reason for this was that they were not interested, also health/disability issues/childcare and work commitments were quoted as reasons for not being involved.
The above highlights the difficulties faced by the Association in engaging with customers.
6.Links to Business Strategy Objectives
The development of this strategy also ties in with one of our business objectives set.
‘Review Tenant Participation Strategy and draw up new Action Plan including carrying out a skills audit of existing RTO’s and other relevant groups’.
7.Links to other Strategic & Policy documents
The Estate Management Strategy sets the parameters for how the association will manage its estates to protect and improve the performance of our assets and the neighbourhood in which they are located. As a result it significantly influences and links with a range of other organisational documents.
Business Plan
In December 2009 the association’s Management Committee approved a new Business Plan, which identified five key strategic objectives for the Association to deliver in order to achieve the vision of:
“Providing Homes, Enhancing Communities”
The five objectives are:
- To continuously improve our services to our tenants and customers, by designing services that meets their needs.
- To ensure financial sustainability and compliance, we will maximise our income and seek efficiencies in line with our longer term objectives. We will meet our regulatory, governance and financial requirements.
- To develop our people through training, education, coaching and leadership.
- To develop effective partnerships which maximise the benefits to Linstone and our communities
- To develop a clear asset management strategy and housing demand assessment, to better direct our available resources
Strategic Objective one relates to delivering services that meet the needs of our tenants and customers. Therefore it is important that we engage with our customers so that we can continue to improve our services.
Estate Management Policy
The Association has a role to ensure our estates and communities are desirable, safe and attractive. While investment inside the homes is crucial to maintain the life of the properties it is also essential for ensuring demand within our communities that the external environment receives investment with a structured maintenance service to protect that investment. Engaging with customers of the Association in prioritising that investment will demonstrate that customers are able to influence polices within the Association.
Anti-social behaviour policy
Linstone recognises that neighbour nuisance and antisocial behaviour is a multi tenure issue and we seek to employ all appropriate mechanisms to deal with the complex legal and practical issues associated with its management. The ASB policy aims to provide a high quality, transparent service which meets the needs of all members of our communities.
Repairs and Maintenance
Our effective Repairs and Maintenance Policy will ensure that properties and neighbourhoods are repaired to a high standard in the most value for money method.
Allocations Policy
This policy sets the criteria for applicants attaining housing and has a critical role in ensuring their remains demand for our stock through the creation of balanced communities and appropriate letting initiatives.
Rent Policy
The affordability of our asset for tenants will play a key role in ensuring there remains demand for our homes in our communities. This income when maximised will generate sufficient income to appropriately and efficiently maintain and improve our neighbourhoods which is an integral aspect of the association’s business.
8.Developing the Strategy
This strategy was developed taking into account the views of all customers, committee members and staff.
Consultation was carried out with tenant and residents groups, individual tenants, other FLAIR members and Renfrewshire Council. The strategy was also presented to the Asset Management Group, Consultation Group and the Owners Focus Group.
9.What do we mean by engagement?
The term engagement is used to embrace a whole range of activities that will be used to support the dialogue process between the Association and its customers. It can mean different things to different people and therefore the Association will need to ensure that we provide the most appropriate means for customers to be involved and give feedback.
The strategy includes outcomes and key aims which will show how the Association will engage with customers in decision making to ensure their views are used to improve services and develop policies.
10.Outcomes and Key Aims
The Customer Engagement Strategy will seek to deliver the following outcomes:
- Customers are able to influence our key policies, strategiesand service standards – we will provide customers with the opportunity to comment on these and demonstrate that we have carefully considered their comments and incorporated their suggestions where appropriate.
- Ensuring customer feedback is integral to service
improvement – develop processes to obtain and analyse feedback and demonstrate how services have changed in response to that feedback.
Thekeys aims of the strategy are:
- To keep our customers well informed
In order for customers to be able to give feedback it is important that they have the information they need, in a format that is easily understood.
- To engage with all customerson issues which directly affectthem, and in a range ways that meets their
The Association has a wide range of customers including tenants, applicants, owner occupiers, other public bodies, and we need to develop more effective ways of consulting with all these different groups on policies and services development which are particularly relevant to them. Also individuals will want to participate at different levels of involvement and require different levels of support in order to take part. A range of options will be offered which is appropriate to their individual needs.
- To use customer feedback to drive forward service improvement
Collect and analyse feedback from customers and using the information to identify areas of improvement.
- To engage with those customers who are traditionally ‘hard to reach’
These groups are generally defined as groups or communities that are difficult to engage via most traditional and conventional techniques, including those from a minority ethnic background, elderly people, physically disabled people, young people and those with learning difficulties or mental health issues.
11.Objectives
The following objectives will form the basis of a Customer Engagement Action Plan. These are initial objectives and it is intended that they will continue to be developed as progress is made.
- Review current systems in place for the collection and analysis of feedback and identify gaps/improvements. Report on the outcome of the assessment to tenants and others who use the services.
- Provide good quality, accurate and easily understood information for customers and measure and assess progress towards or achievement of the Charter outcomes and any local outcomes that have been agreed
- To provide a range of options that will allow customers to give their views in a way that suits them personally.
- To develop ways of capturing information which separately records the views of customers on any relevant issues
- Develop ways to engage with ‘hard to reach’ customers
12.Resources for Customer Engagement
Linstone Housing Association is committed to engaging with customers across the organisation and recognises that sufficient resources must be made available to implement the strategy effectively. This includes staff time as well as financial support.
Provision will be made within the Association’s budget to resource this strategy.
13.Support for Tenant Organisations
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 places a duty on the Association to keep a register of tenants groups. The Association has a register of tenant organisations and this is available on request at the Association’s office.
The Association will provide ongoing support to current tenant organisations, and will also assist in the creation of new Registered Tenant Organisations where there is a demand. Reference should also be made to the Association’s Grants for Tenant and Resident Associations and Registered Tenants Organisations Policy.
14.Register of Interested Tenants
We do recognise that not all customers will want to be part of a formal tenant organisation and we will work informally with individuals or groups who do not wish to do so.
For those customers who do fall into the above category we will create a Register of Interested Tenants. This will allow them to become involved in discussions that they have a particular interest in.
15.Staff involvement in Customer Engagement
In order to ensure the benefits of customer engagement, staff must take up the principles of the Customer Engagement Strategy.
All staff will be encouraged to operate within the context of providing a professional service to customers and take into account customer’s views in completing their day to day work. All members of the Management Team will be required to make sure that staff understand the strategy and its implementation.
It is through local contact that customer engagement is carried out and ultimately those staff involved in delivering a front line service will be the key players. However it is important to point out that all members of staff have a role to play in the implementation of this strategy.
16.Monitoring and Review ofthe Strategy
The strategy will be reviewed at least every 3 years and staff are responsible for ensuring that it meets legal and good practice requirements.