Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Review of Resident involvement

Final Report

January 2014

PSI Consultancy (UK) Ltd 78 York Street,

London, W1H 1DP

www.psiconsultancy.co.uk

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Contents

Section Title

Page

1 Introduction

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2 Approach to the review

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3 Methodology

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4 Review findings

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5 Setting the scene – Strategy

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6 Setting the scene – communications

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7 Knowing your customers

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8 Redesigning resident involvement

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9 A habit not a department

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10 Acknowledgements 28 Appendices

1 SWOT Analysis

2 High-level journey map

3 Survey outcomes

4 Schedule of prioritised recommendations

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1.0 Introduction 1.1 The Royal Borough of Kingston (RBK) appointed PSI Ltd in October 2013 to undertake a

review of resident involvement. This report sets out the conclusions from the review and makes recommendations for the improvement and development of the service.

1.2 The review focuses on resident involvement as cultural and behavioural rather than the

responsibility of a single department. A robust, embedded, resident involvement culture will help support the significant change programme currently being undertaken at RBK and the explicit desire to transform the way services are delivered.

2.0 Approach to the review 2.1 The review was broken down into three stages as outlined in figure 1 below.

Diagnosis Design Delivery

‘Where are we?’· Understanding the

Business· Understanding the

Customers

‘Where do we need to be?’· Developing the ideas· Testing Options

‘Making it happen’· Deciding on the

approach· Implementation and

risk management

Figure 1. Project methodology: Diagnosis, Design and Delivery 2.1 Within this framework we set out to:

· Understand current opportunities for resident involvement and assess how well these are aligned to resident needs and expectations.

· Draw out the local context to establish what the priorities should be for residents and the business

· Identify the gaps, barriers and opportunities for strengthening the resident involvement service

· Provide recommendations and relevant good practice examples 3.0 Methodology 3.1 The project made use of a wide range of methods including:

· Desktop Analysis.

· Face to Face Interviews with key individuals including:

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o Resident Association Chairs o Federation Representatives o Managers and Operational Staff from within Housing Management, the

Corporate Landlord function, the Contact Centre (IAC), Corporate Communications, the Equality and Community Engagement Team (ECET) and the Repairs Contractors.

o The Lead Member for Housing

· A telephone Survey of 100 tenants and 30 leaseholders to identify perceptions of the RBK resident involvement service, awareness of and aspirations around methods of involvement and service priorities.

· Observation of Resident Association meetings

· SWOT analysis

· Communication Analysis including a communications focus group

· High level journey mapping identifying key ‘touch points’ which could be used to enhance resident involvement opportunities

4.0 Review findings 4.1 Themes

The findings and recommendations of the review are structured under four themes:

These are:

· Setting the scene – Strategy and Communication

· Knowing your customers and using this knowledge

· Redesigning the service – The role of RBK, The Federation and Residents Associations

· A habit not a department – embedding resident involvement 4.2 Overview

The ‘Diagnosis’ stage of the review was used to shape the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis specifically required by the brief (Appendix 1). This analysis was tested in discussion with Managers, The Federation and Residents Associations Chairs. A workshop was held with the housing service management team to discuss the headline findings and the feedback from this has been captured in our recommendations. There is general agreement that the themes identified through this, and the broader analysis, are a fair and accurate representation of current position at RBK.

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In summary, it is our view that the resident involvement service at Kingston requires;

· A coherent strategy and framework setting out the reasons why resident involvement is important at RBK and providing:

o Clarity in the relationship between resident involvement activity and

broader business aspirations with an explicit link to service improvement o A framework for understanding and developing the role of current and

new engagement methods o A context and purpose to effectively communicate the principle and

purpose of Resident Involvement to residents, the wider organisation and staff.

o A properly understood and shared understanding of respective roles for RBK, Kingston Federation of Residents, Residents Assocations and other existing and developing resident involvement bodies.

o A prioritised action plan for the short and medium term.

· Communication methods that use accessible language, are less formal, offer flexibility, form part of an overall strategy and, crucially, focus on outcomes for residents and their communities

· Improved knowledge of residents in terms of profile, their behaviour, aspirations and requirements to ensure there is a clear relationship between this and the targeting of activity and resource allocation

· Tangible improvements in performance and service experience to rebuild confidence and credibility in the resident involvement service and overcome ‘legacy’ issues

· A broader range of engagement methods which respond to the capacity, capability and aspirations of residents as well as the need for the service to have meaningful feedback. These need to be less focussed on formality and attendance at meetings.

· Wider organisational ownership of resident involvement so that it is embedded structurally, culturally and within performance management arrangements

4.3 These issues, supported by recommendations and with reference to good practice are

considered further below. 5.0 Setting the scene – Strategy and Communication 5.1 Strategy 5.2 A strategic foundation, providing direction and context, is necessary for resident

involvement. It is important that stakeholders, staff and residents have an understanding of ‘why’ RBK is engaged in resident involvement and ‘what’ is being done about it with a clear,

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shared, view of how this contributes to the objectives of the business and meets the needs of residents.

5.3 At RBK we found the strategic aims for the resident involvement service were not clearly

expressed in organisational documentation or widely understood by stakeholders. While many people were able to articulate views which might typically be reflected in strategic objectives these were not drawn from a single source and did not necessarily represent an organisational position. Where there were references to resident involvement in high level documentation these were vague and input driven. For example, the Tenants Compact developed in 2010 focusses primarily on what residents can do, what the council will do and how this will be structured rather than why things are being done.

5.4 The ‘Why’

This is a fundamental question for RBK which should be answered through the development of a strategy. Housing organisations usually seek to engage with residents for a number of reasons, often connected with broader organisational ambitions. Figure 2 illustrates a typical balance an organisation might try to strike. However, what’s included and where the emphasis lies varies depending on local circumstances.

Figure 2: Typical ‘Whys’ 5.5 Engagement is generally expected to contribute to community capacity building, regulatory

compliance, accountability and the design and development of the service. This will require various methods and some will be better suited to specific purposes than others.

5.6 These methods can range from the individual, transactional end of the spectrum to a

collective, capacity building focus. We have considered the main methods used at RBK and ‘placed’ these along the axes of ‘individual/collective’ and ‘service improvement/capacity building’ as shown in figure 3. While both the approach and the actual positioning of the activities can be debated the key issue is identifying what methods work best for each purpose.

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Figure 3: Fitting the ‘What’ to the ‘Why’ 5.7 Achieving clarity around the reasons for engagement, the ‘why’, enables the activities

currently carried out to be placed in context and helps determine what new methods should be developed as a priority.

5.8 Selling the concept The current lack of strategic context at RBK makes it difficult to ‘sell’ the principles and

purpose of resident involvement to staff and secure support and resources across the wider organisation. An example of this is reflected in the relationship with the repairs contractor where resident engagement objectives are not jointly owned and work tends to focus on projects that are reactive rather than strategic. There is however some optimism that the new contract will provide a more strategic platform to hone the involvement priorities of RBK, the successful contractor and residents.

5.9 Recommendations

To respond to the need for coherent strategy and framework setting out the reasons why resident involvement is important we recommend that RBK:

1. Develop a clear strategy for resident engagement which:

a) Is owned by staff, residents and other key stakeholders

b) Has an explicit relationship with housing and wider council objectives as articulated through

(for example) i. One Kingston

ii. Kingston Plan - Vision for 2020

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iii. The Housing Service Transformation Programme

c) Is shaped around the themes of:

I. Knowing the profile, aspirations and needs of residents II. Utilising flexible approaches that respond to the needs of residents and the

business III. Ensuring resident involvement underpins service improvement IV. Embedding a resident involvement culture within the broader housing service

d) Is supported by objectives in the following areas

I. Community Development/Capacity Building

II. Improving understanding of the resident profile as well as the needs, aspirations and experience of residents

III. Developing clear standards which capture aspirations and provide a basis against which progress can be measured

IV. Developing a communication strategy which focusses on the benefits (outcomes) of being involved

V. Establishing collective ownership of resident Involvement VI. Improving access for hard to reach groups

2. Create an action plan for the delivery of the strategic objectives which:

I. Has clear timescales that are realistic in the context of the wider

commitments of the housing service II. Has identifiable milestones which are recognisable and valued by both

residents and staff III. Is underpinned by outcome focussed measures which capture both progress

and the value that is added through the engagement of residents. These should include:

· %/Number of residents actively involved (across a range of involvement opportunities)

· Targets against age/ethnicity

· Satisfaction that views are taken in to account and acted upon

· Resident initiated changes

· Spend on non-pay resident involvement per managed property

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5.10 Good Practice – Strategy

MHS Homes MHS Homes developed its Resident Involvement Strategy through a series of focus groups over the course of a month with customers of both general needs accommodation and its Foyer scheme. Residents provided feedback on the current activities available, promotion of the activities and the Resident Involvement booklet. This feedback was used to develop the Resident Involvement Strategy which is clearly linked to its Corporate ‘CREATE’ values (Community, Respect, Excellence, Agility, Teamwork, Enjoyment). In addition they produced a Customer Summary version http://www.mhs.org.uk/pdf/Customer%20Summary%20of%20RI%20and%20Empowerment%20Strategy.pdf There is also a clear relationship with how MHS measures its success. They use a database to monitor resident engagement levels, residents attending events as well as numbers of residents who respond to surveys. This gives them their own assurance that collectively they have a broad base of customer engagement. Kensington and Chelsea TMO Kensington and Chelsea TMO undertook a resident consultation to inform their involvement strategy. This consultation identified that for most residents their major concern was with the services they receive in their home and what is happening on their estates. As result of this learning, their strategy captures four key objectives;

•Deliver the promised service improvements •Offer a wide range of involvement opportunities •Listen when and in a way that residents want to be heard •Engage tenants and residents in monitoring performance and standards

6.0 Setting the Scene - Communication 6.1 We examined the methods and effectiveness of the way RBK communicates with its

residents in some detail. This took into account the website, tenant publications, observations from reception areas, residents’ feedback through the telephone survey and one to one interviews as well as talking to officers involved in the communication process both corporately and in housing specifically.

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6.2 Language

The language used by RBK in its publications and on the website tends to be formal and as such may be inaccessible and alienating for many residents. For example;

· “The Resident Participation Review Group (RPRG) is a partnership and consultative body which helps residents get closer to the Council and its policies” (RBK Website)

· (The Federation….) frequently acting as the main communications conduit between residents and their Council landlord (RBK Website)

· The political consensus is supportive of resident involvement (Tenant Compact 2010) 6.3 Input Focus

Communication is input focussed and describes what residents can do to get involved rather than what the benefits of involvement might be to their communities and to them as individuals. Within this the distinction between the various publicised involvement options lacks clarity. While those close to the organisation, and to resident involvement as a concept, may understand the demarcation, it may more challenging for others.

6.4 The table below summarises the involvement options taken from the website and the stated

purpose for each method. While some crossover is to be expected and is appropriate, it is difficult to clearly see a distinct purpose for each or how they add unique value. This is not to say that the groups do not add value or that they do not carry out other functions not expressed here. The table simply captures how they are described on the website currently. In addition all are input focussed and five of the six options require attendance at a meeting.

Figure 4: Involvement methods at RBK (RBK Website) 6.5 Accessibility

There is no clear relationship between the way opportunities are communicated and the profiling information available in terms of language or need.

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6.6 RBK only knows with any degree of certainty that 50% of tenants are White British and that

57% of tenants have English as a first language. 29% of tenants have a first language other than English and for the remaining 14% the position is not known. To engage with a wider range of residents, particularly those that may have literacy issues, it is better to use simpler, plain English. The implications of this and the limitations of the profile data are considered further later in this report.

6.7 Getting the message across

In general terms awareness of involvement opportunities is low as shown in figure 5 below. In our view this is likely to be a reflection of the lack of outcome focus and the communication method used.

Figure 5: Awareness of exiting methods 6.8 It was clear from engagement with residents, through the telephone survey, focus group

and interaction with resident associations that willingness to ‘believe’ messages was inhibited by the legacy of past experience. This is important not only in that it presents an obstacle to be overcome but also emphasises the importance of communicating and promoting the positive experience of (for example) improved service and the Better Homes programme.

6.9 There are additional communication challenges around team locations, reporting lines and

the relationship with the corporate communications team that need to be considered in developing an approach. In our view the housing team should develop the core message and the corporate communications team lead on the nature and means of communication.

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While this demarcation may be simplistic it offers a principle on which to base the internal relationship.

6.10 Recommendations

To respond to the need for communication methods that use accessible language, are less formal, offer flexibility, form part of an overall strategy and, crucially, focus on outcomes for residents and their communities, we recommend that RBK:

1) Develop a Communications Plan to support the strategy that focuses on the benefits (outcomes) of being involved.

2) Use the outcomes of the review to re-launch a ‘new’ approach to resident

involvement

3) Use the High Level journey mapping (Appendix 2), to identify key ‘touch points’ where messages about both opportunities and outcomes can be communicated.

4) Identify a ‘message a week’ to be shared with residents at key customer

‘touchpoints’ such as the Contact Centre, Repairs Service, or at sign up which highlights the benefits of getting involved and captures interest.

5) Put in place a very simple ‘style guide’ for communicating with residents that sets

out the basic requirements for messages such as:

I. Outcome focus II. Language

III. Simplicity

6) Once agreed, publish the strategic objectives, purpose and priorities for resident involvement in accessible form within Home News, Home Truths, on the Website and through the internal communications framework. (See MHS practice example)

7) Put in place a ‘You Said – We Did’ initiative to demonstrate how resident feedback

has been used to improve service delivery and reinforce the relationship between resident feedback and service improvement

8) Establish a ‘Reader Group’ of residents to proof read intended messages and

publications as well as test existing media for accessibility and ease of understanding.

9) Amend the existing website (and any other appropriate media) to ensure

descriptions of existing involvement methods are focused on what outcomes they deliver for residents and communities

10) Establish a Communication forum to develop a coordinated approach to sending out

positive news stories. Home Life, Home Truths (though appreciate independence of

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this publication), rent statements, local press, RBK Twitter feeds. This should include residents and the corporate communications team.

11) Build on the work that the Housing Department has started with the Corporate

Communications Team to promote positive outcomes for residents and capitalise on technological advances in communication. For example initial ideas on promotion of estate walkabouts quickly and cheaply to local residents through use of social media.

12) Continue to develop the strategic relationship with the corporate communications

team whereby they advise on how best a message can be communicated and sustained rather than are simply requested to carry out an instruction to (for example) produce a newsletter.

6.11 Good Practice – Communication

South Essex Homes South Essex Homes produces a quarterly Feedback Summary which compiles all sources where resident involvement has led to changes in services (this also provides the evidence for the local performance indicator ‘Resident Initiated Changes’). This includes residents’ views from service focus groups, their experience through mystery shopping and complaints as well as survey feedback. This is available on the website and headline examples from it are used in the Residents Newsletter ‘Insight’. In addition, South Essex Homes has a Communications Resident Focus Group which looks at all elements of the ALMOs communication approach – for example newsletters, website, service standards, the Annual Report as well as the communication strategy itself and ensures that residents views on content and format are reflected. London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon holds a ‘Your housing, your questions’ sessions which are one off 'question time' style events, where residents have the opportunity to ask questions of senior housing officers on housing related issues. These sessions are subject specific or open, with questions received on any aspect of housing. Also available on LBC’s website is an ‘Engagement finder’ that allows users to search for consultations that have been carried out across the Council and the results of this engagement. LBC produce an E - newsletter to its Sounding Board called ‘Involve’. In it they detailed the results of an E-Survey and showed actions taken as a result. This feedback provided the scrutiny panel with a list of issues that respondents had identified as requiring improvement.

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Cordale Housing Association Cordale Housing Association introduced a tenant seal of approval, or the ‘Tenants Tick’ for all of their resident documents. This is a logo printed on publications to show that tenants have approved a document as being written in plain English. This has helped to get people involved and demonstrates to customers that they aim to provide them with relevant and effective information.

7.0 Knowing your customers using this knowledge to shape services 7.1 Profile and survey data

Knowledge of the profile of both Tenants and Leaseholders is limited and there is no agreed position on the actual level of reliable profile coverage. The tables below show the current Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and Disability Profile for tenants however it is important to note there is little organisational confidence in the accuracy of this data. Detailed information for these areas in terms of leaseholders is almost entirely absent.

Figure 6: BAME Profile - Tenants

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Figure 7: Disability Profile – Leaseholders 7.2 An accurate and complete resident profile is important beyond the needs of the resident

involvement services as it is provides a foundation for developing and targeting services at an operational and strategic level. Although to some extent outside the scope of this review it would be advisable for RBK to explore how data across all protected characteristic could be strengthened and also how this might be supplemented with information on economic circumstances, current occupancy, IT access and communication preferences.

7.3 In the context of this review, while a more comprehensive and robust profile base would be

beneficial there is sufficient information to begin shaping the service around the needs of customers based on the existing information held by Kingston and the outcomes from our survey. The full survey results are provided at appendix three however some of the key messages that can be drawn from this include:

· Satisfaction with opportunities to get involved is low but is consistent with overall service satisfaction, these indicators are very closely correlated

· At least 37% of residents are not white British.

While English will be a first language for many of these residents it is probable that a significant number will be more comfortable communicating in another language and,

It is possible that cultural influences may make some of the methods of community engagement, with their origins in white British tradition, less accessible

· 70% of Tenants (44% Leaseholders) prefer to be communicated with by letter

While the data needs to be treated with some caution this would suggest that there is some way to go before more modern methods (Text, e-mail, social media etc) can be adopted as the preferred option

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· Around a third of residents surveyed expressed a desire to know more about being involved although only half of these were interested in being a resident representative which is the most traditional of the involvement methods offered.

· While there is no definitive data on the profile of involved residents, it is unlikely to be reflective of age, ethnic or disability profile

7.4 Transactional Feedback

At present there is no systematic use of transactional data or complaints information to inform either service improvement or resident engagement activities (although it is understood 20 – 30 exit surveys are to be carried out after contact by the Contact Centre). This is a rich source of customer feedback and as such requires development along with other approaches that capture the experience of customers at the point of service use. Referring back to figure one it can be seen that transactional methods feature highly in the individual/service improvement quadrant of the matrix.

7.5 Using transactional based methods to capture feedback can have many benefits including

increasing the likelihood of issues being resolved at the first point of contact, providing service experience information for bodies such as Krisp and also allowing other organisations like the Federation and Residents Association’s to focus on issues of collective, rather than individual interest.

7.6 Recommendations

To improve knowledge of residents in terms of profile, their behaviour, aspirations and requirements and to ensure there is a clear relationship between this and the targeting of activity and resource allocation, we recommend RBK:

1) Develop the corporate and departmental approach to strengthening available

resident profile data and ensuring it is kept updated

2) Explore the ethnic mix of the Customer profile in more detail to determine specific language or cultural barriers

3) Put in place (at least one) Culturally focussed, high profile event to improve access

and demonstrate commitment to making involvement opportunities more accessible

4) Introduce cultural awareness training for engagement and housing staff

5) Target less involved groups of residents using informal methods to ensure that a diverse range of residents’ views are captured in service planning.

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7.7 Good Practice

London Borough of Ealing The London Borough of Ealing was conscious that nearly 34% of its residents were under the age of 24 years. It recognised that this group was potentially very vulnerable and less likely to engage with them. Their strategy to engage with young people focused on identifying young residents from the moment they moved in to their properties to help them sustain their tenancies. They also ensured that they worked closely with other agencies to help them achieve their objectives of facilitating greater involvement of young people and establishing appropriate means of communication. By linking in to existing contact points already used by young people, such as Horizons Education and Achievement Centre, Youth and Connexions, Sure Start and YOT they were able to run consultation events where they were most useful helping to improve communication between the Council and its young tenants. London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon Council has established an ‘All Ages Steering Group’ (11 young people and 10 adults) which plans "All Ages" events bringing young and adult residents together to share ideas and discuss common issues that affect everyone living on their estates. Its aim is to challenge stereotypes, break down perceived barriers and increase communication across the generations. Their first event brought together over 60 young people, 30 adult residents, parents and children from across the borough. Issues were raised through drama workshops, activities and discussions groups, then the group jointly developed an action plan to address those issues identified. Using a ‘Dotmocracy’ exercise, the top five priorities for future work were agreed and fifty pledges were made to take away from the event. Thames Valley Homes The ‘Skilled-Up’ project took resident training out of the classroom and teamed up with the Local Authority’s Highways team to get some on site coaching to encourage residents to get involved with learning new skills. The take up was high with far less fall out than traditional classroom based learning. Brighton and Hove City Council The Moulsecoomb Inclusion Project delivered by Brighton and Hove City Council intended to support isolated women from Bangladeshi families. They began with the Bangladeshi community because it had been identified as the largest minority in the area and particularly focussed on engaging with women because they were usually the most isolated, tending to be based at home.

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20 women were contacted through door-knocking, working with the local school and word of mouth. The workers were able to develop a trusting relationship with these women and organised training and support to help them develop confidence and skills for example; ESOL classes, first aid, tailoring, exercise and swimming (women only sessions). The group continued to meet at a weekly lunchtime session where they would cook together (finding this process helped overcome language barriers). Other agencies regularly attend these sessions. Southampton City Council A neighbourhood office ran a local ‘thank you’ event for tenants and some Somali women who had not got involved before came out to talk. They didn’t necessarily want to be involved in the tenants’ and residents’ association but wanted to talk to the neighbourhood office about issues that mattered to them. There is now a Somali group meeting regularly. Understanding of the council’s services has improved and community cohesion on the estate has increased.

8.0 Redesigning the Resident Involvement Service 8.1 The recommendations so far have recognised that the resident engagement service needs a

strategy and to be increasingly aligned with the needs of residents. This section considers some of the practical changes that will help begin to realise those ambitions and the role of RBK, the Federation and Residents Associations in delivering them.

8.2 It is clear from our dialogue with residents that where people are dissatisfied they are very

dissatisfied and that this dissatisfaction is often informed more by their experience of the service than with resident involvement specifically.

8.3 The general sentiments, echoed to varying degrees by residents’ association

representatives, were:

· There has been little money to invest in homes so it was probably easier for RBK not to engage residents at all.

· They were weary of being told that nothing can be done or worse, being told that an issue would be addressed but then nothing happens despite continual chasing

· They are de-motivated and ‘switched off’ because it has been such a long time with nothing good to talk about.

8.4 This points to a need for re building the credibility of resident involvement based on a better

more responsive service experience both to attract previously uninvolved residents and to re-engage those who have a history of commitment and contribution. There is some sense of optimism that a platform is in place to improve the service.

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This is based on:

· The establishment of Krisp which offers a new dimension to the engagement service

· The Better Homes programme

· The positive impact of recent changes in housing finance

· Improvements in communication with Residents Associations

· The review of resident involvement

· Recent changes in key staff members 8.5 It is important to adopt approaches to resident involvement that are consistent with the

strategy and have a clear purpose. I.e. the ‘Why’ referred to earlier is clear and therefore the ‘What’ or the method can be seen to contribute to this. Krisp is a good example of where the method fits a strategic context and can be seen to add specific value. A whole range of approaches could be adopted many of which are highlighted in figure 8. While this list and the categorisations are intended to be helpful we would not recommend a ‘shopping list’ approach to deciding which initiatives to pursue.

8.6 The methods used should be developed in partnership with residents and should be

consistent with meeting strategy objectives. We have recommended some which we feel would be beneficial to RBK at this stage but this would need to be considered in the context of strategy development.

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Figure 8 – Methods and context

8.5 It is suggested that the revised strategy, supported by a ‘relaunch’ of the resident

involvement service should have three key components. People are unlikely to be excited by the release of a new strategy alone and as such the commitment to a new approach should be demonstrated by tangible changes to the service. These need not (and probably should not) be overambitious but should be consistent with the stated ambitions and deliverable within a relatively short timeframe. Suggested areas of focus could be:

· The introduction of a technology based method of quickly capturing service experience at the point of contact and then promptly publishing outcomes.

· A specific focus on a significant group that are traditionally hard to reach such as young people or Asian women with a single, focussed event or activity to capture their views

· A revised role for the Residents Assocations and the Federation to focus on collective interest, mentoring and support, and strategic engagement with other bodies.

8.6 The role of the Federation and RA’s 8.7 The Residents Federation at Kingston has made significant progress over recent years and

was the ‘vehicle’ the residents surveyed were most aware of. Formal and informal relationships with the Council are well established and the existing funding and constitutional arrangement provide a generally appropriate degree of independence. The Federation produce Home Truths, a good quality publication which addresses issues pertinent to Residents Associations and individual residents as well as highlighting wider housing concerns such as welfare reform.

8.8 There are also a number of successful Resident Associations that are having an impact in

their communities. Our observations included a very effective meeting with high attendance from a diverse range of residents. The association could clearly demonstrate the outcomes it had delivered over the previous year and, with the support of the Federation, was able to clarify its goals for the coming year. Many of the RA representatives are clearly committed, multi-skilled people who are dedicated to improving services for their local communities. Understandably, the Resident Association meeting format works for them and is a positive approach in some cases.

8.9 However, as a vehicle to involve a broad range of residents, residents associations are

limited, relying on attendance at meetings to gather residents’ views and improve communication. Typically this is appealing to a reducing number of residents particularly excluding those who struggle to attend meetings or find the formality and time commitment required off-putting.

8.10 At RBK there is some acceptance amongst resident representatives that residents

associations as a means of engagement have limits. Some resident association Chairs and more involved residents recognise that this isn’t the right method for many residents

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although many cited frustration that attendance at meetings was often poor and that people on the estates they represent, were loathe to come out of their homes to give their views. From an organisational perspective the reliance on residents associations as a primary means of engagement inevitably results in an overdependence on the views of a small group of residents often with a similar profile and service experience.

8.11 Many housing organisations are focusing on methods in addition to residents associations,

recognising the need to capture the views of harder to reach residents and also that supporting residents associations can be quite resource intensive without necessarily delivering significant outcomes. For example organisations represented at the Eastern Region Resident Involvement network indicated a move from traditional residents associations focusing rather on activities such as;

· community groups which deliver locally agreed events and projects

· improved and well promoted estate inspection programmes

· mystery shopping

· street and block representatives that produce newsletters, blog or hold occasional ‘coffee and chat’ sessions

8.12 Some of these more informal methods, which do not rely on meetings, would provide much needed variety to the engagement approach currently in place at RBK. In addition the transactional interaction discussed elsewhere in this report should be seen as having equal value to existing methods.

8.13 It is our view, however, that the Federation and Residents Associations have partially filled

the vacuum that the absence of a coherent strategy for resident involvement has created. These organisations have been drawn into a necessary but limiting focus on transactional relationships and service failure which has meant that the potential for serving collective community interest, engaging in strategy and ‘rising above the detail’ has been inhibited.

8.14 Referring back to the matrix in figure 2 it is clear that some time and effort invested in

revisiting the ‘Why’ for the Federation and Assocations would help provide greater clarity as to their role and purpose. As a part of responding to this review the opportunity should be taken to ensure there is clear delineation between the respective roles of the Federation and RBK through the development of a plan clarifying responsibilities and highlighting shared objectives. This would enable them to realise their full potential and ensure the contribution they make continues to add value while avoiding overlap with other engagement vehicles.

8.15 It is our view that the contribution of the Federation and Residents associations can be

enhanced in the future by adopting a role characterised by:

· A strategic partnership with Kingston to identify emerging issues and develop new methods of engagement.

· Maintaining independence to both work with RBK to add capacity and provide constructive challenge where required

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· Connections with other organisations in Kingston to work on collective community and neighbourhood interest

· The Federation working with Residents Associations to identify the projects that would make a difference on their estates and signpost and facilitate these partnerships

8.12 Recommendations

To underpin tangible improvements in performance and service experience and rebuild confidence and credibility in the resident involvement service and overcome ‘legacy’ issues and

Offer a broader range of engagement methods which respond to the capacity, capability and aspirations of residents as well as the need for the service to have meaningful feedback, we recommend RBK:

1) Establish an agreed plan and partnership approaches to address legacy issues ‘head on’

and maintain open dialogue around progress.

2) Develop a shared action plan with the Federation to clarify roles, capture respective responsibilities and complementary objectives

3) Develop an action plan to identify available transactional data and integrate this into the informing service improvement and engagement priorities, for example

i. Complaints

ii. Avoidable contact iii. Repairs feedback iv. Exit surveys from IAC Journey mapping

4) Use transactional data systematically to set resident involvement (and other) priorities

as well as underpin ‘You Said – We did’ information.

5) Utilise IAC customer journey mapping activities. Focus each month on particular service. 6) Further develop the use of ‘Mobysoft’ and introduce hierarchical satisfaction monitoring

for the repairs services (Wakefield and District Housing)

7) Introduce service specific groups of residents to focus on areas of improvement priority driven by feedback, objective data and overseen by Krisp. For example responsive repairs, caretaking, Anti-Social behaviour. It is important that contributions to these are service based rather than geographically focussed. These could be virtual groups which make use of electronic methods of communication rather than more formal group meetings if easier and quicker to establish and support.

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8) Communicates outcomes from service specific groups regularly to demonstrate their impact both for the residents that are involved and those that are not as it may encourage the latter to engage.

9) Introduce Facebook based forums or other virtual focus groups that make use of

electronic methods of communication and target specific service areas

10) Clarify relationship with Repairs contractors to ensure they can contribute to resident engagement at a strategic, collective and transactional level.

11) Work with Better Homes contractors to implement programme of Resident Coordinators

to improve communication throughout improvement works. 12) Train resident representatives to contribute to void and repair post inspections. This has

a range of benefits including:

i. Improving skills and capacity, ii. Providing the opportunity for regular customer feedback on quality of

works iii. Providing useful information for KRISP

13) Agree programme for utilisation of ‘Community Projects’ resource with Repairs

contractors.

14) Work with the Federation to re-evaluate their role and formalise the demarcation of responsibilities of the various resident involvement vehicles

15) Support the Federation to provide hands on support and mentoring for resident groups

and new resident representatives/volunteers. 8.13 Good Practice

Wakefield and District Housing Utilising the ‘Mobysoft’ system Wakefield and District Housing introduced a hierarchical approach to satisfaction surveying using SMS messaging. Essentially, each repair is followed up with a ‘satisfaction’ text which if answered positively is recorded at that point. If however there is a degree of dissatisfaction expressed in the initial response the system automatically prompts further questions to determine the root cause. This provides and easily accessible, commonly used medium for residents and provides powerful transactional analysis data. It also provides information to both solve the immediate problem and to inform service development. Carrick Housing

24

As a result of consulting and involving tenants in the development of their policy and strategy to prevent and tackle anti-social behaviour, Carrick Housing set up a ‘neighbourhood enforcement team’ (NET). The NET works with Tenants and Residents Associations and holds special meetings with residents. The tenants’ newsletter promotes the work of the NET and the NET works with tenants and the tenant participation team to engage young people and to involve tenants in its work. Carrick Housing has increased levels of tenant satisfaction in relation to addressing ASB to above the national average. It has also saved money by identifying a range of cost effective housing interventions that do not require legal action or incur solicitors’ costs. South Essex Homes South Essex Homes considerably improved the satisfaction of residents with the lettable standard of its void properties by introducing Resident Void Inspectors. RVIs carry out their own inspections of a percentage of void properties to ensure that the standard is being applied consistently. To improve communication during decent homes or planned maintenance works programmes, South Essex Homes established a Resident Coordinator initiative. The Resident Co-ordinator is the ‘on site’ contact between residents, contractor and South Essex Homes. This has proved to be very useful for all parties by helping to resolve access issues quickly or if residents have concerns over work quality.

9.0 A habit not a department – embedding resident involvement 9.1 A central theme of this review has been that effective resident involvement is more about

attitude and behaviour than necessarily organisational structure or specific job roles. Structure, roles and behaviours need to follow strategy with attitudes consistent across the whole service and wider organisation. This section considers:

· The strategic framework for engagement

· The culture and behaviours necessary to embed resident involvement

· The issues to consider in determining the appropriate staffing structure 9.2 The Strategic Framework for engagement 9.3 Figure 4 highlighted the crossover and commonality between the various consultation

methods offered through the RBK website. While previously considered in the context of communication it has perhaps even greater significance in terms of the overall engagement model. It is our view that some rationalisation, particularly around the role of the Housing

25

Consultative Committee and Resident Participation Review Group would be beneficial and that there should be a single forum for drawing together strategic themes. ‘Ad hoc’ interactions, such as the regular liaison with the Head of Service, which undoubtedly adds value at this point in time, should also be considered in this regularisation and a view taken as to the appropriateness of continuation beyond a certain point in time. In developing this alternative the views and contribution from a range of residents should be taken into account including the Federation, residents associations and sheltered and leasehold forums.

9.4 Consideration of the ongoing role of these groups needs to be conducted sensitively and in

partnership with them. The objective here is not just to reduce the number of meetings (although that would be helpful) but more to streamline the decision making and consultation process and to establish a habit of being prepared to challenge the ongoing usefulness of structural arrangements.

9.5 Culture and behaviour 9.6 We found, broadly, that resident involvement was seen as the role of that department and a

wider understanding of the role of residents’ views in influencing the service was limited. The absence of a clearly defined approach has led to enthusiasm and delivery of resident involvement being inconsistent and largely dependent on individual members of staff.

9.7 There appears to be some tension between some teams regarding workloads. For example

staff from Estate Management felt that work was ‘off loaded’ on them that should have been undertaken by Better Homes Team which in turn limits the time they have available for proactively engaging residents. These tensions, while not unusual, will create challenges for the Resident Involvement Team in reinforcing the value of resident engagement throughout the organisation.

9.8 The issue of communication between teams was raised by most of the officers that we

talked to throughout the review. This is believed to have contributed to silo working and in turn poor customer service for residents. Positively, caretakers felt that they could play more of a role in communicating with residents as they are often seen as the ‘public face’ of the housing service and some officers expressed desire to have more open, less ‘autocratic’ communication with residents.

9.10 There were some clear examples of positive practice, for example the new Responsive

Repairs Contract has provided an opportunity for improved resident participation. Their involvement in procuring this contract has led to;

· Federation members identifying the 12 most important things to residents.

· Residents interviewing potential contractors

· Resident Liaison Officer included in contract – wider aspect of promoting contractor to community

26

· Apprenticeships (for every £1m of contract value, one apprenticeship will be provided)

9.11 Establishing a resident involvement ‘instinct’ is a cultural and behavioural change which will

take time to become fully established. The Housing Service Transformation project provides a very useful platform for this and recent changes in senior personnel make it much more likely to be delivered.

9.12 However, it is likely to be necessary to focus on some actions and inputs initially which

demonstrate the importance and benefits of resident involvement to the organisation and engage teams across the service in monitoring and delivering them. Essentially resident involvement needs to feature prominently within the performance management framework.

9.13 Organisational Structure 9.14 Considerations around organisational staffing structure will be necessarily informed by

wider organisational needs, internal departmental relationships and available resources. In view of this it is not appropriate to recommend an ‘absolute’ structural model at this stage. However it is our view that the new model needs to combine support for the resident involvement infrastructure with using transactional feedback information in a systematic way to inform service improvement.

9.15 To support this approach clear links should be made between the Council’s Contact Centre -

specifically the Customer Innovation Manager - and also the team/officer(s) that deal with housing complaints. Feedback from these sources is a significant resource and its use helps ensure that even without formal involvement of residents, their views and experience can influence how things are done.

9.16 In our view it is necessary to have a strategic lead for resident involvement and for this to be

linked directly to service improvement. This will need to be a sufficiently senior post able to influence service managers and develop and drive a resident involvement strategy. This post will be fundamental in supporting the management team to allow residents feedback to inform service improvement and facilitate constructive communication between RBK and its customers.

9.17 At this stage of RBK’s development we believe this senior role would require support in two

broad disciplines:

1) Supporting the wider housing team, the Federation, residents associations and other vehicles to ensure the resident involvement ‘infrastructure’ functions effectively.

2) Carrying out analysis from information relating to complaints, service transactions,

customer surveys and other sources to ensure this informs service design and delivery.

27

This ‘team’ or combination of skills, however configured, should play a role in coaching colleagues from throughout the housing service to ensure resident involvement is part of the way RBK designs and delivers services.

9.18 However, allied to this should be progressive movement towards making resident

involvement a part of the day job for operational teams. This could include attendance at appropriate meetings (without the RI team representative present), patch based resident involvement targets, the integration of RI tasks in service plans and individual accountability through the performance management and appraisal arrangements.

9.19 Recommendations

To establish wider organisational ownership of resident involvement so that it is embedded structurally, culturally and within performance management arrangements we recommend RBK:

1. Working in partnership with residents consider rationalising strategic engagement into a

single borough wide body bringing together (for example) RPRG, HCC and some Ad hoc interactions.

2. Identify resident involvement objectives that fit with RBK’s housing transformation

project

3. Agree with teams a range of actions that interpret these objectives in a meaningful way and enables individuals to see how their role contributes towards achieving them

4. Provide additional training for middle management to reinforce the value of resident

involvement and enable them to link with their own service areas.

5. Include resident involvement as a standard competency for each individual member of staff.

6. Consider an annual ‘Awards event’ for staff and resident reps to recognise good practice

in working with communities/residents

7. Identify specific budgets for resident involvement activity and devolve as appropriate but preferably with service delivery teams having some degree of delegated budget.

8. Align Resident Involvement staff with specific teams to forge relationships within the

organisation, develop specific projects and identify the most effective way of residents informing particular service areas.

9. Develop a network of Resident Involvement Champions (one from each team) to work

with the Resident Involvement Manager (RIM) and their Service Manager to promote the value of resident feedback within that their service area.

10. Integrate resident involvement actions and targets that are linked to the strategy into

operational service plans.

28

11. Use service delivery team meetings to identify content for ‘You Said – we did’ features

and other resident focussed publications 9.20 Good Practice

Wherry Housing Wherry have developed a structure which ensures that resident involvement is closely linked to service improvement and customers views systematically shape how services are delivered. The Resident Involvement Team work alongside the Continuous Improvement Team and all resident forums are supported by staff other than the Resident Involvement team and aligned to an Operational Manager. The Resident Involvement Strategy is measured, monitored and reported as part of the overall strategic management performance framework and an Impact Assessment of resident involvement activities is produced annually. Following this performance indicators for resident involvement are agreed with residents and reported continually. Kensington and Chelsea TMO Kensington and Chelsea drew up a resident engagement calendar which keeps track of all focus groups and surveys that are being carried out across the organisation. (This could link well with the consultation ’data observatory’ exercise which is being carried out at RBK currently) London Borough of Ealing Service Heads worked with Team Leaders to set resident involvement targets and dedicate specific budgets to support resident involvement activity.

10. Acknowledgements 10.1 In carrying out this work we have required a great deal of background information and

access to a wide range of staff and residents. We have found people have shared their views with us openly and have been to receptive to both our challenges and suggestions.

10.2 We would like thanks all those who have contributed to the review and in particular the

support provided by;

Debbie Hunter, Business Analyst Jo Williams, Interim Group Manager, Housing Strategy Richard Grosvenor, Secretary, Kingston Federation of Residents Barry Mitchell. Kingston Federations of Residents Coordinator Paul Johnston, Kingston Federation of Residents Chair Simon Godfrey, Interim Resident Involvement Manager

Appendix 1. Swot Analysis

1

Appendix 2. High Level Journey Map

Appendix 3. Profile and Survey Outcomes

2

3

4

5

Appendix 4 – Schedule of Recommendations Recommendations are prioritised as 1, 2 and 3 which broadly reflects the relative importance of the action. However it also takes into account the necessary sequencing of certain items and the practicalities of implementation.

No Theme/Action Priority 1/2/3

Potential ‘Quick Win’

Setting the scene – Strategy

To respond to the need for coherent strategy and framework setting out the reasons why resident involvement is important we recommend that RBK:

1

Develop a clear strategy for resident engagement which:

e) Is owned by staff, residents and other key stakeholders

f) Has an explicit relationship with housing and wider council objectives as articulated through (for example) i. One Kingston

ii. Kingston Plan - Vision for 2020 iii. The Housing Service Transformation Programme

g) Is shaped around the themes of:

V. Knowing the profile, aspirations and needs of residents

VI. Utilising flexible approaches that respond to the needs of residents and the business VII. Ensuring resident involvement underpins service improvement

VIII. Embedding a resident involvement culture within the broader housing service

1

6

h) Is supported by objectives in the following areas

VII. Community Development/Capacity Building VIII. Improving understanding of the resident profile as well as the needs, aspirations and

experience of residents IX. Developing clear standards which capture aspirations and provide a basis against which

progress can be measured X. Developing a communication strategy which focusses on the benefits (outcomes) of being

involved XI. Establishing collective ownership of resident Involvement

XII. Improving access for hard to reach groups

2 Create an action plan for the delivery of the strategic objectives which:

IV. Has clear timescales that are realistic in the context of the wider commitments of the housing service

V. Has identifiable milestones which are recognisable and valued by both residents and staff VI. Is underpinned by outcome focussed measures which capture both progress and the value

that is added through the engagement of residents. These might include:

· %/Number of residents actively involved (across a range of involvement opportunities)

· Targets against age/ethnicity

· Satisfaction that views are taken in to account and acted upon

· Resident initiated changes

· Spend on non-pay resident involvement per managed property

1

7

Setting the Scene – Communications

To respond to the need for communication methods that use accessible language, are less formal, offer flexibility, form part of an overall strategy and, crucially, focus on outcomes for residents and their communities, we recommend that RBK:

3 Develop a Communications Plan to support the strategy that focuses on the benefits (outcomes) of being involved.

1

4

Use the outcomes of the review to re-launch a ‘new’ approach to resident involvement

1

5

Once agreed, publish the strategic objectives, purpose and priorities for resident involvement in accessible form within Home News, Home Truths, on the Website and through the internal communications framework. (See MHS practice example)

2

6

Put in place a ‘You Said – We Did’ initiative to demonstrate how resident feedback has been used to improve service delivery and reinforce the relationship between resident feedback and service improvement

2

✓

7 Establish a ‘Reader Group’ of residents to proof read intended messages and publications as well as test existing media for accessibility and ease of understanding.

2

✓

8 Use the High Level journey mapping (Appendix 2), to identify key ‘touch points’ where messages about both opportunities and outcomes can be communicated.

2

8

9

Identify a ‘message a week’ to be shared with residents at key customer ‘touchpoints’ such as the Contact Centre, Repairs Service, or at sign up which highlights the benefits of getting involved and captures interest.

3

10 Put in place a very simple ‘style guide’ for communicating with residents that sets out the basic requirements for messages such as:

IV. Outcome focus V. Language

VI. Simplicity

2

✓

Amend the existing website (and any other appropriate media) to ensure descriptions of existing involvement methods are focused on what outcomes they deliver for residents and communities

2

11 Establish a Communication forum to develop a coordinated approach to sending out positive news stories. Home Life, Home Truths (though appreciate independence of this publication), rent statements, local press, RBK Twitter feeds. This should include residents and the corporate communications team.

2

12

Build on the work that the Housing Department has started with the Corporate Communications Team to promote positive outcomes for residents and capitalise on technological advances in communication. For example initial ideas on promotion of estate walkabouts quickly and cheaply to local residents through use of social media.

2

13

Continue to develop the strategic relationship with the corporate communications team whereby they advise on how best a message can be communicated and sustained rather than are simply requested to carry out an instruction to (for example) produce a newsletter.

2

9

Knowing your Customers

To improve knowledge of residents in terms of profile, their behaviour, aspirations and requirements and to ensure there is a clear relationship between this and the targeting of activity and resource allocation, we recommend RBK:

14 Develop corporate and departmental approach to strengthening the available resident profile data and ensuring it is kept updated

1

15 Put in place (at least one) Culturally focussed, high profile event to improve access and demonstrate commitment to making involvement opportunities accessible

2

✓

16 Explore the ethnic mix of the Customer profile in more detail to determine specific language or cultural barriers

2

17 Introduce cultural awareness training for engagement and housing staff

3

18

Target less involved groups of residents using informal methods to ensure that a diverse range of residents’ views are captured in service planning.

2

10

Redesigning Resident Involvement

To underpin tangible improvements in performance and service experience and rebuild confidence and credibility in the resident involvement service and overcome ‘legacy’ issues and

Offer a broader range of engagement methods which respond to the capacity, capability and aspirations of residents as well as the need for the service to have meaningful feedback, we recommend RBK:

19

Develop an action plan to identify available transactional data and integrate this into the informing service improvement and engagement priorities, for example

i. Complaints ii. Avoidable contact

iii. Repairs feedback iv. Exit surveys from IAC Journey mapping

1

20

Establish an agreed plan and partnership approaches to addressing legacy issues ‘head on’ and maintain open dialogue around progress.

2

21

Use transactional data systematically to set resident involvement (and other) priorities as well as underpin ‘You Said – We did’ information.

2

22

Utilise IAC customer journey mapping activities. Focus each month on particular service.

2

11

23

Develop the use of ‘Mobysoft’ and introduce hierarchical satisfaction monitoring for the repairs services (Wakefield and District Housing)

2

✓

24

Work with the Federation to re-evaluate their role and formalise the demarcation of responsibilities of the various resident involvement vehicles

1

25

Support the Federation to provide hands on support and mentoring for resident groups and new resident representatives/volunteers.

3

26 Develop a shared action plan with the Federation to clarify roles, capture respective responsibilities and complementary objectives

1

27

Introduce service specific groups of residents to focus on areas of improvement priority driven by feedback, objective data and overseen by Krisp. For example responsive repairs, caretaking, Anti-Social behaviour. It is important that contributions to these are service based rather than geographically focussed. These could be virtual groups which make use of electronic methods of communication rather than more formal group meetings if easier and quicker to establish and support.

2

✓

28

Communicate outcomes from service specific groups regularly to demonstrate their impact both for the residents that are involved and those that are not as it may encourage the latter to engage.

2

✓

29

Introduce Facebook based forums or other virtual focus groups that make use of electronic methods of communication and target specific service areas

3

✓

30

Clarify relationship with Repairs contractors to ensure they can contribute to resident engagement at a strategic, collective and transactional level.

2

12

31

Work with Better Homes contractors to implement programme of Resident Coordinators to improve communication throughout improvement works.

2

32

Train resident representatives to contribute to void and repair post inspections. This has a range of benefits including:

v. Improving skills and capacity,

vi. Providing the opportunity for regular customer feedback on quality of works vii. Providing useful information for KRISP

viii.

3

33

Agree programme for utilisation of ‘Community Projects’ resource with Repairs contractors.

2

13

A habit not a department

To establish wider organisational ownership of resident involvement so that it is embedded structurally, culturally and within performance management arrangements we recommend RBK:

34

Consider simplification of the engagement structure to provide a single strategic interaction group with clear terms of reference and specified attendance: This could include

i. Senior Officers from the Housing Team ii. Executive Member for Housing

iii. Federation Representation iv. Krisp representation

1

35

Identify resident involvement objectives that fit with RBK’s housing transformation project

1

✓

35

Align the Resident Engagement structure with strategic direction using the principles set out in paragraph 9.13

1

36

Agree with teams a range of actions that interpret these objectives in a meaningful way and enables individuals to see how their role contributes towards achieving them

1

37

Include resident involvement as a standard competency for each individual member of staff.

2

38

Integrate resident involvement actions and targets that are linked to the strategy into operational service plans.

2

14

39

Use service delivery team meetings to identify content for ‘You Said – we did’ features and other resident focussed publications

2

✓

40

Provide additional training for middle management to reinforce the value of resident involvement and enable them to link with their own service areas.

3

41

Consider an annual ‘Awards event’ for staff and resident reps to recognise good practice in working with communities/residents

3

42

Identify specific budgets for resident involvement activity and devolve as appropriate but preferably with service delivery teams having some degree of delegated budget.

2

43

Align Resident Involvement staff with specific teams to forge relationships within the organisation, develop specific projects and identify the most effective way of residents informing particular service areas.

3

44

Develop a network of Resident Involvement Champions (one from each team) to work with the Resident Involvement Manager (RIM) and their Service Manager to promote the value of resident feedback within that their service area.

3

45

Review progress against strategy and action plans with residents after 12 months of initial implementation

1