Resident engagement strategy

Introduction

Cross Keys Homes is a registered social landlord and a charitable Community Benefit Society based in Peterborough. We are more than just a landlord, we are Peterborough’s largest housing association – managing over 13,000 properties and providing homes for tenants, older people, shared owners and leaseholders across the East of England and the Home Counties.

We believe that all residents (tenants, leaseholders and shared owners) should be able to get involved, influencing the services they receive from CKH. Our approach must be flexible to offer opportunities for all residents to engage with us in a way that suits them.

 

Background

Cross Keys Homes was formed in 2004 with a stock transfer from Peterborough City Council. There was a keen interest to engage and consult with residents and mark the move from the council to a housing association landlord. A resident engagement structure was set up in response to this with residents being involved in engaging a maintenance contractor, investing in local areas through area panels and invited to monthly liaison group meetings. In addition, a programme of community investment was launched offering more opportunities for residents and wider communities.

However, the organisation is transformed since those early days with a significant development programme set to deliver more than 2500 homes over the next five years with increased development outside of Peterborough. Cross Keys Homes now manages 13,595 units as well as extra care schemes, a care business, and homes for private rent.

Cross Keys Homes has become one of the region’s leading providers of affordable homes for rent and sale with a commitment to providing excellent housing and landlord services.

In Autumn 2023, Cross Keys Homes launched a comprehensive review of their Resident Engagement service.

The review was scheduled to coincide with the launch of the new consumer standards (April 2024), the new Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) and to prepare for the re-accreditation of Resident Engagement with TPAS in line with the revised regulations.

The objective of the review was to ensure that CKH has a robust approach to resident engagement with a framework/method in place to ensure that the voice of residents:

  • Holds CKH to account.
  • Provides assurance to the Group Board that residents have influenced continuous   improvement (golden thread).
  • Influences the opportunities for engagement ensuring these are flexible, accessible, and inclusive.

The Resident Engagement Strategy has been produced with residents engaged in the review. The review was conducted by a resident led steering group who provided wider engagement opportunities for residents via an online survey, face to face meetings, face to face survey and an online meeting. The review took place over a period of seven months and also included benchmarking research with other providers. The Resident Board approved the new proposed structure for engaging with residents in July 2024. 

 

Regulation

Regulator of Social Housing Consumer Standards: 

  • The Safety and Quality Standard which requires landlords to provide safe and good-quality homes for their tenants, along with good-quality landlord services.
  • The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard which requires landlords          to be open with tenants and treat them with fairness and respect so they can access services, raise concerns, when necessary, influence decision making and hold their landlord to account.
  • The Neighbourhood and Community Standard which requires landlords to engage with other relevant parties so that tenants can live in safe and well-maintained neighbourhoods and feel safe in their homes.
  • The Tenancy Standard which sets requirements for the fair allocation and letting of homes, as well as requirements for how tenancies are managed by landlords.

Additionally, there are 22 tenant satisfaction measures (TSM standard) that providers must meet. These include collating and demonstrating outcomes to residents covering overall satisfaction with performance, repairs and maintenance, safety, communications (respectful and helpful), complaints, neighbourhood management and anti-social behaviour (ASB).

Cross Keys Homes were already ensuring residents are engaged at all levels, but the review and strategy for 2024-2026 will ensure regulatory compliance and good practice in line with national trends but reflective of the nature of the organisation and its residents.

The key change is developing a relational approach with residents and a move away from transactional relationships involving a whole organisation commitment and understanding of resident engagement.

 

Aims and Objectives

The structure for resident engagement is set out below:

Resident engagement structure

The CKH Group Board and Committees

The Board has overall responsibility for our work and meets regularly to decide on strategic and policy issues. It also makes sure that we are delivering our business plan. There are ten members of the Group Board, including two residents. 

 

Resident Experience Panel (REP)

The Resident Experience Panel puts residents at the very heart of our business, making real decisions about how services are delivered. The Chair and Vice Chair sit on CKH Group Board. The Residents Experience Panel influences strategy, existing policies, services and continuous improvement.

The Resident Experience Panel will offer guidance on identifying actions for the four individual panels, be informed on the action plans being worked on and consulted on recommendations for change.

They will ensure the organisation is compliant in meeting the Regulator for Social Housing’s Consumer Standards, principles of the Charter for Social Housing Residents and good practice guidance. This will include the National Housing Federation Together with Tenants Charter and the TPAS national tenant engagement standards.

The Resident Experience Panel will consist of up to 12 members; The Chair and Vice-Chair of this panel will be Group Board members.

 

Service Improvement Panel (SIP)

The SIP is the independent resident led scrutiny who carry out a programme of scrutiny projects each year focussing on key service areas. The panel will gather evidence about issues that affect residents and making recommendations to the organisation.

Data will be obtained from Tenant Survey Measures, Key Performance Indicator’s and recommendations to review an outcome from another panel or from employees. 

 

The Chair of the panel is also a member of the Resident Experience Panel and is responsible for updating the REP on the group’s actions and approval of recommendations when needed. This group is open to all residents and meets monthly. 

 

Complaints Panel (CP)

This panel reviews trends and learning outcomes from complaints and service requests the organisation receives and makes recommendations for improvement. The panel monitors operational performance and the digital resident performance dashboard.

  This group is open to all residents and meets bi-monthly. The group can refer topics to the Service Improvement Panel to scrutinise when necessary.

 

The Chair of the panel is also a member of the Resident Experience Panel and is responsible for updating the REP on the group’s actions and approval of recommendations when needed.

 

Estates Improvement and Investment Panel (EAP)

This Panellooks at short and longer-term improvements within our planned maintenance work programme, neighbourhoods and the local environment. This group will look at the asset planned maintenance budget ensuring works are completed timely and will ensure residents are consulted throughout.

This group will also look at wider consultation when agreeing actions to support the implementation of improvements, allowing for wider consultation within any area the decision may affect. This aims to bring energy to local area involvement, to improve local environments and help to make areas a better place to live.

 

The Chair of the panel is also a member of the Resident Experience Panel and is responsible for updating the REP on the group’s actions and approval of recommendations when needed.

 

This panel will work closely with the Repairs Procurement Group, led by the Director of Assets, Housing Needs an Estates Management. 

 

Communications and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Panel

Residents can help the organisation to ensure any communication is inclusive to all. Assisting with proof reading, writing letters and articles and letting us know what they would like to see more of on our website and social media. The group will also offer feedback and recommendations on what residents would like to see in our Keylines magazine, monthly e-shots, the resident only Facebook group and the Annual Report whilst ensuring that diversity, equity and inclusion is considered when communicating with all residents.

The Chair of the panel is also a member of the Resident Experience Panel and is responsible for updating the REP on the group’s actions and approval of recommendations when needed.

The membership is open to any resident and will offer options to be fully engaged with all communication or to be one of our many proofreaders ensuring things are easy to read and understood.

 

Resident Engagement Facebook Group

Residents can join a resident only Facebook Group, which has been created to highlight the range of different ways residents can engage, but also shares what other residents have been doing within the various panels and the Communities Teams activities, allowing engagement through social media. It may offer polls and ask for instant feedback to certain posts.   

Membership is open to all CKH residents.

 

Neighbourhood Inspections

Neighbourhood Inspections will be undertaken as directed by the Estates Improvement and Investment Panel to carry out inspections for wider resident engagement and consultation on improvements and investment opportunities. CKH Champions are also key in supporting this work.

The approach will also encourage out of Peterborough involvement, providing a more inclusive approach to diverse groups across all housing tenures. Membership is open to residents to join in their local area, and everyone will be invited when their area is being inspected. 

 

Neighbourhood Champions

Open membership for individual residents that want to be a voice for their area. Residents can share their own experience but also speak on behalf of others on issues surrounding where they live or give feedback on a service, they or their neighbours may have received from the organisation.

 

My View

This is an opportunity for residents to be involved without committing to meetings. Offering instant feedback through surveys, consultation exercise and polls, all done online through the Resident Engagement Facebook Group or MyCKH.

Residents can let us know what interests them and take part as and when they wish. Opportunity to showcase CKH’s You Said, We Did and promote and celebrate the panels work.

For those not online any consultations that take place in an area that will affect them the use of Postal and Telephones surveys will be used, making our service inclusive.