1. Presentation by Siobhan O’Kane River Clyde Homes
Introducing
Customer Scrutiny
Presentation by
Siobhan O’Kane
River Clyde Homes

2. What is Customer Scrutiny Intro slide Text
A mechanism to hold their landlords to account for the delivery of services.
Should be customer led and independent
Conclusions and recommendations should be reached based on freely available information
Equality and access for all customers
Partnership
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3. Where has customer scrutiny come from? Intro slide Text
The Housing (Scotland) Act created 2 new fundamental principles:
Scottish Social Housing Charter (SSHC)
Scottish Housing Regulator
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4. River Clyde Homes and Customer Scrutiny Intro slide Text
At River Clyde Homes we want to implement customer scrutiny because best practice tells us it can lead to:
A different relationship with our customers
Improved performance and service quality
A cultural change within the organisation where an ethos of “customer first and performance driven” is promoted
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5. Examples of best practice: South Oxford Housing Association (SOHA)
Fairly advanced customer scrutiny and co-regulation programme
Scrutiny Group, Tenant Inspectors, Mystery Shoppers, Neighbourhood Friends, Connect Club, The News Team, Readers Group etc.
Is it making a difference?
Tenant Empowerment Partnership – gold standard award
National Federation of Tenant Management Organisations for the way residents are involved in their annual report
Accreditation from the National Tenants Organisation
SOHA’s Housing Impact Report for resident involvement for financial year – published on the website.
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6. Examples of best practice: Newydd Housing Association Intro slide Text
Some of the customer involvement programmes are the same as SOHA
BUT – there are a few differences:
Scrutiny Panel, Task and Finish Groups, Tenant Powered Performance, Newydd Youth Challenge
Is it making a difference:
Won a national award recognising its excellence as a landlord – this was the Roy Parry Landlord Excellence category at the annual TPAS Cymru Participation Awards.
John Phillips, Newydd Tenant and Chair of Newydd’s community Panel states:
“It is fitting that, as an organisation well known for tenant engagement , we won this award from a national tenants organisation. Newydd tenants and staff work hard in an open and honest culture to ensure that they work in partnership. In every aspect of the organisation’s activities from building homes to editing the tenants magazine, we put tenants first.”
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7. What have River Clyde Homes done… Intro slide Text
March 2013 – ‘Count Me In Event’ – the idea of the Customer Scrutiny Group was put to the customers.
Feedback from customers was that this was definitely something they would be interested in.
Count Me In Working Group was established to take this forward.
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8. Count Me In Working Group Intro slide Text
Meeting was on 28th May 2013
Arranged for TIS and TPAS to attend that meeting and give presentations. The group then selected their preferred support organisation.
‘5 Steps to Excellence’ programme announced.
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9. 5 Steps to Excellence Intro slide Text
Consider examples of scrutiny and how the group would like River Clyde Homes to approach customer scrutiny and involvement
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10. 5 Steps to Excellence Intro slide Text
Elaborating on the details and wider arrangements
Look at the customer involvement methods used by other associations
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11. 5 Steps to Excellence Intro slide Text
Finalise arrangements for customer involvement in relation to the Scrutiny Panel
Terms of Reference
Code of Conduct
Membership Appointment
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12. 5 Steps to Excellence Intro slide Text
Step 3 – Continued
Terms of Reference
Need to take account of the aims and objectives of the panel
Who are the members and how are they recruited and appointed
Operational issues
How the tenant panel is accountable
What safeguards are in place
The relationship with the landlord and the governing body
Reference to the Code of Conduct
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13. 5 Steps to Excellence Intro slide Text
Step 3 - Continued
Code of Conduct:
Equality and Diversity
Commitment and conduct at meetings
Declarations of Interest
Confidentiality
Gifts and hospitality
Role and responsibilities
Conflict of Interest
Breaches of the Code
How decisions are reached
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14. 5 Steps to Excellence Intro slide Text
Step 3 - Continued
Membership Appointment will be designed by the group but it may be that they opt to:
Ask each customer interested to submit an application form
Person Specification
Preferred applicants will be invited for interview
Independent interview panel
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15. 5 Steps to Excellence Intro slide Text
Finalise arrangements for customer involvement in relation to the other panels:
Terms of Reference
Code of Conduct
Membership Appointment
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16. 5 Steps to Excellence Intro slide Text
How to get customers involved:
Customer incentives
Customer training
Staff training
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17. Link to Governance Structure Intro slide Text
Co-regulation can be unsettling for the Board
Have to involve them from the outset
The River Clyde Homes Board have:
Looked at how we can improve performance, how we can improve the relationship with customers and how we can change the culture at River Clyde Homes – best way of doing this is to support and promote co-regulation.
Governance improvement working group set up – what effect co-regulation will have on governance procedures and the constitution.
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18. About Me… Intro slide Text
No prior experience of customer scrutiny and co-regulation.
Customers are saying that they are frustrated but they want to make a difference.
Visit to centre of best practice – Salix Homes
CHALLENGE – it is going to open up from an officer perspective, the things I do and the decisions I make to much more detailed scrutiny by customers.
BUT – I am looking forward to having a partnership with our customers
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19. Finally… Intro slide Text
The method of customer involvement is not set in stone.
It is something that will continue to evolve until it works for your organisation.
For this to work it has to be endorsed by everyone in the organisation and especially senior staff members.
It is hugely important that the Chief Exec and leading staff are behind this.
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