1. Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) Partnership Wednesday 12th December
Laptop
Printing
Quiz & Prizes
Mini Plans
Christmas Goodies

2. Introductions & Icebreaker
Icebreaker and energizer
Xmas related

3. Agenda for today 10.30 - 10.50 Welcome, Update & Introductions Plenary
Crisis HRA Research: Emerging Themes Tutorial
HRA Legal Compliance Self-Assessment Hands-On Exercise
HRA Code of Guidance Self-Assessment Hands-On Exercise
Morning Break
Lunch (with Christmas Quiz)
Monitoring & Reviewing Service Performance Workshop
Introduction to Service Design & Agile Approaches Tutorial
Crisis HRA Training Package Presentation & Discussion
Afternoon Break
Action Learning Sets Guided Conversations
Close & Reflections Plenary
Festive Drinks All Bar One, Leopold St, Sheffield S1 2GY

4. Updates & reminders 
Crisis new report: "Preventing homelessness: It's everybody's business"
CIH rethinking allocations project & survey
First quarter H-CLIC returns published tomorrow as "experimental statistics"
HAST – websites, workshops, rough sleeping strategy commitments and delivery plan
Statutory guidance on improving access to social housing for victims of domestic abuse
NHF commitment to refer
Terms of reference for the 2-year review of HRA should be published very shortly
strengthening local homelessness strategies, introducing a new emphasis on rough sleeping and requiring local authorities to report progress in delivering these strategies and publish annual action plans. Local accountability
H-CLIC returns, strategic catch up

5. Examples of how we can help
Events, meetings & workshops
Training & Masterclasses
Facilitating learning and collaboration with peers
Sharing the learning and experiences with MHCLG
Service reviews and assessments
Developing tools, products and materials
Service design projects 
Critical friend support
Introducing new ways of working & supporting culture change

6. How might we improve staff wellbeing and work better as a team?
Ongoing projects
Oxford
Lewisham
Sheffield
How might we redesign the 'approach' & 'triage/ advice' stages of the customer's journey to better meet the needs of customers and staff?
How might we improve staff support and wellbeing by listening and acting on feedback received?
How might we develop and agree a ‘code of conduct’ that supports a move towards a common culture and expected way of working within the service?
How might we improve staff wellbeing and work better as a team?
How might we better support households in TA and reduce feelings of abandonment?
How might we support officers to manage higher caseloads/ workloads and best meet the needs and circumstances of every service user?
Durham
Middlesbrough
How might we better support frontline staff to administer their HRA duties?
How might we relieve current pressures on TA by reducing the number of households and their length of stay?
How might we design a toolkit to support the development of better personalised plans and improve consistency amongst housing officers?
How might we redesign the 'approach' & 'triage/ advice' stages of the customer's journey to better meet the needs of customers and staff?

7. Working in the open: digital collaboration space

8. Morning sessions Crisis HRA Research: Emerging Themes
HRA Legal Compliance Self-Assessment
HRA Code of Guidance Self-Assessment
We have developed prototypes for two self-assessment tools that we would like you to have a go at using and provide feedback on, for further iteration and development. One looks at 'are we legally compliant' and the other 'are we following statutory guidance'
Sophie & Cuchulainn
Joe
Trish & Hannah
Presentation and discussion on the early themes emerging from the first round of fieldwork of Crisis' 3-year HRA research project. This utilises peer researchers and the first round has surveyed 500 people in 6 local authority areas

9. Break

10. Morning sessions Crisis HRA Research: Emerging Themes
HRA Legal Compliance Self-Assessment
HRA Code of Guidance Self-Assessment
We have developed prototypes for two self-assessment tools that we would like you to have a go at using and provide feedback on, for further iteration and development. One looks at 'are we legally compliant' and the other 'are we following statutory guidance'
Sophie & Cuchulainn
Joe
Trish & Hannah
Presentation and discussion on the early themes emerging from the first round of fieldwork of Crisis' 3-year HRA research project. This utilises peer researchers and the first round has surveyed 500 people in 6 local authority areas

11. Lunch
(and christmas quiz!)

12. Afternoon sessions Monitoring & Reviewing Service Performance
Introduction to Service Design & Agile Approaches
Crisis HRA Training Package
Sophie & Cuchulainn
Joe
Trish & Hannah
Eight months into the HRA, this facilitated discussion will look at mechanisms to monitor and review its impact and service performance. This is vital to inform service changes required and the government's 2-year review of the Act. It is also an opportunity to hear how other authorities are approaching this 
We have created a training package on the coaching skills and motivational interviewing techniques we adopt in our skylight centres, tailored to the HRA and the role of an options officer. This was piloted with officers in Oxfordshire last week and this session will provide an update on the training following this, and facilitate a discussion on any other changes needed for further delivery and roll-out next year
Service design and Agile approaches are increasingly used in public services (and promoted by the LGA) as a means to deliver better services that meet the needs of the people using them. We have and will use these approaches throughout the HRA partnership. This session will introduce them, explain how they are different to traditional ways of working and provide relevant case studies and an opportunity for discussion

13. Break

14. Action learning sets

15. Action learning sets: process & principles
Exercise Instructions
Non-directive and non-judgmental
Supportive and confidential
Focus is on listening and questioning, would discourage taking notes (facilitators will do this)
Based on principle people have their own solutions and make own decisions on actions they will be held accountable to (by their peers)
Purpose of discussion is to understand the issue the presenter is facing, not to give advice
Introductions. Someone volunteer to present an issue or challenge
Presenter presents (informally) their issue to the group, uninterrupted
Questions from the group
Tool designed for practitioners to learn from other practitioners
Uses the combined wisdom and skills of a diverse group of people to work through real challenges and issues and support one another to take action
Combines 'learning' & 'doing'
Allows you to build connections with the other authorities and provide peer support on the common issues you are facing with the HRA
Discussions confidential but main themes will be captured and used within the partnership
Facilitator summarises
Presenter identifies actions and reflects on learning

16. Reflections & close
Reflections and evaluations on learning process today
Feedback and discussion on future frequency – can use for other things e.g. working through things, Q&A on particular cases, cardboard citizens, test things with you
Digital collaboration space – any other methods to facilitate peer support and learning?
What we will do with the outputs 

17. Outlines evidence-based solutions that can end homelessness in Great Britain built round the belief that everyone should have – and is ready for – a safe, stable place to live. 
Contains solutions for the long term, building on what has worked at home and abroad to end homelessness. 
The plan shows the costs of preventing and solving homelessness for people, along with the policy changes needed to get us there.
Designed to help the governments of England, Scotland and Wales. It will be regularly updated and improved as we gather more information about what works to end homelessness.
Developed with a wide range of homelessness experts throughout Crisis’ 50th anniversary year through: broad consultation process; large-scale international evidence review of what works to end homelessness; and newly commissioned research where evidence was lacking.
Why now? There are almost 160,000 households experiencing the worst forms of homelessness in Britain. If we carry on as we currently are, this is expected to almost double in the next 25 years.

19. Handout: Legal compliance self-assessment
Criteria for self-assessment:
Fully Compliant (FC)
I can say with a high degree of confidence that we are fully compliant with this legal duty and can evidence this
Compliant (C)
To the best of my knowledge we are compliant with this duty in the vast majority of cases (where relevant) - we can evidence this but would need to check and confirm this
TBC
I cannot confidently say we are consistently compliant with this duty. We would need to check and review this to confirm
Non-Compliant (NC)
We often fail to comply with this legal duty and have some evidence to support this
Since we last met: social housing green paper, national rough sleeping strategy, response to consultation on new funding models for housing costs for supported accommodation
Messaging from HAST: Duty to refer addresses, s.208 (in so far as is reasonably practicable, secure accommodation within the authority’s own district - requires them to notify the authority in whose district the accommodation is situated of the placement) without notifications, looking at websites, internal restructure
Feedback questions:
Is this tool useful? Can you see the value in it?
Is it easy to use and understand?
What would be the best format for the tool?

20. Handout: Code of guidance self-assessmentx4
Handout: Code of guidance self-assessment
Criteria for self-assessment:
Red
We do not currently follow this guidance (provide reason e.g. lack of accommodation available, against our policy etc.)
Amber
We sometimes follow this guidance, or may not in practice but intend to. It may depend on particular circumstances e.g. circumstances of the case, the officer, service pressures etc.
Green
I can confidently say we follow this guidance in most, if not all, circumstances
Since we last met: social housing green paper, national rough sleeping strategy, response to consultation on new funding models for housing costs for supported accommodation
Messaging from HAST: Duty to refer addresses, s.208 (in so far as is reasonably practicable, secure accommodation within the authority’s own district - requires them to notify the authority in whose district the accommodation is situated of the placement) without notifications, looking at websites, internal restructure
Feedback questions:
Is this tool useful? Can you see the value in it?
Is it easy to use and understand?
What would be the best format for the tool?

21. Approach & methodology: user-centred design and agilex4
Approach & methodology: user-centred design and agile
Phases (iterative)
Discovery
Ideation
Prototyping
Implementation
Develop rough and working prototypes of selected concepts. Share and get feedback early to test hypotheses, assumptions, risks and key elements of the idea. Integrate feedback and keep iterating. Define a 'minimum viable solution' that meets key user needs
Develop roadmap for full solution. Continuous improvement after 'go live' - can include full pilots. Deliver more user needs identified in earlier phases and adapt to changing needs. Measure and monitor against KPIs
Research to explore and better understand the problem. Build empathy and understanding of users, their needs and aspirations. Seek inspiration from others. Synthesise research into meaningful and actionable insights, identifying opportunities for design and improvement.
Brainstorm solutions to opportunities identified. Identify whether to re-use existing practice ideas or develop something new. Select most promising ideas and develop into concepts to take forward
Description
Business case or benefits case
User research report (qualitative, ethnography)
Secondary research
User Journey and/ or Experience Maps
Service Blueprints
Insights & Design Opportunities
Show and tell
Brainstorming
Idea ranking
Storyboarding
Create a concept
Prototypes (low-res to high-res and live)
Experience prototyping
Storyboarding
Feedback capture grids
Scenarios & User Cases
Tools/ Outputs
Roadmap and KPI report
Implementation plan
Toolkit & outputs for others to adopt
Tested assumptions with real users and iterated designs accordingly before committing further resources 
Identified biggest risks and reduced this
Identified what's most important
Product/ service that works for users and meets prioritised needs
Started measuring the performance 
Shared understanding of problem
Frame design opportunities
Understand user types and needs
Understand user experience today
Identified solutions
Key concepts to take forward to next phase
Outcomes

22. Action learning sets: guidance for facilitatorsx5
Action learning sets: guidance for facilitators
Indicative Timings (20 mins)
Facilitator's role is to guide the process and timing, capture notes and help the group stick to the principles of action learning (non-directive, non-judgemental, understand not advise)
Will be difficult for groups to maintain the non-directive approach (listen and support without directing a course of action) without a facilitator
Encourage members to reflect on their learning 
Where necessary, facilitators can demonstrate useful questions which enable the presenter to gain a deeper understanding of their issue (what, how, clarify)
Facilitators should stop the group from descending into advice giving and leading questions, reminding them they are to ask questions which enable them to understand the presenter’s issue, the presenter of the issue decides their own actions
Try and enable as many people to present an issue as possible
Someone volunteer to present an issue or challenge
Presenter presents (informally) their issue to the group, uninterrupted – 3 mins
Facilitator summarises issue – 2 mins
Questions from the group – 10 mins
Facilitator summarises discussion – 2 mins
Presenter identifies actions and reflects on learning - 3 mins

23. Template for note capture
x15
Facilitator
Group Member & Role
Local Authority
Template for note capture
Issue/ Challenge
Discussion
Actions