“Improving Services and Communication between Cottsway and Residents”

Resident Scrutiny Panel2015/2016

Annual Report

ResidentScrutiny

Panel

2

As I step down as Chair of Cottsway’s Resident Scrutiny Panel (RSP), I am reflecting on my own personal journey the scrutiny panel has taken me on these last five years.

Initially I joined the panel in 2011, heavily pregnant with my second child. I wanted to be involved with something new and I wanted a local job reference for when I was able to return to work. The fact that there was investment in training and I could gain new skills was also a deciding factor. Cottsway’s strong focus on equal inclusion opportunity by covering childcare expenses enabled me to participate. Being involved with Cottsway’s Resident Scrutiny Panel has given me direction.

Through my experience on the panel, I have developed a passion for housing and a new career direction.

For anyone else interested in scrutiny, I would say it provides a great opportunity to learn about your landlord as well as receive training that can help you in your work and personal life. It can also give a sense of purpose, focus and accomplishment. It’s great to be able to influence decisions and to make being a tenant of Cottsway Housing more successful for everybody.

I am immensely proud of what we, as a panel, have accomplished; not only as Cottsway residents, but also by successfully working in co-regulatory partnership with Cottsway’s staff, executive team and governing board. Much of our success can be attributed to Cottsway’s investment and commitment to co-regulation and scrutiny.

The structure of scrutiny within the business was set up to enable our evidence-based scrutiny reports – with our recommendations for improvement – to go directly to Cottsway’s governing board. This structure has now been seen nationally as a Best Practice model.

We have also successfully operated in the most amazingly fast-changing political environment the sector has ever seen.

Many legislative changes have affected not only the way Cottsway’s business is run internally but it has also heavily impacted upon many residents of social housing – Welfare Reform, Localism, the Bedroom Tax, the Benefit Cap. And there is more to come with the Housing and Planning Bill, currently making its way through the Houses of Parliament.

There is still much work to be done, however; I am confident that my vice-chair, Joanne Bunyan, with her experience and skill in service improvement with the NHS, will continue to embed co-regulation throughout all aspects of the business. Research published last year was able to prove a business case for registered housing providers to incorporate resident involvement through all aspects of their business. The Amicus Horizon case study was able to capture a £2.2million per year saving to the business from their resident involvement structure. Research has also shown there are many benefits residents can gain from their involvement too.

I want to thank each and every panel member for their hard work, dedication and support. With Cottsway’s continued steadfast commitment to co-regulation and the panel under the strong leadership of Jo, I am confident scrutiny will continue to grow from strength to strength.

Leslie Channon MA, CIHCM

Outgoing Resident Scrutiny Panel Chair

Outgoing Chair’s Statement

3

After three years as a member of the Resident Scrutiny Panel, and one of which as Vice Chair, I am delighted to have the opportunity to become Chair from 1 May 2016. I have been a Cottsway resident for eight years and value the opportunity to be an involved resident and contribute to the Residents Scrutiny Panel’s purpose of “improving services and communication between Cottsway and residents”. My background is in facilitation, service improvement and project management within the NHS. I am a Prince 2 practitioner, experienced in LEAN and in developing effective teams. I am accredited in delivering Belbin team roles and hold certificates in coaching, facilitation, training delivery and learner engagement. All of these skills will foster the ongoing development of the Resident Scrutiny Panel.

On behalf of myself and my panel colleagues, I would like to personally thank my predecessor, Leslie Channon, for her drive, passion, hard work, determination and leadership that she has given to the panel, as well as for her support to prepare me for the role of Chair.

So what does the next year look like for the scrutiny panel?

We have recently recruited three new panel members to our team. They are currently in the process of learning all of the different aspects of undertaking a scrutiny project as we begin our scoping into scrutiny six.

Recruitment will also be a key part of our annual plan this year. To further enhance our strong team, we will be looking for residents who want to be involved and make a difference to help Cottsway improve and deliver better services.

Please visit and sign up to our new Facebook page: www.facebook.com/CottswayResidentScrutinyPanel

We will be updating the page regularly, keeping you abreast of what’s happening, what we are doing, and how we are making a difference. Please contact us with your ideas and ways you would like to help. You can also visit us on the Resident Scrutiny Panel page on the Cottsway website www.cottsway.co.uk

We will continue to develop our knowledge and skills as a team, ensuring that we reflect after each scrutiny to continually look for ways to improve how we work. We endeavour to demonstrate the impact of scrutiny, not only to residents but also within Cottsway’s business systems in a more concrete way going forward.

I look forward to serving as your Scrutiny Panel Chair,

Jo Bunyan

Chair of the RSP

Incoming Chair’s Statement

4

Jo Bunyan Chair of the RSPI have been a Cottsway resident for eight years and have been a member of the RSP since 2013. I have teenage twins who are also involved in Cottsway’s Youth Forum.

My background is in facilitation, service improvement and project management within the NHS. I am a qualified

Prince 2 practitioner. I enjoy being able to utilise my skills and experience to benefit the RSP, residents and Cottsway staff. In return, being an RSP member has also further supported my development and has enabled me to transfer new skills back to my full time role.

Chris Spencer Chair of Finance Sub-groupI’m now retired but throughout my working career I have gathered 40 years experience in a sales and marketing role. I hope that I can use the knowledge and experience in my job and personal life to create a better future for all Cottsway residents.

Dave ChapmanHaving been a resident inspector with Cottsway prior to the forming of the scrutiny panel, I experienced the way in which Cottsway encouraged tenants to participate and challenge them into finding ways to improve the service they provide the tenants, it seemed a natural progression for me to become more involved and apply for the RSP. Since joining the panel, the support I

have received from Cottsway and my fellow panel members has made the whole experience worthwhile despite some challenges along the way. Hopefully we can continue to challenge Cottsway and ourselves to improve the service to the tenants.

Over the past twelve months there have been many changes within Cottsway which has also meant changes to the way the panel operates. This has given the panel challenges to maintain and fulfil our mandate as a scrutiny panel. With these internal changes and Government legislation affecting housing associations I believe we have many exciting times ahead and would encourage other tenants, who may have considered joining the panel, this may be the time to give it a try.

Gillian BrowningRSP SecretaryI have been a member of the RSP for five years now and I must say it has been a great experience. During this time I have been given so much support from the other panel members plus lots of training from Cottsway. This has helped me gain knowledge about how housing associations operate so that I can make a positive contribution

to the panel. I would definitely encourage other residents to join this panel as you would be well supported and your voice could make a difference.

Shelley AlcockSocial Media lead I’m a single working mum of two children. I have been a Cottsway resident for over two years. I live in a shared ownership house in Cheltenham. My role besides being part of RSP is a support worker in a primary school. I have a working background in education, early years and management. I am heading towards my first year as a panel member

and have enjoyed it. This role has given me the opportunity to develop my career, attend courses, enhance my CV and most importantly change the future for myself and other Cottsway residents.

David Wesson Member of Finance Sub-roupI am retired. I have been a member of the RSP now for eight months. I have served as treasurer and auditor of voluntary groups.

I have attended Council meetings to ensure all planning applications are in accordance with current legislation.

Charles SmithI am the newest member of the panel and 49 years of business experience will help me in my RSP role working with residents, Cottsway and other stakeholders, as we endeavour to make a difference for the social housing sector. Resident involvement is key. The challenges will be great: the benefits to both residents and Cottsway even greater. I look forward to working with my RSP colleagues.

“Cottsway’s Resident Scrutiny Panel make evidence based recommendations to improve services and communication between Cottsway and residents”

Meet your Resident Scrutiny Panel

5

What we have been up to

We are on FacebookAs the youngest panel member I have taken the role of Facebook administrator, I believe the best way to communicate with Cottsway residents is through social media and will be posting regular updates on what we are currently working on, improvements made following our recommendations, extracts from our annual reports and also asking you as residents for your suggestions on what you would like us to scrutinise.

The area we are about to scrutinise is Service Charges, we would be interested to hear your thoughts, please feel free to message us.

www.facebook.com/CottswayResidentScrutinyPanel

We listen to each other

We are not afraid to challenge

We respect each other’s opinions

We seek support when

needed

We don’t interrupt each other in

meetings

We are punctual at

meetings

We keep meetings to

time

We reflect and improve how we

scrutinise

Accountability

• Respond to emails

• Fulfilling roles/tasks allocated

We use iPads to communicate –

i.e. FaceTime

Our Team Culture

We trust each other

• We’vereviewedallofourinternalprocesses

• CompletedScrutiny5Voids(EmptyProperties)

• Weheldandself-facilitatedourannualAway-Day

• Setoutourannualplan

• Appointedthreenewpanelmembers

• Thewholepanelattended‘WiderWorld’trainingtolearnaboutthenewWelfareReformchangesandtheHousingandPlanningBill

• MembersattendedtheHousingQualityNetwork’sResidentNetworkannualconference

• WehavesuccessfullynavigatedahugeinternaltransitionalmovewithinCottsway’sstructure.Wenowsitoutsideofthehousingteamandarenowoperatingmoreautonomouslyunderthefinancedirectorate

• Wehavecreatedaneworganisationalchartwhichunderpinsandstrengthensthegovernancestructure

6

Progress and Impact with Scrutinies

Scrutiny 4: Complaints Recommendations made in the Scrutiny 4 report, learning from complaints, contributed to a wider review of complaint handling. The Cottsway management response to the scrutiny report described a re-write of policy and change to procedure that would ensure learning is integral to our approach. It also provided for training of complaint handlers and made complaints more customer focussed. An action plan recorded the scrutiny recommendations to ensure they were delivered within the wider improvement plan.

In April 2015 the new complaint process was introduced. We now try to resolve any concerns raised within two working days, with our customer service advisors taking responsibility for investigating and responding. Under the old process these would have been logged for a 10-day response.

When we investigate a concern, whether it is a concern that requires investigation or a formal complaint, we capture the learning to inform the way we operate and to find better or more effective ways of doing things.

Learning is also about what we are doing well, so that we can do more of it. We started to record compliments, where the reason a customer called was to report a good experience of service.

The changes made to the way we respond to customer concerns and formal complaints has improved service to customers, and reduced the cost of administration by around £42,640 compared to the previous year.

Scrutiny 5: VoidsThe Voids report has been presented to Cottsway’s board and the management team has responded to the report. The Voids management team thanked the scrutiny panel for looking into Cottsway’s in-house voids service and welcomed this review which they acknowledged has been helping in enable them to drive for continuous improvement.

In the first initial management response, they have accepted or partially accepted 12 out of 14 RSP recommendations in the Voids report.

The implementation of the accepted recommendations is in the process of being agreed.

Impact

Residents

Quality

Sustainability of Change

7

Progress and Impact with Scrutinies

Document current

processes

Implement new processes

Review and analyse

Explore alternatives

Design revised

processes

ContinuousImprovement

Cycle

Impact

Residents

Staff

Value for Money

Monitoring impact going forward The RSP will continue to monitor the progress and impact of each scrutiny in collaboration with Cottsway. To support this project, measures will be identified at the beginning of each scrutiny in order to establish a baseline to measure progress against. All RSP recommendations will be logged and tracked including those not taken forward as these may be recommendations that can be implemented at a later date.

All scrutinies carried out by the RSP will be formally reviewed at an agreed point in time to ensure continuous improvement.

8

The next area the panel are going to cover is Services Charges.

The panel have already attended a service charge masterclass which allowed them to gain knowledge of the complex world of variable service

charges.

Service charges cover a wide range of services which the panel are breaking down into several scrutinies.

S1. Unrecoverable services charges

S2. Under-recovered service charges

S3. Supporting (evidencing) charges

S4. Scrutinising shared service charges for communal spaces

S5. Communicating service charges, customer access to information

S6. Customer satisfaction with service charges

S7. Assisted gardening and assisted decorations

The RSP are currently developing a high-level programme plan detailing the individual projects for Scrutiny 6.

Value for Money

Changes made to the way we handle complaints has reduced the amount of administration. Most of the concerns that need investigation are managed by our customer service advisors, and in a shorter time. This reduces the risk of communication breakdown and improves the service we are able to provide. Importantly, because the number of people involved in the administration is reduced, the cost of responding is less and the service provides better value for money.

In the first year under the new process we looked at the number of concerns raised and applied the cost of administration under the old process, and under the new. We recorded a reduction in the cost of administering complaints of around £42,640. The time and money not spent on greater administration of these cases is better used in improving services.

The outcome of investigating complaints, and the learning we take, has informed the way we work and will become visible to customers in improved services. We look for themes, like poor communication, and for recurring matters, like not being able to complete a repair at first visit. These examples have informed the way staff are supported to deliver excellent service. The value for money savings from these will follow with improved service, reduction in repetition and re-visit.

Service charges

Our next Scrutiny

9

Top 10 tips for a successful Scrutiny

Look at issues that matter to residents; making a real difference in their lives

Have a clear, realistic, and achievable plan in place

Be open-minded – open to new ideas and viewpoints

Invest in quality training

Think independently of Cottsway, whilst also maintaining a good relationship

Team-building, team-work, and support – utilising everyone’s strengths

Have full buy-in from Cottway’s board and staff

Dedicated – invaluable support and knowledge

Robust governance shows accountability

Base findings on facts and evidence. We ‘triangulate’ evidence

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Triangulate = capture evidence from numerous (more than two) sources to firm and strengthen the facts.

Our Five Key Drivers

What will make a difference to

residents? Use feedback from

residents

What will lead to improved services &

organisational performance?

What is manageable &

achievable?

Take into account strategic

direction & department restructures

10

How we ScrutiniseScoping

meeting: to decide what we want to scrutinise

Desk top review: to look at

the relevant documents, policies and processes

Complete project

plan with timelines

Scrutiny roles assigned to

members

Process mapping:

mapping the steps in processes and capturing issues

Staff interviews

Resident interviews:

face to face or telephone

Focus groups

Stakeholder interviews

Job shadowing: follow a staff

member’s routine job duties

Benchmarking: comparing

against similar housing

associations

Audit: monitor, take stock and

look for patterns or inequalities within

a specified area

Moderations meetings: external

facilitator leads the panel to test the

evidence and / or see where we need

to investigate further

Write the report: document evidence, findings, and provide

recommendations

Present the report to board

Action plan and implement

recommendations

Monitor progress

and impact on implementation of recommendations

Carry out a post

scrutiny review: to consider how we

can improve how we scrutinise using

learning from the scrutiny

11

Recruiting Now!Want to be part of a team of residents who have the power to challenge Cottsway’s performance, bring about improvements in quality, add value for money to the services provided to residents, and earn £1000 per year at the same time?

If the answer is yes then come and join us.

What sort of commitment is it?Being on the panel requires a higher level of commitment than the other resident involvement groups that are within Cottsway. Meeting times are flexible and are decided upon by the panel. The panel meet eleven times per year and in between you will be expected to attend extra meetings or activities for example: training, visits to other organisations, staff and tenant focus groups.

What’s in it for me?You will learn new skills, utilise existing skills, make new friends and help Cottsway improve services for all residents. For this you will receive an allowance of £1,000 per year plus reasonable expenses (travel, child care etc). and also be provided with an iPad. Please note this does not affect benefit entitlement.

Who can apply?All Cottsway residents can apply and members will be selected on the basis of skills and experience they can offer. A positive attitude, energy, enthusiasm and a commitment to improving our services are more important than qualifications.

I’m interested, what do I do next?Email: Jo Bunyan at scrutiny@cottsway.co.uk

Contact us via our facebook page: Cottsway Housing Resident Scrutiny Panel

Alternatively call Cottsway on 01993 890000 and leave a message for the Scrutiny Panel to contact you.

What would you like to see us scrutinise?For suggestions please email us at

scrutiny@cottsway.co.uk

ResidentScrutiny

Panel

Cottsway House, Heynes Place, Avenue Two, Witney, OX28 4YGTelephone: 01993 890000 • Freephone: 0800 8 766 366 • scrutiny@cottsway.co.uk

www.cottsway.co.uk

Cottsway Housing Association is a registered society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.

Definition from: Oxford Concise Dictionary

RESIDENT ‘A permanent inhabitant

of a town or neighbourhood’

SCRUTINY‘ A close investigation or examination of details’

PANEL ‘A group of people forming a team in a discussion’

››››

››

ResidentScrutiny

Panel