Fostering a culture of continuous improvement through Abri's CIH club

In the dynamic world of social housing, keeping up with the latest industry developments is crucial. The sector is always striving for improvements and to do the best for our customers. To help, a small group of colleagues established the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) club at Abri, a large housing association based in the south of England.

What is the CIH club?

We meet every other month and offer all Abri colleagues the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in the sector, talk about the issues affecting us and our customers, and find solutions to problems they’re having.

It's a colleague led club: to ensure each session is meaningful to our members, we ask our colleagues what they'd like to learn about or discuss. We welcome a variety of guest speakers from a range of areas to provide their insights, help our colleagues with their learning, and kickstart creative discussions.

Some of the guests we’ve welcomed include:

• James Prestwich, director of policy and external affairs at CIH, who covered the Better Social Housing Review.
• Rachel Williamson, head of policy and external affairs at CIH, who covered the cost of living.
• Sarah Dunkerley, director of professional development at CIH, who covered the Competence and Conduct Standard in social housing.
• Janine Green, CEO of Janine Green & Associates ASB, who covered community safety and anti-social behaviour.

At the heart of the CIH club lies a commitment to helping Abri colleagues be exemplary housing professionals, supporting Abri’s values of ‘always curious’ and ‘achieving together’. It’s particularly helpful for our colleagues undertaking housing qualifications and apprenticeships; as well as being a learning opportunity, it links those currently enrolled in a qualification with a mentor who can share their experience and expertise.

We’ve had some really good feedback from our colleagues who come along to each meeting. Here’s what two of our colleagues said about the club:

Elliot Watts  |  Senior business design and readiness manager at Abri

The CIH club at Abri is a great platform with good attendance that’s growing. It’s such a good hour each month that I look forward to where we get the opportunity to learn about what’s happening in the world of housing. It gives me the opportunity to stay connected with our purpose within housing and gain an understanding of what’s happening across the sector. I always feel like my enthusiasm gets a new burst of energy afterwards.

Another member of the Abri CIH club said:

I find the club really informative as I get to hear what’s going on at CIH and I learn a lot from the guest speakers that I can apply to my role.

The Social Housing Regulation Act not only requires senior managers and executives to have professional qualification, but it also introduces Competency and Conduct Standards that affect everyone. So, the CIH club supports these standards by helping colleagues maintain and keep their knowledge up to date through the activities we arrange. We expect the club to grow in momentum as more and more colleagues enrol to meet the new requirements and create opportunities for reverse mentoring to senior executives.

As well as supporting our colleagues in gaining the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver good quality service for our customers, it also supports many of our corporate priorities. By fostering a culture of learning, improvement and teamwork, it helps us in our goals of ‘getting really good at customer service’, ‘creating a great place to work’, and ‘managing our business to the highest standards.’

Thinking of creating your own CIH club?

If you’re thinking of creating your own CIH club, but are a bit unsure of where to begin, here are some of our top tips:

• Speak to the Chartered Institute of Housing to see how they can support you.
• Link in with other regional CIH groups – they can share advice and could offer an opportunity for you to attend one of their sessions. We found it really helpful to observe Aspire Housing’s CIH club when we were setting ours up. You’re always welcome to join us at the next Abri CIH club meeting!
• Reach out to your colleagues to find out who is a member of CIH, and those who are interested.
• Take some time to listen to your colleagues and find out what they want to learn, and how they want to meet.
• Use LinkedIn and other social channels to find suitable guest speakers. You might be surprised at the number of people who are happy to give their time to this!
• Communication is key, so set up a Microsoft Teams channel to share information, and start discussions.

Constant learning, evolution and togetherness is at the heart of the Abri CIH Club and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved in just under two years. We’ve created a community of engaged colleagues who strive to grow and improve constantly, so we can provide a better service to our customers and communities.