• Project name: Tenant involvement
• Lead organisation: Trivallis

Statement of support

Trivallis has fostered a robust framework for tenant involvement, ensuring that tenants play a pivotal role in shaping services that directly impact their quality of life. This collaborative effort between tenants and senior staff has led to the creation of an inclusive and meaningful structure, allowing 671 tenants to actively participate in the running of the organisation. The cornerstone of this success lies in Trivallis’ commitment to offering flexible and varied engagement opportunities, accommodating tenants’ diverse circumstances and preferences.

Trivallis has implemented a three-tiered system of involvement, which empowers tenants to choose how much time they wish to contribute, ensuring that all forms of participation are valued equally. This innovative approach allows tenants to engage at a level that suits their availability and personal circumstances:

1. Input: Tenants can participate in regular surveys to provide feedback on services and new initiatives. This requires only a few minutes each month and can be done from home
2. Influence: Tenants can become mystery shoppers or join working groups to address key issues such as repairs, anti-social behaviour, and complaints
3. Inspire: For those who wish to have a more significant impact, the Tenant Action Panel offers the opportunity to challenge decisions and ensure high performance and satisfaction levels.

To enhance this flexible structure, Trivallis has employed multiple innovative methods for tenant scrutiny and feedback, ensuring that a broad spectrum of voices is heard:

• Comprehensive surveys: Annual surveys target the entire tenant population, using a mix of online, telephone and face-to-face methods to capture diverse perspectives
• Community roadshows: These events, which include food and entertainment, provide informal settings where staff and tenants can engage in meaningful conversations and co-plan within their communities
• Estate walkabouts: Housing officers and tenants collaborate in these walkabouts, addressing issues directly within their local environments
• Engagement of local associations: Tenant associations and community groups are actively involved in working groups and surveys, ensuring grassroots input
• Online engagement: Around 500 tenants regularly participate in online surveys and focus groups, contributing their insights on various issues
• Question of the month: A new initiative involves surveying callers to the telephone contact centre, resulting in 200 responses in just one week, with plans for further expansion.

Trivallis also places a strong emphasis on supporting tenants in their involvement journey. The chair of the Tenant Action Panel and the community involvement team provide tailored, person-centred support to ensure that every tenant can engage meaningfully:

• Accessible conversations: Trivallis holds discussions within communities, making it easier for tenants of all ages, including children and young people, to voice their opinions without needing to visit the office
• One-on-one support: Personalised sessions help tenants identify what matters most to them and what support they need to participate effectively
• Financial and logistical support: Tenants receive upfront funds for transport and refreshments, ensuring that involvement doesn’t come at a personal cost. Additionally, transport and childcare are provided, and meetings are rescheduled or held in hybrid formats to accommodate those with caring responsibilities
• Inclusive communication: Trivallis makes accommodations for tenants with dyslexia or literacy challenges by discussing agendas, minutes and ideas in a way that is accessible to them
• Training and development: Tenants are offered training in recruitment, collaborative communication, and leadership through courses provided by Clore Social Leadership, TPAS and Community Housing Cymru. They are also supported to attend major events, such as TPAS Wales and TPAS England conferences.

Through these innovative strategies, Trivallis ensures that tenant involvement is not only possible but also meaningful and impactful, aligning with the organisation's broader goals of building brighter futures for all.

Outcomes and achievements

Trivallis tenants have actively contributed to significant improvements through their involvement in in three key areas – communication, tenant services, and policy. The following examples are just a few of the tangible ways that tenants have shaped these areas:

• Tenants shaped the development of a new self-service portal and interactive website, improving access to tenancy information and issue reporting
• Revised standard letters, recommending simplified language and condensed content for clearer, more tenant-friendly communication
• Suggested adding QR codes to correspondence, linking tenants to local services for easier access to resources
• Updated repairs deadlines to prioritise repairs that matter most to tenants
• Revised procedures for antisocial behaviour reports and recommended conducting satisfaction surveys when ASB cases are closed
• Advised on flooring and decoration standards when re-letting properties
• Provided feedback on responses to dangerous dogs legislation, WHQS-compliant letting standards, response times for complaints, and the new unacceptable behaviour policy.

The positive impact of tenant scrutiny is borne out by improvements in tenant satisfaction. Data provided by Housemark showed that overall tenant satisfaction with Trivallis rose from 71.2 per cent in 2022 to 77 per cent in 2023, whilst formal stage one and two complaints dropped.

• Project name: Tenants voice at Crwp Cynefin
• Lead organisation: Grwp Cynefin

Statement of support

Grŵp Cynefin is passionate about ensuring that tenants' voices are heard. The following main aims and objectives ensure that tenants are at the heart of Grŵp Cynefin's work:
A Culture of Tenant Involvement: Grŵp Cynefin aims to foster a culture where tenants are actively involved in making decisions and policies.

This was done recently by holding a 15-minute team presentation to all Grŵp Cynefin staff on the importance of tenant participation, the latest information on ways of participating and ensuring that staff bring policies, documents or topics to tenants for discussion.

Participation Framework – Options are provided to join face-to-face or online meetings, making sure that there are a variety of meeting times so that all tenants have the opportunity to attend. There are a variety of levels of participation available, from completing a quick questionnaire (text, email, post or phone), short task and finish sessions, attending the annual outing to joining weekly online meetings. Tenants can participate in a way that suits them.

Listed below are the different methods used:

• Grŵp Cynefin outings – During the 2023 outing, 62 Grŵp Cynefin staff, board members and a tenant representative visited 1,191 homes and spoke to 391 tenants (33 per cent). The main aim was to share the newly designed safety leaflets, get referrals for further support and encourage tenants to participate - Your voice - Grŵp Cynefin (grwpcynefin.org).
• Task and finish groups – a series of (normally) three meetings with a specific aim to ensure that tenants' opinions help shape and provide input on a specific topic. During 2023/24, a task and finish group was established to create a participation action plan for the following year (2024/25). In the same way a task and finish group was arranged to create a new tenant handbook. A task and finish group of staff, board members and tenants was also set up for self assessment work for the Regulators.
• Weekly tenant meetings – Grŵp Cynefin holds weekly tenant meetings which allow staff to bring policies, topics and documents to tenants in a timely manner to get their opinions and support for designing and shaping services. During 2023/24, 30 meetings were held and 23 different areas of work were discussed.
• Tenant auditors – helping Grŵp Cynefin to maintain and improve the quality of the services they provide to the tenant. The last inspection carried out inspections on empty properties ready to be let through observations and following a specific questionnaire to monitor against Grŵp Cynefin's current re-letting standard. The report's findings are reported to the Customer and Communities Committee (which has eight tenant members).
• Publications meetings - safety leaflets – Tenants had significant input into the creation of the new safety leaflets. A series of online meetings were arranged where tenants, maintenance and marketing staff worked together to ensure that the correct information was included in each leaflet. These were then shared during our 2023 Roadshow - Keeping you and your home safe - Grŵp Cynefin (grwpcynefin.org)
• Staff recruitment panel: By including tenants in the staff recruitment process, Grŵp Cynefin recognises tenants' points of view. This fosters commitment among paid staff to provide focused services and active engagement with tenants. Additionally, recruitment transparency is improved, promoting equal opportunities. When interviews are held for a higher level position, a panel of tenants is organised to hold a conversation and ask questions of the candidates, and over the last year the tenants have played a key role in recruiting the head of assets, the chair and the chief executive.
• Board and tenant engagement – As part of the self assessment process at the start of 2024, a session was arranged with tenants, members of the board and the senior leadership team to attempt to break down barriers and ensure that a robust process exists to ensure that tenants have influence at the highest possible level within the organisation.
• You said it, we did it - to ensure more widely that those tenants who don't participate are aware of changes and developments implemented in response to listening to the voice of the tenants. Grŵp Cynefin has a dedicated page on their website with examples of 'You said it, we did it' to highlight the changes made to services as a result of the suggestions made by tenants.

Outcomes and achievements

Participation information session - Informal 30-minute online sessions are arranged regularly on social media encouraging tenants to participate in Grŵp Cynefin's social media e.g. Facebook message - Facebook participation video / Instagram - Instagram participation video

Website - We work continuously with our tenants to improve the information on our website ensuring clarity and trying to make it easy to use have your say / take part - Grŵp Cynefin (grwpcynefin.org) and your voice - Grŵp Cynefin (grwpcynefin.org)

Outing - during the outings staff give an explanation of the different levels of participation, and ask tenants if they would like to have a chat with a member of the community initiatives team or attend a Zoom presentation session to participate.

Monthly tenants' bulletin - Grŵp Cynefin now sends a monthly bulletin to tenants by email, each bulletin includes a participation element in each issue - mystery shoppers, participation options etc.

Grŵp Cynefin holds an annual review of whether the participating tenants represent our tenants more widely by using tenant profiling.

• “I believe that I can make some difference. If Grŵp Cynefin asks for a contribution from me as a tenant, I think it is right for me to participate and I hope they make good use of the contribution I have made. Of course, I hope it could help other tenants, my fellow tenants to improve things.” Bob
• “There's a lot to find out about, and I wouldn't know about it if I wasn't involved. Although that information is for everyone, it helps to be part of the meetings." Siaron
• "I've made friends and spoken to new people, and I get to know what's going on in my community too.” Ruth
• "I enjoy offering input that affects policies, and that affects how the housing association treats tenants.” Chris

• Project name: Joint Customer Panel in merger
• Lead organisation: Melin Homes
• Partner organisation: Newport City Homes

Statement of support

Embedding the customer voice in the merger process of Melin and Newport City Homes (NCH)

Summary: The Joint Customer Panel represents an exemplary model of tenant scrutiny, sitting at the heart of the governance structure and overseeing the merger. Their focus is to provide assurance that tenants’ voices are heard in all aspects of the merger process.

They have selected an independent tenant advisor to provide an impartial, reassuring perspective, giving tenants access to accurate information, tenants on the Joint Customer Panel have supported the recruitment of the CEO/executive designate roles, and co-produced the new organisations promise to its tenants, ensuring tenants’ values, concerns, and expectations are listened to.

Objectives: To hold the new organisation accountable for embedding the customer voice, ensuring that all communications are accessible so everyone has an opportunity to share their views.

Demonstration of excellence:

1. Proactive engagement and scrutiny: The panel comprises tenants from both associations, engaged in rigorous scrutiny of the merger process, using multiple feedback mechanisms including surveys, events, phone calls and face-to-face consultations. Feedback surveys were conducted through the tenants’ communication channel of choice and promoted on social media, via the app, closed Facebook group, SMS, and videos encouraging engagement by the two chief executives.
2. Best practice adoption: Both organisations adopted TPAS (Tenant Participation Advisory Service) best practices for engagement in mergers and panel members attended training on tenant scrutiny. They have been an integral part of the governance structure for the merger process from the outset, providing assurance to both boards that tenants’ voices are being listened to, respected and acted upon.

Stage one consultation: The panel ensured all tenants knew about the merger. Panel members co-designed the first survey that sought to understand what was most important to tenants and residents. Feedback was used to create “Our Promise to You,” outlining the new organisation’s commitment to its tenants in future service delivery.

The panel also reviewed all communications in merger messaging, to sense check and make sure it was jargon-free.

It worked alongside our branding agency to inform the new organisation’s name, look, vision and values.

Stage two consultation: The panel scrutinised the draft “Promise” to all tenants making sure it was reflective of the views expressed in stage one.

Scrutiny: The panel remains key to scrutinising performance against the ‘promise’. It will hold the new organisation to account for delivering the ‘promise’, demonstrating a commitment to continuous tenant-led scrutiny.

Impact: The panel has already had a profound impact on the merger process:

Empowerment: Ensuring tenant voices were heard during merger, has empowered tenants to influence the new company’s operational focus.

Panel chair Shelley said: “I was in a dire situation in a previous property where I was ignored. I made a point to make sure that it never happened again.”

Promise: Feedback from consultations shaped the “Promise”, giving assurance that tenant’s priorities are being heard.

Panel vice chair David said: “It’s a chance to shape it with the voice of residents.”

Ongoing governance role: The panel will ensure the “Promise” is upheld and that tenants’ voices remain a central pillar of post-merger governance. Panel member Edna added; “I want to know what’s going to happen to the residents, are we going to benefit from the merger and how?”

Outcomes and achievements

Lessons learned:

Low attendance at office events meant in stage two we focused on community-based outreach.

Targeted residents who had a first language other than English.

Texted and called younger tenants, resulting in greater responses from this demographic in stage two.

Vulnerable tenants raised initial concerns so we made sure support workers had all the information and knew when letters would be sent, and an accessible animation was created to reassure tenants. One resident said: “I spoke to a lovely lady about my son who has additional needs. She was fantastic, couldn’t fault her understanding and the way she took on board life from a different view.”

Key achievements:

The panel ensured the merger is shaped by tenants’ priorities, aligning the new organisation with tenant expectations and enabling engagement from harder to reach groups.

Independent assurance: The independent tenant advisor strengthened tenant trust in the merger process.

Using TPAS best practice standards and ongoing customer engagement, tenant scrutiny has been practiced throughout merger.

The panel’s role in the merger demonstrates an exceptional commitment to tenant scrutiny, customer engagement, and operational transparency. It’s proof that embedding the customer voice in all decision-making, we improve services and create stronger, more responsive organisations.

Submitted on behalf of the Joint Customer Panel, recognising their ongoing dedication to upholding tenants’ voices during a period of change.