The impact of resident involvement
“I am deeply grateful to every resident who has taken the time to give us their vital contributions. Their unique insights simply cannot be replicated by any other source, and I hope that, in turn, residents recognise our culture of learning and transparency, leading to stronger relationships within all our communities.”
By Michelle Reynolds, Chief Customer Officer
At Clarion, we know the experiences and perspectives of our residents provide invaluable insights into the ever-evolving needs of our communities, and we do all we can to empower them to actively participate in shaping our offer.
We measure and evaluate the difference their involvement has made to services, and our annual resident involvement impact assessment illustrates the ways in which our residents have been able to influence what we do and how we do it.
We have national, regional and local frameworks for engagement, from resident board members on our Housing Association Board, to community inspectors on our estates. We also prepare and provide residents with the support they need in order to make a difference, including training on how to chair meetings, how to undertake SWOT analysis and how to evaluate contract bids.
We are really privileged to be able to work with some passionate resident advocates. Last year, for example, our Complaints Special Project Group, reviewed and revised the complaints handling training that was subsequently delivered to over 400 Clarion colleagues. They also worked with us to ensure our annual Complaints Self-Assessment to the Housing Ombudsman was accessible for every resident.
We made changes to our resident services and the resident experience through our Contact Centre following the feedback of residents across five regional focus groups – increasing our Contact Centre opening hours for social media and redirecting live chat and calls through to specialists in our customer accounts and homeownership teams.
In our continuing efforts to tackle and manage leaks, condensation, damp and mould (LCDM) in our homes, resident feedback has helped us identify and develop some important communications. We asked 160 residents to review our LCDM leaflet which will be offered to new residents to explain how they can report issues, and 134 residents worked on the development of a new LCDM policy which has been published on our website.
Residents told us the policy was comprehensive, but some felt there should be a simplified version available. As a result, we are developing clearer, simple guides which will be available both online and in print and available in other accessible formats on request.
Over the next year, residents will be invited to take part in a review of a LCDM video and our webpages, and we are currently working with them on planning and rolling out a series of LCDM webinars. Moving forward, we are seeking to establish a special LCDM resident panel.
Last year, we also made a major and formal change to our governance structure with the introduction of a new Customer Committee. Consisting of six residents, the Customer Committee will meet at least four times a year and will take part in reviews and consultations on both existing and new projects and policies. The six members bring with them a wealth of experience, both professionally and as residents in our homes and communities. Summaries of their meetings will be available on our resident website.
I am deeply grateful to every resident who has taken the time to give us their vital contributions. Their unique insights simply cannot be replicated by any other source, and I hope that, in turn, residents recognise our culture of learning and transparency, leading to stronger relationships within all our communities.
First published by Inside Housing on 13 March 2024