Tenant engagement –

sheltered and supported

accommodation.

Suzanna Wood

Housing Scrutiny 21.3.18

Waltham Forest Housing – engaging

with our sheltered residents• Working with resident engagement team to feed into

2018-21 refreshed resident engagement strategy

• Tailored consultation approach, taking account of mobility,

mental/physical health issues

• Group meetings and one-to-one meetings

• Involving family/carers/advocates

• Example – used specialised consultants alongside

Independent Living Officers to work with residents on

recent service review 2

Scheme upgrades – refurbishment

programme• Joint working with property services, contractors and Housing

Strategy and Investment team

• Newsletters, consultation meetings, residents’ working group

• Brought furniture samples, paint colours, fabrics and mood boards

for residents to make choices

3

Involvement in service delivery

• Repairs contractors holding surgeries in schemes

• Customised template to report repairs and monitor

progress – support available if required

• Monthly resident meetings – for residents to raise issues,

suggest areas for discussion and share information

• Disability Forum for WFH residents –strong representation

from sheltered tenants

4

Community events

• Twice monthly scheme events –

developed in consultation with residents

eg health screening, benefits advice,

healthy eating

• Entertainment and festivities

• Lime Court – resident-led communal

garden work, supported by WFH and

contractors Osborne and Aston

• Resident engagement day for WFH

residents – high attendance from

sheltered tenants5

Peabody

• Doreen Capstan House and Welcome Court

• Sheltered Residents’ Forum – elected reps ensure that

sheltered tenants can comment on and influence services

• Digital inclusion – Network inter-generational IT coaching

• Bingo, coffee mornings, birthday parties

• Boccia sessions in partnership with Leyton Orient trust

6

• Minibus trips – garden

centres, cultural events,

seaside trips

Clarion

• Tenants encouraged to participate in service improvement groups,

resident engagement days

• Windmill Court (extra care scheme):

• Weekly family and advocate sessions – raising concerns and queries

• Monthly house meetings – feedback, consultation, info sharing

7

• Community activities – tai chi,

music sessions, digital

inclusion, yoga, themed

lunches

Anchor Housing

• Specialist retirement housing provider

• Service involvement - customer forums, surveys, written

updates on policies, newsletters, notice boards

• Activities and events within schemes and in wider

community

• Quiz nights, resident-organised outside visits (dial-a-ride),

tai chi, bingo

• Info sessions – benefit advice, flu jabs, health information

8

Christian Action HA

• Retirement housing local offer – service promise based on

feedback from house meetings, surveys and 1-1 meetings

• Monthly house meetings

• Older Residents’ Audit Panel – 4-monthly meetings, with

representatives from retirement schemes, and staff – discussing

events and reviewing policies and procedures

• Estate champions – monthly inspections

• Activities – keep fit, Nordic walking, tai chi, line dancing, quizzes,

coffee mornings9

London & Quadrant

• Resident consultation for new projects – engaging

residents from the start to enable them to shape the

service

• Business Development team attend tenants’ meetings to

promote engagement and note concerns

• Partnership with Team Up

• “Get Active” project – developed in response to survey

indicating tenants wanted more physical and outdoor

activity - gardening, walking, cycling, photography

• Bi-monthly “themed month” – tenants can bid for grant to

host an event10

Outlook Care

• Medium/High support needs around mental health

• Focus on communication – some residents have complex needs

• Quarterly speak-up forums – Sea Change advocacy group,

using art, music and drama

• Experts by experience – service users receive training to input

into audits/inspections

• Service users involved in recruitment at all levels

• Residents encouraged to develop employability skills

11