Department launches new strategy and action plan for tenant participation

Plans to increase the level of tenant participation have just been published by the Department for Social Development. ‘A Tenant Participation Strategy for NI: 2015 to 2020’ sets out the actions that social landlords should take to give tenants the opportunity to have a say in the decisions that affect them.

The Minister for Social Development, Lord Morrow, states “My vision for social housing is more than just providing a home to those in need, however; it is about creating communities with efficient services that respond to local needs.” Housing Rights welcomes this vision and recognises that the strategy is an important step forward in developing landlord services.

Principles of tenant participation

The strategy sets out ten principles for tenant participation which are based on what social landlords should do, how tenants’ capacity can be developed and supported and what government can do to take the lead.

The ten principles are:

1. Tenant participation comes from and promotes a culture of mutual trust, respect and partnership between tenants, board members and staff at all levels.
2. Tenant participation is a continuous process.
3. Good tenant participation is about sharing information.
4. Decision-making processes should be open, clear and accountable.
5. Tenant representatives should have enough time to consider issues properly.
6. The landlord must recognise the independence of tenants’ organisations.
7. Good working relations evolve gradually so must be flexible to adapt to local circumstances.
8. Tenants’ organisations need adequate resources for organisation, training and support.
9. Tenant participation in rural areas must suit the particular circumstances and needs of rural tenants.
10. Tenant participation must meet the requirements of legislation on equality.

Support for tenants

Housing Rights is pleased that the strategy recognises that for participation to be meaningful, tenants must have access to appropriate support. Housing Rights welcomes the proposal that any support should be independent of the landlord or government.

Of course, for this to be fully implemented resources need to be made available. Furthermore, it is positive that the Department recognise  that the provision of independent support be adequately resourced, the strategy makes reference to the case for funding to be made available to establish an independent tenant organisation for NI (ITO). The action plan which accompanies the strategy indicates that an ITO will be established by June 2016.

Maximising the impact of the strategy

Research commissioned by Housing Rights concluded that “The research findings identified a promising environment for building on existing good practice and positive attitudes. However, we also ask why current structures seem unable to accommodate a wider variety of service users, whether to contribute to policy and strategy or to service delivery. We suggest this could be because there is no systematic approach to improving practice. Therefore the research concludes by recommending an integrated model for service user involvement in housing, for all participants including ‘easy to ignore’ groups.”

We would therefore recommend that social landlords give thought, as the strategy is rolled out, to tailoring their approach to meet the needs of ‘easy to ignore’ groups. The strategy acknowledges that it is not just for social housing tenants, but for “…all other residents, homeless people, those living in hostel accommodation and other service users” and Housing Rights encourages social landlords to place particular emphasis on involving all these groups. Meaningful participation of tenants, other service users  and the wider community can improve the quality of those services and provide better value for money.

Delivering on Tenant Participation: From Strategy to Implementation

Housing Rights and Supporting Communities have come together to offer an exclusive one day conference for those interested in delivering on tenant participation.

With an overarching focus on the key themes of the Strategy, the conference will examine both the strategic and operational perspectives relating to leading, supporting and delivering tenant participation. By focussing on best practice examples, delegates will gain valuable insights into building the business case for tenant involvement and the tools by which the principles become practice.

10% discount available on all bookings made before 1st March. 

Finding our more about tenant participation in Northern Ireland

Last year Housing Rights jointly held a conference on tenant participation with Supporting Communities NI.  This event featured speakers from other jurisdictions talking about their experiences of tenant participation and included workshops on the general themes identified in the original DSD consultation into tenant participation in Northern Ireland.  

Read the Shaping Social Housing conference report and notes from the workshops

Read our research into involving easy to ignore groups