The Housing Advice Practitioners' Forum

For a number of years now, Housing Rights has organised the Housing Advice Practitioners’ Forum. The Forum meets 3 times per year and is an informal way of keeping Housing Rights members up-to-date with the latest information relating to housing legislation, case law, policy and practice.

The Forum is organised by Sharon Geary and is aimed primarily at Housing Rights members who work as housing advice practitioners. This means that practitioners from across a range of organisations including advice agencies, charitable institutions, legal professionals, local councils and housing providers including hostels are invited to attend the Forum.

Aims of the Forum

The main purpose of the Forum is to provide those who give advice and assistance to people in housing need with an opportunity to learn about the latest developments in housing legislation, policy and practice. It also aims:

• To bring together appropriate frontline housing advice practitioners to meet and discuss the latest developments in housing law, policy and practice associated with their day to day work. It also offers an opportunity for practitioners to learn from each other and have a positive impact on their own agencies.
• To enhance the skills and knowledge of housing in Northern Ireland and the impact on their client group.
• To enable appropriate frontline housing advice practitioners the opportunity to bring local housing issues to the attention of Housing Rights Service; therefore, allowing the active involvement of frontline advice practitioners in developing practice and influencing policy.
• To facilitate the effective communication of policy, knowledge, information and good practice on housing.

Benefits to practitioners

The Forum offers housing advice practitioners:

•  A forum to help create a culture of shared learning.
• The chance to discuss local practice.
• The opportunity to develop networking relationships with other housing advice practitioners.
• The opportunity to share work experiences and tips for improvement.
• The chance to explore common skills, values and shared issues.
• The chance to improve communication between agencies.
• The opportunity to be briefed by external organisations on particular topics of interest.
• The opportunity to raise housing issues, arising from their own agencies, which have the potential of being carried forward as policy issues.

Your invite

If you are a member of Housing Rights then your organisation should automatically receive an invite to the Forum.  If you are interested in attending in future or would like to find out more about the Forum please contact Laura McNamee.