What we did in 2020- 2022: How we include tenants and service users in our work
During the timeline of our previous “How we involve tenants and service users in our work: 2020-2022" strategy, some of our work with tenants and service users was halted or delayed during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite this, we were able to complete the following activities under the objectives of the strategy. We:
Understand tenants’ and service users’ priorities and views
- published three National Panel of Tenant and Service Users Reports as the result of survey and feedback exercises;
- began a refreshing of the National Panel of Tenant and Service Users, in late 2022 – saying goodbye to our longest standing members and welcoming new members to ensure our Panel remains representative of all tenants and service users;
- met with the SHR Liaison Group on a quarterly basis using virtual meeting facilities. We also met with the group to discuss temporary changes to our Regulatory Framework as a result of Covid-19 in the early stages of the pandemic;
- participated in various events organised by tenant support agencies;
- liaised with a number of tenant support agencies to discuss our work and joint areas of interest. This included liaison regarding the temporary changes to our Regulatory Framework as a result of Covid-19;
- hosted a roundtable discussion with homelessness advice agencies. Feedback here was also used to help inform our February 2023 homelessness thematic report;
- conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with National Panel Members who have experienced homelessness and tenants of socially rented Gypsy/Traveller sites; and
- facilitated human rights awareness training sessions for our staff & Board.
Involve tenants and other service users in our regulation
- completed five pieces of work with our Tenant Advisors; and
- recruited a new group of Tenant Advisors in early 2022, with the support of the Tenant Information Service (TIS). Specific consideration was given to protected characteristics to ensure the group of Tenant Advisors was balanced, inclusive, and representative. Our current group have been in place since 1 April 2022.
Communicating our work
- published landlord performance data and provided tenants with a modernised to help them better understand, compare and challenge their landlord’s performance;
- made improvements to our website to make our information easy-to-access for as many people as possible;
- published factsheets for tenants on how to complain about a landlord; and how to report a significant performance failure;
- released short videos to explain what we do;
- used Twitter to promote new publications and announcements and to direct readers to our website; and
- commissioned and published a stakeholder communications research report.