Every year we produce a report which shows how residents have been involved with New

Charter Homes (NCH) throughout the year, and more importantly, what a difference

involvement has made and how things have changed as a result.

This year, the report is available on-line to reduce the cost of printing, therefore creating

‘Value for Money’. (Printed copies are available upon request to the resident involvement

team on 0161 331 2000.)

Throughout the year all teams at NCH have reported to the Tenants Panel on their

involvement activities. This information has assisted the Resident Involvement Team

compile this report and to identify areas NCH need to improve on and achieve better value

for money.

Each involvement activity has been given a score. Firstly a score for the ‘impact’ i.e. what

difference it has made, and secondly for ‘Value for Money’, looking at the resources used to

achieve the outcomes.

√√√ High Impact Happy Face – Good value for money

√√ Medium Impact Medium face – OK value for money

√ Low Impact Sad face – Poor value for money

Resident Involvement Impact

Assessment Report 2013/14

Resident Involvement

Tenant Management Team

Throughout 2013/14 the scrutiny panel completed

two new scrutiny projects with a total of 30

recommendations. These were the New Charter

website and the external window cleaning service. In

addition to this they have done a thorough review of

the lettability standards scrutiny. The team have also

shared their experiences and knowledge with other

organisations, helping them to set up their own

panels and delivering training sessions at Trafford

Hall. Three members of the team successfully

completed the Chartered Institute of Housing level three award in Scrutiny,

Impact: All the recommendations made via the scrutiny projects have been agreed and are

being implemented, which involved the window cleaning services being brought in-house.

This have improved services, improved Value for Money and increased tenant satisfaction

levels. They have also made the website more user friendly and relevant to tenants.

With the CIH qualification, individuals have learned new skills, new confidence, and helped

make them more ‘work ready’.

The team were recognised for the work they do at the Northern TPAS Awards, winning

“Excellence in Tenant Led Scrutiny” category.

√√√

The Tenants Panel

The Panel meet every two weeks to monitor Resident

Involvement across the company and monitor the

Consumer Standards as set by the Homes and Communities

Agency.

They also review survey results and monitor the work of resident working groups and

panels.

Impact: The work of the Tenants’ Panel greatly assisted the achievement of the TPAS

accreditation. It is envisaged that the findings of the Tenants Panel will highlight areas of

improvement required and highlight areas which TMT can scrutinise.

√√√

Independent Tenant Solutions

We have established the Independent Tenant Solutions panel with Salix homes, Pendleton

together, City West and Southway Homes.

This is one of the first independent Tenant

Panels, who will act as independent advocates for complaints and as a panel to

hear complaints once internal stages have

been exhausted. Tenant volunteers have

all been trained to take part. The panel

heard its first complaint in March 2014.

Impact: Resolving residents’ complaints at

a local level, leading to savings in time and

expenses, whilst ensuring that resident’

issues are being fairly dealt with.

√√√

Grounds Maintenance Monitoring Group

This group continue to monitor the grounds

maintenance service provided by Green Charter.

They regularly complete monitoring forms which

are passed onto the manager of the service. In

addition they meet monthly with the Head of Service to monitor the delivery and performance.

They are also ensuring that the contract is adhered

to by Green Charter.

Impact: The work of the monitors assists the

Grounds Maintenance Manager to highlight areas for

improvement and to establish training requirements

for the Green Charter team. Tenants are having their say on the service delivery and NCH

are listening and acting on their feedback. Satisfaction has increased from 25% to 92% since

taking over the contract.

√√

Great Opportunities

This programme will help local people back into work, by delivering

activities across our neighbourhoods. This has involved helping

residents to get ‘job ready’, support with further training or

education, work placements, apprenticeships and even

volunteering.

The programme, this year has provided over 346 people with training,

secured nine voluntary work placements for those of workable age and 22 work experience

places for schools and colleges.

We have also been successful in supporting over 80 people gain paid employment. We now

have 13 work clubs sessions established as part of this project across the borough, that

operate from our local community hubs. They are supported by Job Centre Plus and other

partners.

Impact: The impact for each individual is immense especially for those who have gone into

employment.

√√√

InBloom

This year we had 14 entries to the In-Bloom

competition, improving the appearance of

neighbourhoods and creating a community spirit

across age groups.

Hundreds of residents join in these projects to

improve their neighbourhoods by planting, weeding,

grass cutting, painting fencing and preparing their

estates for judging day.

All groups that entered either won Bronze, Silver or

Gold within their category

Impact: Bringing communities together and improving the environmental aspect of estates.

This can have a major impact for individuals who may have found a new hobby and

increased their social life.

√√√

Stars that Shine Awards

The ‘Stars that Shine’ awards are a public recognition for those who have made a difference

to their community. This years categories included a community safety initiative, individual

achievement and making a stand against

anti-social behaviour.

Impact: The public recognition and thanking of individuals encourages further involvement and

translates the appreciation by New Charter to

individuals who are willing to make a stand for

their community.

This recognition may be all that is needed to keep

someone involved.

√√√

HQN Estate Accreditation

NCH received this award for the second year in a row. The assessors

were particularly impressed with the development of neighbourhood

plans and were praised for the tenant and staff engagement and for directing resources to areas most in need. This also included illustrating

how residents are involved in a day to day basis on the running of their

neighbourhood.

Impact: The accreditation formally recognises NCH for providing and achieving extremely

high standards in estate management work. This highlights NCH on a national stage and

leads to being asked to speak at events and to showcase work. The Accreditation also leads

to attracting the best staff to join the organisation.

√√√

‘Young Flyer’ – Alliance Awards

Several young New Charter residents were nominated for their contribution

to making their communities a better place to be, and were invited along to a

prestigious ceremony at Old Trafford football stadium. At the event, they

received a ‘highly commended’.

Impact: Young residents were rewarded for their initiative and contribution to making the

communities they live in a better place. Impact of them attending the ceremony and recognition will hopefully increase desire to stay involved and add to their CV for future

employment opportunities.

√√√

Policies and Procedures Panel

New Charter has consistently consulted with the Policies and Procedures group in regards

to any reviews or new Policies and Procedures. The panel provides tenants an opportunity

to shape policies and procedures by making recommendations to Senior Managers.

Some of the policies and procedures residents have reviewed this year are the Arrears

Procedure, Rent and Service charges and the ASB strategy.

Impact: The policies and procedures reviewed are now clear and easy to understand and

take into account residents’ needs. They also ensure that they are workable from a

residents perspective.

√

Equality Accreditation

New Charter worked with residents to obtain the kite mark of excellence in Equality work.

This included illustrating how New Charter ensures that Equality is adhered to throughout

the company in all contact with residents.

Impact: New Charter has achieved ‘excellent’ standard which recognises the commitment

shown to equality throughout the company. This demonstrates the organisation is open and

honest to both customers and staff

√√

Residents Showcase Event

Residents worked with New Charter to plan and

facilitate an annual showcase event in September. The

event was open to all residents and consists of

interactive workshops, information stands and

consultation. The 2013 event was themed around your

neighbourhood past and present and produced an

amount of information on where New Charter needed

to make improvements.

Impact: It is a ‘Thank you’ to our residents and an ideal opportunity for residents from

across Tameside to network. It increased the profile of AKSA residents due to a joint

working approached and increased the number of residents wishing to get involved.

√√

Resident Inspectors

The Resident Inspectors have assisted both New Charter and the Tenant Management

Team throughout the last year. The team of inspectors have assisted scrutiny topics by

helping TMT to assess whether New Charter are meeting service standards, by speaking to

residents, visiting empty properties and completing surveys. They continue to monitor the

standards on properties which are let out to tenants.

Impact: The findings of the Resident Inspectors have influenced TMT scrutiny reports and

have led to recommendations being made by TMT through their scrutiny reports. For

example, feedback gained upon speaking to residents about the current services, lead to the

recommendation to bring the communal window cleaning service in-house.

√√√

Connect

In April we switched to one single contact number for customer enquiries.

The contact number for all enquiries to New Charter is now 0161 331 2000 and all calls will

be dealt with by our Customer Contact team Connect.

The service is now able to help with:

Logging repairs and arranging gas/electric servicing appointments

Enquiries about renting one of our homes or current applications

Tenancy issues and Green Charter services

Reporting anti-social behaviour

Paying rent

Accessing New Charter’s switchboard

We made these changes after listening to our customers. Previously we have used many

different telephone numbers for a range of products and services but feedback told us that

many customers found this confusing.

Impact: The impact has seen the reduction of calls reduce from 40,000 to 18,000 per

month (meaning queries are answered first time) and satisfaction rating improve to 94%.

√√√

Tenant Board Members

All Tenant Board Members, together with other Board members, have played an important

role in decision making at NCH by taking an active part in discussions. New Board

members undertake training to learn about the organisation and help them to contribute

effectively as quickly as possible.

Impact: Increases New Charter’s accountability to tenants. Increase skills for individuals,

greater confidence, training and keeping people active

√√√

Mystery Shoppers

Throughout the year we have trained a number of mystery shoppers to carry out a reality

check on Services at New Charter. Work for the mystery shoppers can be commissioned

by New Charter Homes, Tenants Panel or the Tenant Management Team to assist scrutiny

projects. Throughout 2013/14 the team have completed mystery shops on the new

Connect telephone service and made recommendations for improvements. In addition they

have tested the service offered by ‘Tameside Housing Advice’ which is the homeless service

New Charter provides for Tameside council.

A full programme for mystery shopping will be continued throughout 2014/15 in

conjunction with the Connect service.

Feedback from one mystery shopper: “I was asked to be a mystery shopper in April 2013. I

felt that we were given an opportunity to help design a call system that really reflected what

I as a customer might genuinely need to know. New Charter weren’t afraid of finding out

where the weaknesses in their service were. This was in my view a good,

in-depth experience. When carrying out the calls, she was very pleasant

and gave me an impression of confidence in the system and was very

knowledgeable on the options open to me as a customer. I was

pleasantly surprised by the quality of the service received”.

“Shortly after being a mystery shopper my wife needed to report an electrical fault in the

kitchen and found an equally effective level of customer service. It’s good to know they are

consistent. On the whole, it’s stuff like this that makes the telephone experience really,

really good from my point of view and so much improved from the experience using it in

the past.”

Impact: Mystery shops completed on the Connect service and Tameside Housing Advice

have informed that the service is continually improving.

√√√

TPAS Accreditation

New Charter continues to be recognised for excellence in

resident involvement by TPAS, the Tenant Participation

Advisory Service. Renewed for three years, the accreditation means that as a whole company, we excel at involving our

residents in everything we do.

Impact: National recognition helps focus Resident Involvement and maintains its

importance throughout the company.

√√√

Bowel Cancer Awareness Month

April was Bowel Cancer awareness month, Neighbourhood, Resident Involvement and

Regeneration teamed up with Bowel Cancer UK, NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme

and Macmillan and The Christie's ‘Let's Be Clear - Get It Checked’ Cancer Awareness

project. The intention was to spread the word about how to reduce the risks of Bowel

Cancer and detect symptoms early.

Free healthy breakfasts were given to residents and a hamper raffled off in each

neighbourhood. Every event was supported by staff from the NHS bowel cancer screening

programme who spoke to over 100 residents about the risk factors of Bowel Cancer and

the screening process. Over 100 residents benefited from the campaign and a hamper

containing a mixture of healthy foods was also raffled off in each area to raise money for

Bowel Cancer UK. Other local partners were involved too resulting in positive

conversations about other health issues, debt, loan sharks & enterprise.

Impact: Gave valuable information and advice to residents of which the impact may be

lifesaving if someone recognises the symptoms of bowel cancer early.

√√√

New Charter Community Awards

Over 95 young people received awards for contributions to their communities.

Nominations were taken in four categories, community and environmental, sports,

performance and an award for continued dedication and commitment.

Impact: The public recognition and thanking of individuals encourages further involvement.

√√√

Healthy Breakfast Clubs

New Charter and Greggs have teamed up to provide

healthy breakfasts for children as young at four to give

them the best start to their days. These have been held

at Silver Springs Academy and Broakoak Primary School.

Impact: Children that don’t always get a breakfast at home enjoy a healthy breakfast to get the best start to their school day. In addition parents

are getting involved who wish to develop new skills and the confidence to help them be

more job ready.

√√√

Timebanking

New Charter contributes to ‘Timebanking’- an informal exchange of skills in communities

which is administered by Community Volunteering Action Tameside (CVAT). The

co-ordinators work closely with those involved and give advice and guidance on issues such

as health and employment and skills.

In addition to swapping skills, participants engage in large events including gardening, fun

days and arts and craft events. They also help with leaflet drops with organisations such as

Hollywood Bowl on Ashton Moss, who provide them with free tickets.

Over the last 12 months the programme has achieved the following successes:-

Scheme has increased its membership to 228 active members and is still growing.

Access to employment

seven people have got into sustained employment

50% have gone on to formal volunteering positions

29% have gone onto training 21% have joined a local work club.

Healthy living

17% now take regular exercise,

8% have quit smoking,

42% have reduced their alcohol intake

33% eat healthier.

Impact – Residents are benefiting from finding employment, entering into training and

joining work clubs. This all helps with peoples wellbeing and has also seen a rise is people

adopting a healthier lifestyle.

√√√

Tenant Training Events

Training opportunities for residents have continued

throughout the year. These training courses have

included a number of new opportunities including,

Safeguarding children, Risk Assessments and Paediatric

First Aid, which have supplemented existing offers of

Basic Food Hygiene, Basic First Aid and Basic IT skills.

Impact: All sessions have been fully allocated, teaching

individual residents new skills. These skills will either

benefit the community or help lead individuals back into

employment. The confidence two sisters gained after

completing this training helped them to secure

employment.

√√√

Neighbourhood Plans

To create great neighbourhoods we asked everyone to work together to decide how their

local communities should develop and grow in the future.

To make this happen, we have produced a Neighbourhood Plan for each of the New

Charter Homes 32 newly defined neighbourhoods. These plans will run for three years and

are reviewed annually.

The targeted approach our team structure and plans provide, enables us to work effectively

with stakeholders and partners and measure how successful we are. Out of a total of 1560

interventions across our neighbourhoods over the three years from 2013-2016, we have

completed 880 in this first year alone.

The highlights of the annual review undertaken in March 2014 shows that the star ratings of

our neighbourhoods have improved overall, with five star neighbourhoods increasing from

eight to fifteen and three star neighbourhoods reducing from eight to three.

Impact- Better working relationships between co-ordinator, regeneration and resident

involvement. Improved services i.e New cash points in some areas, working with residents

helps to establish priorities, and improved neighbourhoods.

√√√

Sheltered Forum

The forum is open to all residents of sheltered housing schemes to discuss issues which

affect them and to share ideas for social activities. The forum meets on a quarterly basis

and meeting venues are rotated around the different sheltered housing schemes.

Impact: Sharing of information has led to the improvement of social activities at all

schemes and has increased the confidence of those involved.

√√√

Restorative Justice

Neighbourhood resolution panels bring victims and offender together to resolve conflict and

harm caused by anti-social behaviour and crime.

The process is victim-led and can often be used to address disputes and

disagreements on our estates and avoid enforcement action being taken

against a person’s tenancy.

Impact- Has addressed disputes and disagreements in our

communities and avoided enforcement action being taken.

√√√

Silver Springs Academy

This was the first primary academy in Tameside

when it opened its doors in 2012. In April it

received a ‘good’ rating from Ofsted with

leadership and management rating as ‘excellent’.

Impact: Inspectors said that the teaching,

behaviour and achievements of the pupils gave

them a good start to their educational life.

√√√

Recruitment and Selection

This trained panel of residents who form part of the recruitment and selection policy for

front line staff at New Charter. During the year these pools has grown and during 2013/14

residents were actively involved in the recruitment in twelve areas of the business, which

included Resident Involvement Officers, Connect Advisers and Neighbourhood Co-

ordinators.

Impact: Adds a customer input into recruitment and selection to ensure all newly

appointed staff are right for both the organisation and our customers.

√

Tatton Park

Visitors loved the New Charter beach at this year’s RHS Tatton show which took place

between 25th and 28th July. Complete with sand, a Punch and Judy

show and even a donkey, the display was created by 50 young

people aged 8-16 on New Charter’s Dreamscheme. They not only

came up with the ideas, but volunteered a total of 200 hours hard

work to create the garden.

Their efforts at Tatton won us a silver award – now for the second year in a row.

The plants and materials used at the event were recycled and used by residents to build

community gardens in their own neighbourhoods.

Impact: Children are learning new skills which hopefully they will carry on into their

communities, in addition the recognition achieved will keep them volunteering,

√√√

Customer Communications Group (CCG)

The group exists to help improve communication with customers, from

information sent out electronically, on paper and face to face. During

2013/14 the group have been working with New Charter staff to monitor

the quarterly newsletter and the website.

Impact: The production of clear, concise and easy to read publications of

interest to customers and the launching of a newly designed newsletter

which is easy to navigate and contains relevant up to date information.

√√

Keys to Your Door

Is an exciting new programme for 18-39 year olds to help you gain a tenancy with us. The

course is run in-house, and we work closely with our partner organisations to make sure

we have experts on hand to deliver the best possible advice and training at each session.

To complete the course, the following modules need to be completed:

Make Your Home Work

It's All About the Money

Learn to Cook/Cook to Learn

Who Do You Want To Be?

Have Pride in Your Pad

Communities

A total of 167 customers have completed our Keys To Your Door programme since it

started in April 2012. 77 people have successfully gained a tenancy with us and a further 13

are in the process of moving in. We have completed eight courses, each containing seven

modules and facilitated by our staff from all sections of the business and our partners from

five different organisations. Of the 77 households, 18 have now been with us for over a

year and only five have moved on. We, alongside with Threshold, have also been working

with City and Guilds to have the course accredited.

Impact: Our customers learn the necessary tools to conduct a successful tenancy, they

also receive a recognised qualification which can go onto their CV.

√√√

Conclusion

Resident Involvement activities throughout 2013/14 have been extremely successful.

Residents have had substantial influence over the way services are provided and the impact

is clearly evident.

Getting Involved

If you are interested in getting involved in any of the projects, panels or initiatives detailed

within this report please contact the Resident Involvement Team on 0161 331 2000 or

email residentinvolvement@newcharter.co.uk