Agenda item

The Head of Estates Management introduced the report which provided a brief overview of what tenancy failure was, as well as an update on the status of the twelve recommendations made during the course of the review.

The Committee noted that the implementation of the POC recommendations was a work in progress and there were a number of areas where further work was still required. Officers explained that the focus of the next few months would be to ensure the service was delivering maximum value and to ensure there was no duplication of work flows and that the housing key worker approach compliments the key worker approaches within Adult Social Care and Children and Families.

In relation to the new service model, Officers explained that remodeling work had been conducted to ensure that the most vulnerable residents were placed at the centre of what the service did. This included assessing risk factors as well as assessing the triggers of tenancy failure to ensure these were significantly reduced.

In terms of achievements over the last 9 months, the Committee were informed that the direction of travel had changed and the Tenancy Management Team and Council Housing Department had under gone significant change. A key element of this was the introduction of individual Tenancy Management Plans, which took into account factors such as the frequency of contact, the health of the tenant and how they had historically presented themselves to Council services.

Under the new Tenancy model, the Committee heard that all tenants would be subject to an assessment visit within the first 4 weeks of their tenancy and they would be categorized according to risk. Those tenants which were deemed to be at high risk of failure were allocated a Housing Key Worker which offered short-term (3 months) , but intensive support, to ensure the tenant was guided and directed to the most appropriate services and support networks.

Officers explained another key improvement had been the widespread use of the CIVICA paperless work flow system. This had enabled Officers to access and share information more efficiently and work as cross functional teams. In doing so, not only had costs and timescales been reduced, but officers had also been able to help tenants more quickly and across a wider range of services.

The Head of Housing explained that Officers were currently in the process of developing a series of performance indicators to measure the effectiveness of the Tenancy Management Scheme and these would be reported back to committee when they had been finalised.

The Committee welcomed news, that in addition to developing new processes and procedures, the Council was working in partnership with the Landlords Forum to ensure all available referral routes were being used.

While the Committee welcomed the improvements which had been made, Officers were asked at what point the Council intervened, should a tenancy encounter difficulties. In response, Officers explained that there was not a prescriptive timescale for intervention, as key workers were expected to use their judgment, but ultimately, the expectation was that this should be as soon as possible.

In terms of training, the Committee were informed that Key Workers received emails and attended regular meetings and that an important aspect of remodeling the service had been to ensure all staff had been able to contribute their views and recognize their strengths and weaknesses.

The Head of Housing commented that the Officers would be working closely with the Adult Social Care Department and Children and Families to see how the interaction between these services could be improved further.

With regards to ensuring residents from ethnic minority backgrounds were kept informed of the latest developments, Officers explained that the broad Officer base, demographic composition of the Department and use of community groups meant that the Housing Department was well equipped to fulfill this role. The Committee also noted that not all tenants would be computer literate or have access to a computer. Officers explained that while there was a move towards using ICT as widely as possible, there was an acceptance that paper based leaflets and Officers in person were required to ensure residents could access the range of services the Council provided.

RESOLVED:

1. That the report be noted

2. That Officers be requested to provide an update report to the February /March 2015 meeting, and for this to include:

• Performance Indictor information so that progress could be measured,

• Incorporating case studies, highlighting real world scenarios.