The Role & Purpose of the Customer Senate

Jerry Coulton - Senator

TP to Customer Involvement

• Started with a blank sheet of paper to develop customer involvement

• Leading to a fit for purpose CI Strategy in November 2007

• Revised CI Strategy adopted July 2009

• Change of focus from a traditional tenant participation role

TP to Customer Involvement

• New Customer Involvement structure– You Say– You Decide– We Do

• Integrate CI throughout the organisation

• Change of governance structure

Aims of the Customer Senate

• Ensure that customer’s views, aspirations and priorities are central to Salix Homes’ framework for directing, accounting for, monitoring, assessing and modifying the organisations behaviour and performance.

• Act as a driver for continuous improvement in performance and excellence through the process of Resident Led Self-Regulation.

Role of the Senate

Scrutinises individual areas of Salix Homes’ business on a programmed basis.

Contributes to the process of scoping and prioritising Salix Homes’ programme of self-regulation.

• Holds a central position in supporting the process of establishing negotiated, customer focussed performance indicators.

Holds Salix Homes to account for poor performance, advises and influences performance management and drives change.

Ch

Customer Access &

Involvement

Investment& Maintenance

Cleaner,

Greener

Safer Income

Management

Empty Properties

Sec

Ind

Co

Co

Co

The Importance of Tenant Scrutiny & Accountability

Core Standards• To be accountable to the wider customer body• To be independent of Salix Homes• To act with transparency• To reflect the needs and aspirations of the customer body• To respect the primacy of the Salix Homes Board

• To make recommendations based on robust evidence that are proportionate and reflect the context in which Salix Homes operates

Safeguards

• Adoption of an enforceable Code of Conduct.• Use of a suitably qualified mentor to assist Senate operations and

assess collective competence.• A requirement that the Senate publishes an Annual Schedule of its

scrutiny activities along with an explanation for the choice of topics and the priority allocated to them.

• A system of regular review/assessment of the Senate’s effectiveness and impact.

• Ability for the Salix Homes Board to initiate a full external scrutiny of the Customer Senate and instigate appropriate sanctions such as issue of a ‘Notice to Improve’.

Accountability

• A requirement that the Senate publishes an Annual Schedule if its’ programmed activities.

• A requirement that the Senate publishes its findings in an Annual Report.

• A requirement that the results of the Senate’s annual health check is published.

• Adoption of a mechanism that allows customers to influence the Senate’s focus through a formal duty on the Senate to respond to a ‘Call for Action’ from a community group or collection of customers.

• Adoption of a mechanism that allows customers to instigate a full scrutiny of the Senate in the event of collective concerns regarding the groups effectiveness or probity.

Benefits to Tenants & Wider Community

Powers• Achieving full and unfettered access

to internal performance data, comparative benchmarking data and customer feedback.

• Ability to commission independent evidence gathering activities through utilisation of the Customer Inspection Team and other sources.

• Ability to hear evidence from officers and customers on request.

• A formal duty on the Salix Homes Board/ Executive Team to respond appropriately and in a timely manner to the Senate’s requests and recommendations.

• A requirement that the Salix Homes Board/executive team develop and implement any Improvement Plan that has been agreed jointly with the Customer Senate.

• Clear mechanism for redress for ‘non action’– A formal ‘Notice of Intent’ served on the Salix Board and a prescribed duty to

respond.– Referral of the matter to Salford City Council.– Request for intervention by Tenant Services Authority

Powers- continued

Key Drivers• Commitment from Board to allow Senate unfettered

access to information.• Scrutiny of Salix governance by Senate.• Scrutiny of Senate by Board.• Senate recommendations to Board and appropriate

responses. • Agreed Improvement Plans.• Negotiated topics for inclusion in Senate’s Annual

Programme.

Critical Development Achievements

• Effective relationship with Salix Homes Board.• Effective relationship with Service Specific Panels &

Customer Inspection Team.• Terms of Reference & Code of Conduct.• Election of Chair/Deputy Chair.• Currently recruiting and Independent Mentor.• Detailed Training Programme.• Salix Homes support.• Scheduling mechanisms.• Community Call for Action mechanisms.

Thanks for Listening