April 2018
ALL THE LATEST NEWS, VIEWS & ACTIVITIES FROM MHA STAFF
Congratulations to Farida Aslam Farida Aslam, Inclusion Manager recently completed a Women Lead the Board course and as pictured attended a graduation ceremony held at the Governance Conference in early March. Farida commented; “The Women Lead the Board course is an excellent opportunity for anyone who has an interest in making an effective contribution at a board in which they sit on or aspire to sit on. Having sat on a board previously, I still felt that I didn't quite possess the skills needed to be an 2
effective governance practitioner - attending the course was invaluable. I took so much from it, learning from fellow participants, real life case studies, inspirational speakers understanding the art and the science behind good governance. The training has enabled me to understand what good governance looks like, what to do and what not to do! I have learned a great deal about my own approach to governance and things I need to change going forward. It's really worth doing and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in undertaking a governance role.�
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As you’ve seen, Project P is up and running on In House and it is great to share the huge amount of positive feedback we receive about you from our customers.
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The purpose of the project is to celebrate the positive experiences our customers are having from us and encourage all staff to deal with customers in a professional, patient, positive, prompt and polite manner, delivering excellent services and making everyone feel good about themselves! Project P as it stands is just the beginning! Over the next few months we will be developing the page, sharing positive examples of great customer care as well as adding learning material, hints, tips, interviews and blogs. So keep your eyes ‘pea’led and feel the love for Project P coming next month!
Click here to see some of the fantastic compliments that your colleagues have received. 3
Why not say hello to all the new starters on
Helen Brookes Journey 2 Work Officer Hi, my name is Helen. I am an experienced employability professional with many years’ experience as an employment consultant. I have most recently been working in the criminal justice sector supporting offenders to address barriers that contribute to offending, providing early intervention at point of arrest through to resettlement from prison. I have been employed at MHA to develop and deliver the ESF funded Journey 2 Work project, supporting participants who are the furthest away from the job market, to recognise and address their personal barriers with the aim of securing employment. I am married to Dave and have 2 fur babies, Bo and Izzi who are Ragdolls. I would love to say I have loads of hobbies and interests, but that would be a lie as I am also a carer. I love nothing more than chilling out with a nice glass of red. I have an unhealthy obsession with watching real life crime and hospital documentaries.
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why? I’d like to be stuck in a lift with 'Patsy Stone' AKA Johanna Lumley, at least we won’t dehydrate!
Gemma Smith Income Officer My name is Gemma and I am married to Carl, we have two little boys, Taylor and Aston who are 4 and 2. My background is mainly in criminal justice, I was a police officer in the Metropolitan Police Service for 5 years but moved back to Newport after starting a family. I have recently been working in HMP Cardiff delivering the resettlement contract but I have now finally escaped the high wall and am happy to be starting a new venture with the Income team who have made me feel very welcome. My hobbies mainly revolve around taking my children to enjoy their hobbies.
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why? If I was stuck in a lift I would like to be stuck in there with a lift engineer so we could get out as quickly as possible!
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Toby Wales Service Charge and Leasehold Officer Things I’ve done (so far)... Photography, window cleaning, lorry driving, boat building, accounts. Places I’ve lived (among others)... London, New York, Monmouth, a narrow boat on the Grand Union Canal. Things I like (in no particular order)... Running marathons, cheese (the main reason I’ll struggle being vegan), the first album by Ride, Rhossili beach, Maisy my Lurcher, camper vans, Inspector Morse, Radio 4, fresh coffee. Things I don’t like (also, in no particular order)... Reality TV, inequality, doing something twice, Rhubarb (truly the food of Satan), giving up, trying to describe myself.
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why? Nelson Mandela (if I can have someone who’s dead?), to be inspired by his belief, principles and his astounding level of forgiveness.
Ryan Parry Wellbeing Support Manager My name is Ryan Parry and I am the Wellbeing Support Manager. I have worked within the Housing and Probation sector over the past 13 years, which has involved working and managing services within the support, inclusion, engagement, mental health, employability and community development/youth work strands within the sector. I have two amazing children who certainly keep me busy outside of work. One of which refuses to sleep at night (hence the permanent black bags under the eyes, and is why I have aged by 10 years in the past 20 months).
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with and why? It would have to be Rob Brydon, seen him a few times now and he would keep me entertained I'm sure.
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We wish them the best for the future
David Morris Director of Housing & Communities
Lisa Way Senior Development Surveyor
Michelle Smith Special Projects Manager
Ceri Melhuish-Thomas Dads Can Development Worker
Caroline Richards-Bourne Specialist Rehousing Officer
Jennifer Cole Income Officer
Donna Mason Neighbourhood Officer
Selwyn Monk Carpenter
Selwyn has retired after 40 years service with MHA.
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MON£Y SAV£RS! By Kate Fitzpatrick
I am pleased to share that Corporate Services have reached their target to achieve a saving of £20k within the department over the last 12 months! An ambitious target to set but we recognise the changing environment and the need to get our outgoings down so we have all worked hard to slash costs, at the same time maintaining quality and value for money. Why not set yourselves a team challenge for 2018/19?
This is how we have done it… Project
Description Cost
CEO Appraisal Annual appraisal – including 360 snap survey, analysis and preparation for Panel Interview Tenant Satisfaction Survey
Tenant satisfaction survey. Postal, online and telephone surveys for extra responses
EBuzz
Online only from December 2017. All staff now have full access to In House so no need for printed version. Developing new Capsel website
Capsel website
Social media advertising for Homesearch and Shared Housing Pilot (New Homes Team) Pentana browser set up
Used Facebook advertising exclusively for Abergavenny homes coffee morning promotion and shared housing pilot promotion Designing and creating the Pentana browser system, making it bespoke to each user.
Savings
In House Survey preparation Katie (4 hrs): Analysis & prep for panel meeting (Kate - 5hrs): Total: £160.00
External 2016 – £1920.00 (consultancy costs) KN’s time - 3 hrs Data prep Total: £1,984.48
Survey preparation Katie (7 hrs) Postal cost standard and large print: £4,072 Temp cost for telephone questionnaires: £1,228.18 Analysis and report writing: (3 weeks): £1,803.75 Total: £7,217.68
Last external survey conducted in £2,605 2011 cost £9,823.20
Secured local developers to design and build a Wordpress website for £4,560 after extensive research into developers and CMS options. £30
Time from Katie, Lorna and Anna: £7,696.91
£1,808
Annual cost of £3,300 for printing & mailing 6 issues.
£3,300
We originally had a £15,000 budget for the design and build approved by Capsel board.
£10,440
£1,860 total spend on the press advertising campaigns based on x2 ads in Chronicle for the coffee morning and x4 ads in the Chronicle/Beacon for shared housing offer.
£1,830
Quotes obtained from Pentana were £1,500 per day for an estimated 6 weeks. Total: £45,000
£37,303
Total Savings: £57,286 7
NEEDS YOU! We're always on the lookout for interesting stories. If you have any stories. events or achievements you'd like to share with MHA staff, please email Inhouse@ monmouthshirehousing.co.uk with the details. 8
news
Lots has been going on with Capsel over the last few months and there are some exciting changes on the horizon. One of the biggest changes is the opening of Capsel’s brand new online estate agency – think Purplebricks but better! Capsel Homes – the sales and lettings arm – will continue to run the full service it currently offers, alongside the new online DIY option that offers vendors the chance to manage the sale of their home themselves. The new online agency will bring with it a new brand and website. With the launch date fast approaching, this was the first chance the team have had to see the final product and test the application process customers will use. With only a few more tweaks to go before launch, keep an eye out for the new and improved Capsel Homes over the next few weeks.
Fancy a game of football after work? Every Monday 17:00-18:00 at Cwmbran Stadium.
If you’re interested in joining up with colleagues for a friendly game of 5-a-side, drop Michael Harper or Dewi Parry an email. You don’t need to be Messi or Salah, all welcome!
Just £4 to play!
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No escape for David James!
Your Sno
"What's going on?" Ole enjoys the snow (Nathan Cook)
Single file
These cars are going nowhere (Graham Harvey)
10 "I'm on top of the world!" (Louise Davies)
The white stuff of nightmares! (Graham Harvey)
ow Pics Snow selfie (Craig Carter)
Digging out the van (Kingsleigh Jones)
Frozen river in Abergavenny (Domini Barnes)
Making snow angels (Domini Barnes)
Sledging down the main road (Claudia Blair)
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Norway By Claudia Blair
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A few weeks before the February half term, a friend sent me a message “We’ve just booked to go skiing for half term!” with a pretty picture of a snow covered cabin in twilight. I responded “ooh, jealous” to which her response was “Why not come?” So an hour later I had booked a cabin for the three of us with lessons, ski passes, ski hire and put out the call to blag some ski clothes from friends. Fingers crossed that work would approve the holiday... I hadn’t been skiing for about 15 years so was starting to worry that my ageing limbs would not be up for the assault of all the exertion but I needn’t have worried. The resort, Beitostølen in Norway, is a resort aimed at families and beginners and although there are some testing runs and crazy jumps for the more adventurous, there was nothing too difficult. I was going with my beginner partner, daughter and another family, so my memories of crazy mogul runs and vertical black runs with hard core skiers was not on the agenda this time round. It was a perfect resort for me returning to the slopes after a long break. The mountain is gentle and incredibly easy to navigate – meaning that Maisie and her friends could fly around on their own without getting lost.
supermarkets. For us, this was the appeal of the place and the few options available served us well. We were often pleasantly tired by the end of the day so after a meal and a few glasses of our duty free gin we were ready for bed, eager to be refreshed for the next day’s skiing. We were close to the Coop supermarket and quickly learnt that just about everything was very expensive and eating like the locals was the most economical. We are all fairly nerdy when it comes to recycling and plastic, so the plastic recycling deposit scheme at the supermarket entrance was a highlight! With the help of her ski school instructor, Jesper from Denmark, my daughter picked up the basics of skiing within a couple of days and was soon off the nursery slopes and hurtling down some tougher runs and took particular delight in whizzing through narrow paths through the trees. My husband took a little longer to get the knack and his experience of skiing and trees was less planned and more into trees rather than through them. One memorable night the slopes were floodlit and the main lift was open so we went night skiing. It was a magical atmosphere in the darkness. We stayed out until the lift finally closed. By the end of the week I was finally part of a family who skis and we look forward to going again next year.
The resort was very pretty with log cabins everywhere covered in snow. Even the airport in Fagernes was charming with it's wooden facia and snow covered long sloping roof. Our cabin was small but perfectly cosy for our stay. The rooms were warm and beds were comfy and the kitchen had enough to enable us to make a decent meal and even entertain (although our guests were very easy going!). One of my favourite things about skiing is the fresh clean air, the mountains and the spectacular views. The area was stunning and from the top of the slopes on a clear day you could see the fjord below our resort and forests of trees and mountain tops in all directions. Après ski isn't top of the agenda in Beitostølen. The compact village is fairly sedate, with just a few restaurants and bars, plus a couple of shops and 13
10,000 Steps a Day by Domini Barnes
Hi all, I’m Domini and I have worked for MHA in Building Services for over six years now. My Dad passed away from a brain tumour at the age of 47, I was only 17 years old, and to say the least this was a traumatic situation, which is an understatement. I always thought if I could help to lessen the blow to other families or help in any way I could, I would. For many years I have raised huge amounts for Marie Curie Cancer Care. After working for them I have seen the effect that Marie Curie nurses can have on families at end of life stage. However, after being so enthusiastic for fundraising, after a while people started to tell me to stop as it was too much! But I could never stop, therefore instead of fundraising I now do the odd event usually around cancer care. I did a 10k for St David’s and this time I did the 'Walk 10,000 Steps a Day Challenge' for the month of March. 14
I would firstly like to thank MHA for the walking / working desk. What a fantastic thing to have and be able to use when you want to. If that was not available I seriously would have struggled to complete 10,000 steps a day. I would also like to thank everyone that has sponsored me. My aim was to reach £100 and I have already smashed that which really inspires me to keep going, so I thank you all VERY much for ALL your kind donations. Including online donations I have raised £143.50. In total I walked 324,345 steps. Thank you all again for your generosity.
Domini
#WeDidItWednesday As MHA celebrates its 10th Anniversary each week we will be sharing our achievements over the last ten years with our social media followers. Please share with us all the amazing work and achievements your teams are doing! If there is anything you would like us to share please get in touch with Louise Davies.
Here are a selection of “Pickles” that you have awarded to your colleagues recently: Domini Barnes has ‘pickled’ Gareth Pope for… "spotting a toddler walking in to the road at Rolls Avenue and picking up the child and taking it back home to its parents. Toddler about two years old. Well done guys for taking the initiative to stop.” Cath Murray has ‘pickled’ Peter Thomas for… "delivering a fantastic talk to our ‘Passport to Construction’ group of six tenants. They left feeling inspired and with great enthusiasm and direction after a brilliant talk from Peter, who did so at short notice. Huge thank you!" Farida Aslam has ‘pickled’ Louise Davies and Emma Assender for… "helping me understand governance within MHA which in turn assisted me with my assignments!” Farida Aslam has ‘pickled’ Gayle Sheppard, Carol Thompson and Adele Aubrey for… "supporting the Work and Skills Wise team to deliver the Active Inclusion Project. We could not have done this without you!” Do you think your colleagues should be recognised for their additional work efforts? Going above and beyond customer expectation and showing a good service. Then award them a pickle via In House. A prize will be awarded to the employee with the most deserved pickles during the quarter. 15
My Working Week at MHA By Adam Wilkison (work experience) age 14
Day 1: The set up My first day at MHA was the 9th of April I remember on the way to the building I felt anxious because I have never done this before. When I first got to the building I was greeted by Cath Murray who took me on a tour of the building. After the tour I went to meet the Corporate Services Team where I would be working. Louise explained my workplan for the week and set me up with the IT. After lunch I had a task to resize images in photoshop so we could post them on social media and came up with some hastags for Instagram.
Day 2: Elvis Shrekley On the second day I got to meet Graham who showed me how to use photo shop in more detail. After I got the hang of things we decided to make 'Elvis Shrekley', which is a cross between Elvis Presley and Shrek. It was a fun experience for me because I have never done anything like it before. Graham then showed me all the peeps that represent MHA and then we made a peep version of Elvis Presley to end my day.
Day 3: Day out with Ben Hennessy On the 3rd day with ben I got to learn about 16
different types of marketing, we talked about where you could promote our business. After lunch we went to put a banner up, it was hard at first because the zip ties kept snapping. We then went to see the new apartments at Oakley Way. I am shortly moving into one but unfortunately we did not get to go inside, but I did get to see the difference between the old and the new flats. I then got to do a video about how I felt about moving into one of them.
Day 4: Poster making On the 4th day I got to make a new poster about the new pool car, which you probably see up on the walls now. I also designed a book marker for my mum as she loves to read.
Day 5: Website Analytics and Twitter In the morning I went to the website analytics session with Graham, Louise and Nathan and looked at MHA’s website performance over the last 6 months in preparation for a new website. The afternoon then I decided to prank Nathan by sticking an LFC sticker on his Cardiff City mug. I also looked at MHA’s Twitter account to see how many followers, likes and retweets they had over the last month for EBuzz.
news Twitter Feed Our latest activity on Twitter and what your colleagues are tweeting about can be found on the In House homepage.
Compliments
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Click here to see all the great compliments MHA staff are getting for the fantastic work we're all doing. your pod
Trades you have your own password (If anyone has forgotten their passwords, please let IT know).
The engagement team have just updated their Calendar, click here take a look at the events that will be happening over the next few months
s in
If you work in HQ your username and password is the same as your login details.
Engagement Events Calendar
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All staff have access to inhouse and we would encourage you to check in now and again to see what’s happening and share your fundraising events and stories with your colleagues, even to tell them there is birthday cake available.
Look what you’re missing out on
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Please be reminded that all NON WORK related emails should now be shared with you colleagues via Inhouse. We have seen an increase in the last month of all staff group emails being sent.
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Tenant Insight Figures Household Composition
CoupleS 15%
Couples with Children under 18 - 13%
Single 46%
AGE of Tenants
Single with Children under 18 - 13%
MARITAL STATUS
30%
Living Together 12%
25% 20%
Widowed 13%
15% 10%
20%
25%
27% 12%
12%
5% 0%
Other 13%
3% Under
24
25-34
35-49
50-64
65-79
Divorced / Separated 17%
Married / Civil Partnership 32%
Single 26%
80+
OCCUPANCY
Over Occupancy - 6%
Under Occupancy - 36%
Full Occupancy - 58%
We need everyone to update the information as and when they are made aware of any changes. Good quality data means we can provide realistic analysis that will enable you to work more efficiently and save time by delivering more effective services and support to our tenants. Keep an eye out for the new version of the Tenant Insight Report which will be on In House shortly! 18
Capita Clinic - April 2018 Welcome to Capita Clinic! This clinic will focus on the information that we collect around protected characteristics. We collect this information as any service reviews that are carried out require us to carry out equality impact statements to ensure that we are treating all residents fairly. This information is easy to locate and update on Capita. Enter the person’s record and update the following areas:
Age – Insert a date of birth in this field. Capita will then calculate the age of the person.
Pregnancy – Tick the box to add a current pregnancy and enter the due date. Make sure this is turned off and an occupant is added when the child is born.
Country of Origin – Select the relevant country from the drop down menu. If the country isn’t listed it can be added.
Sexual Orientation – Select from the drop down menu.
Religion – Select from the drop down menu.
Marital Status – Select from the drop down menu. Gender and Gender Reassignment – Select from the drop down menus. Disabilities – Input the relevant code in this section. See Capita Clinic article available in the Tenant Insight Useful Handouts section on In House. (EBuzz- August 2017)
Once you have updated the record remember to click the save button to save your updates! If you need any help with updating the information on Capita or would like some training please contact Claudia Blair or Nathan Cook in Corporate Services. All previous Capita Clinics are on In House on the Tenant Insight page. They can be found in Departments – Tenant Insight – Useful Handouts and Guides.
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