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Our Annual Report 2012
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Foreword
page 4
Our journey
page 6
Our homes
page 8
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Our customer care
page 16
Our repairs
page 22
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Our neighbourhoods
page 28
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Our involvement
page 34
Our governance
page 38
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Value-for-money
page 41
Our money
page 44
Our future
page 48
Our extras
page 50
Have your say
page 54
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Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
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Accord Group Our Report 2012
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Welcome to your annual report. This year’s report has seen more involvement from customers than ever before. From taking photographs to interviewing staff, we have been very involved because now, more than ever, customers have a real say and can work with our landlords and the Group as a whole to shape the services we receive. Written by customers for customers, this report gives details and information about the Accord Group from a customer’s point of view. We have worked in partnership with the Resident Engagement team to create a document so that everyone can understand what happens within the organisation and the full range of services that are available. Each member of the annual report team has taken a specific topic to research and report back on. It was a real challenge but so rewarding. We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we have enjoyed writing it for you. You can find out more about our journey on the following pages. The next report is already in planning and we would encourage all fellow residents to take part and get involved. To register your interest, email reteam@accordgroup.org.uk See you all next year.
Barbara Timmins
Sue Priest
Claudette Bonnet
Charlotte Roper
Chris Bishop
Stuart Anslow
Yvette Thompson
Robert Vaughn
Asma Mulla
Kath Hodson
Maureen Kearns
Bromwyn Shayler
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Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
Photographs of residents and the community, taken by Charlotte Roper and Yvette Thompson.
Accord Group Our Report 2012
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February
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April – May
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The work begins. We were all busy working towards our own articles, discussing and submitting our work to our buddies. All of our work was then collected and a draft copy was produced.
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Each organisation’s Local Offers are held and reported locally. If you want a copy of the Local Offer for your organisation, please contact your local office.
July
Accord Group Our Report 2012
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Review. A de-brief meeting was held to sign-off all our work, review the process, and listen to feedback and learning outcomes from us all.
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The first meeting. All of those who were interested were invited to a briefing session where feedback on the 2011 Annual Report was reviewed and a timetable for actions was set. Key content themes were identified from the Homes and Communities Agency’s (HCA) new regulatory framework. This framework has replaced the previous Tenants Services Authority (TSA) document. Each of us were asked to cover a specific topic.
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Dragon’s Design Den. After the success of last year’s Dragon’s Den event, members from the Communications team pitched three design ideas to a group of us from our Annual Report team. We grilled the Communications team with a variety of questions about value-for-money, design style and green credentials and finally voted on each concept to choose a winner.
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Briefing sessions. We were invited to a drop-in session for a briefing about our subject areas and our roles within the team. Roles ranged from journalists, photographers and researchers to writers, designers and proofreaders. Each of us from the Annual Report team was assigned a buddy, (a staff member to support us with our work). Customers and buddies were involved with the report structure and action plan.
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We need you! Flyer designed and distributed across the Group via Resident Engagement teams to promote the fantastic opportunities available for us to be part of the Annual Report team.
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Our homes The Accord Group is one of the largest housing and social care organisations in the Midlands, providing affordable housing and health and social care to 50,000 people and employing nearly 4,200. The Group has over 11,000 homes. Over 7,000 of these are rented properties. We also have over 1,000 shared ownership properties, where customers own a percentage of their home and rent the rest from their landlord. Another significant part of our portfolio is our sheltered housing and care and support properties. Maureen Kearns visited a couple of schemes to learn more about the variety of services on offer. Her article is below.
Dementia cafe.
Maureen Kearns.
The Accord Group has in excess of 60 care and support schemes providing a wide range of services for people with many different needs and abilities. Care and support services include help around the home, meal provision, health management and much more. Falcon House is a Caldmoreaccord scheme which works with people who have problems with substance misuse, such as drug or alcohol addiction. They can accommodate eight residents between the ages of 18-59. Each individual has their own support worker and there are staff on site. During my visit, residents told me that they were ‘treated with respect’ and felt that Falcon House was ‘clean and homely.’ Staff added that they also work to support service users to learn new skills with the aim that they move on to independent living, hopefully within 26 weeks. In addition to the traditional care and support services, there are a whole host of health and well-being services provided across the Group including lifestyle services, gymnasiums, fitness classes and a catering and nutrition team. The aim of these specialist teams is to work alongside care and support and housing services staff to increase opportunities for health improvement and well-being for the Accord Group’s customers. In particular, the Group specialises in dementia services and provide safe, warm and welcoming environments at their dementia cafés support groups. The cafés give people with dementia, their family members and carers opportunities to come together, share experiences and get advice and information from professionals and guest speakers. Dementia cafés are hosted for two hours per month at 14 different venues across Sandwell, Walsall and Dudley.
by Maureen.
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Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
“I found the experience of visiting the schemes and learning about the Group’s care and support services very enjoyable. It’s helped me to understand more about care and support and the great variety of services provided.” Maureen Kearns
Accord Group Our Report 2012
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The Group also specialises in co-operative housing. Sue Priest interviewed staff and residents from bchs (Birmingham Co-operatives Housing Services) and Redditch Co-operative Homes (RCH) to find out more. She writes...
Co-operative life
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Colin and Dorothy Harris are residents at Breedon Gardens in Redditch. They have lived in their Breedon Co-operative bungalow for 10 years and are really proud of their involvement and the achievements of their co-operative.
People living in a co-operative are able to get more involved than normal rented customers. They are encouraged to be actively responsible in business management, planning and property repairs to their homes and work collectively in partnership with other residents and the landlord to benefit their homes and improve their communities and homes.
The residents at Breedon Co-operative are responsible for the successful management and maintenance of their homes. They are successful in the following ways:
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bchs and Redditch Co-operative Homes are both part of the wider Accord Group and have developed over 50 housing co-operatives and community-led housing projects since 1997.
Life-changing living Lindsay Griffin lives in a Redditch Co-operative Homes (RCH) property in Oakenshaw, with her partner and six year old daughter Demi Lee. Lindsay first arrived at RCH some 10 years ago as a homeless vulnerable 17-year old, on referral from Redditch Borough Council and was offered a home to rent.
Sue Priest.
Lindsay at work at RCH.
Lindsay says; “As a tenant of an RCH home, you sign an agreement to attend meetings and be prepared to participate in the work of the co-operative.
1. Breedon is renowned for its low level of arrears due to the strength of its committee and its desire to tackle any arrears at an early stage. 2. Repairs budgets have remained stable and healthy due to the care that all the residents take with their properties and the willingness of the committee to appoint proactive repairs officers who engage with the office staff regularly. 3. Breedon Co-operative has not had any issues of anti-social behaviour in the last two years. 4. Empty properties are rare as people enjoy living at this co-operative. - ~, --
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When asked to summarise life in a co-operative home they both agreed “It’s about everyone being involved, mucking in together and caring - it’s all about community spirit.”
by Sue. Photograph taken by Sue Priest.
“I was so grateful of the kindness and support I received from the RCH community. I became actively involved in the co-operative’s work which helped improve my knowledge and personal development skills. I also enjoyed the social aspect of the co-operative and have made many long-standing friends. “After a career break I decided to return to work and applied for a post at RCH. I was successful and now work full time for RCH as a co-operative services officer. My experience of living in co-operative, has stood me in good stead as I can relate to residents; understand their issues and offer help and support. I am really pleased that I’m now able to give something back.”
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Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
Accord Group Our Report 2012
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The Accord Group adds...
Lettings - what’s new? Value-for-money
This year a Lettings Action Group has been set up to: • Share best practice across all organisations in the Group • Identify where improvements can be made and ensure plans are in place to make them happen
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The figures In 2011/2012, an internal group was set up to look at improving the re-let times of empty properties. There were a number of recommendations that staff implemented helping us to let our homes more quickly.
The Group sometimes has issues with vandalism which means that we often have high security costs to protect empty properties. However, recently the Group has been using Guardians (carefully vetted professional individuals) who live in vacant commercial or residential properties to protect them for temporary periods. The Guardians act as an early warning system to the landlord in preventing or detecting vandalism, theft of fixtures and fittings, burst pipes, electrical faults and weather damage. The Guardians are not paid to live in the homes, which has saved the Group thousands of pounds.
For example, Moseley and District reduced the time a property is empty from 19 days in 2010/11 to 10 days 2011/12. Below are the average figures across the Group for how quickly properties are re-let.
Organisation
General needs
Supported housing
Accord
19
33
Ashram
17
31
bchs
20
N/A - No supported housing
5
18
N/A
20
Moseley and District
10
66
Redditch Co-operative Homes
13
N/A - No supported housing
Caldmore Fry
It is important to note that Caldmore and Accord are still reported as separate organisations because the figures are as of March 2012, a month before the partnership was formed.
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Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
Accord Group Our Report 2012
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Our customer care A key contact point for all customers is the Customer First contact centre based at the West Bromwich off ice. Rob Vaughan interviewed Head of Customer First, Nev Gill, to find out more about what happens in the centre. He writes... Customer First handle our repairs calls but how do they classify a repair as urgent, routine or an emergency?
Rob Vaughan.
With changes across the Group, will Customer First maintain the 20 second response time for calls? Yes. We believe that the 20 second target is set at the right level to ensure that customers are not made to wait for a long time before their call is answered, as well as allowing Customer First to operate efficiently.
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The current response time of 20 seconds is an average over the month, and allows for the fact that there will be occasions when we will be busy, such as Monday mornings and other times when we are quieter. Naturally, we will always review this to improve performance, and the customer experience.
As part of the new contract for responsive repairs, which will be handled by Lovells, we will be moving away from the standard emergency, urgent and routine categories. Instead, we will first diagnose if the repair needs to be done within a very quick time-scale. We would describe these types of jobs as ones where the damage presents an immediate threat to the property or the individual if it is not repaired immediately. All other nonemergency repairs will be given an appointment based on when is most suitable for the customer. We feel this will improve customer satisfaction levels as residents get an appointment time that suits them.
Are Customer First staff under pressure to maintain targets? Customer First staff are not measured on how long they take on calls, which is what most contact centres tend to look at. We want to focus on giving a good customer experience, and more importantly giving correct and accurate information. As the Group has grown we have seen more calls and emails come into Customer First, so we increased our staffing levels to accommodate this too. Working in Customer First can be stressful given the amount of calls and emails staff have to handle, as well as other tasks. This is something that we continually review to make sure that we don’t overload the team.
Customer First contact centre.
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“As the Group has grown we have seen more calls and emails come into Customer First, so we increased our staffing levels to accommodate this too.” Nev Gill, Head of Customer First ~
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- -- - -- - - -- - - - - --- Could Customer First be run more efficiently, or improved in any way? Yes, we can always work more efficiently and we can always improve. We review our performance regularly and based on the feedback we receive we make improvements. Recently, we removed the voice activation system as customers felt that it didn’t work, or it frustrated them. However, this change made the service worse as it took longer to answer calls. We have now reinstated voice activation but shortened and changed the message to allow customers to dial a direct number if they know it. We have also extended our operating hours between 8am and 8pm to be more available for customers based on feedback. We are always open to suggestions as our primary objective is to improve the customer experience.
What is the percentage of calls resolved at first contact and what is the target set? Customer First has two major enquiries from our residents: 1: Dealing with repairs. 2: Helping with enquiries regarding an anti-social behaviour matter, rent account or letting.
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Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
If we look at our performance on repairs, our resolution at the point the customer calls is above 90 per cent. Our target is to resolve 80 per cent of all calls at the time the customer calls. In terms of the other enquiries, our percentage of calls resolved at the time a customer calls is around 65 per cent, which means we need to look at how we can improve our knowledge to resolve the queries, or ensure that we can transfer the call to someone who can help at the time the customer calls.
I believe that all staff should be able to be contacted during working hours, not have voice mail turned on as it can be very frustrating. Will this issue be resolved? The issue around voicemails is a valid one and something that we do need to consider when looking at what can be done to improve the customer experience. As mentioned above, one of the areas that causes us not to meet the 80 per cent target is sometimes due to us not being able to speak to the relevant person, who may be out of the office as part of their daily duties. Therefore, we will look at how we can minimise the use of voicemails so that customers get their enquiries resolved quicker.
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Is there anything else we need to know about? From 1 September, 2012, a Group-wide customer service strategy and new complaints and compliments procedure was launched. The key elements of both policies are built around the Group’s core customer service principles of care, commitment and trust. Our aim is to deliver services that customers want, when they want it, in a way that suits them best. The complaints and compliments policy will help to measure whether or not we deliver on these commitments and where improvements can be made. The goal is to place customers at the very heart of what we do.
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Last year, we can report that we met our timescales for resolving complaints as per the table. Next year, because of the new procedures, we will be reporting our figures slightly differently as the timescales will be led by individual customer’s needs.
by Rob.
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The Accord Group adds... The figures
Value-for-money
Organisation Complaints resolved within timescales
Working with the contractors, improvements to the repairs process has seen issues resolved first time, rise by 20 per cent. This reduces the number of calls chasing up repairs, which saves time and money for the customers and the business. Over the next 12 months a texting system will be introduced as another way to contact Customer First with certain queries.
Accord
100%
Accord care and support
100%
Ashram
100%
Ashram care and support
100%
*bchs
0%
Caldmore
100%
Caldmore care and support
100%
Fry
100%
Fairness
Moseley and District
100%
Moseley and District care and support
100%
Redditch Co-operative Homes
100%
Between 1 April, 2012 and 31 March, 2012, the Group handled enquiries in 18 different languages via Language Line. The most popular language was Bambara, a language spoken by people who originate from Mali.
*Although this figure is low, it refers to only one complaint which is still ongoing. It is important to note that Caldmore and Accord are still reported as separate organisations because the figures are as of March 2012, a month before the partnership was formed.
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Did you know? From time-to-time, Nev Gill, Head of Customer First, works on the phones to help the team manage the call volume, especially around Bank holidays.
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Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
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Accord Group Our Report 2012
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Our repairs This year the repairs contract has changed and sees Lovell and Status provide the service for the majority of the Group. Barbara Timmins interviewed Mark England, Head of Corporate Asset Management, to learn more about the new contract and the process the Group had to follow. Barbara writes...
What process is followed to select a contractor? For larger contracts there is a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) which assesses the company who are proposing to tender. This process includes a financial evaluation and collecting references from existing clients. Contractors who successfully complete the PQQ process are then invited to tender for the work. Contractor’s bids are assessed by a combination score of quality and price. The weighting given to these two selection criteria will vary according to the nature of the contract. For example, we have an 80:20 price/quality ratio for planned works and a 60:40 price/quality ratio for responsive repairs where there is a higher volume of work and a longer-term working relationship.
Barbara Timmins.
Mark England.
How are contracts arranged and obtained? Contracts are arranged to cover a variety of repairs and maintenance works, such as day-to-day, repairs to empty properties (void works), service contracts for things like lifts and individual planned maintenance programmes, from window and door replacements to kitchens and bathrooms. Work can be combined, particularly where there is a clear overlap of skills, for example in kitchen and bathroom replacement programmes. Contracts are obtained through competitive tendering which means that a specification of works is drawn up against which each bidder has to put in a price. In addition, each bidder has to prepare a statement which illustrates how they deliver the work and what extra value they can bring to the contract. This extra value could be through creating local employment opportunities or through recycling and using sustainable materials. This way the contractor can be chosen both on a price basis but also on other factors.
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Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
Each bidder is scored against the same pricing criteria and the same method statement assessment criteria in order to ensure fairness and transparency in the process. In addition, a reality check visit is carried out on each bidder for higher value contracts and the assessment of the findings from the visits are used as an additional methodology to assess the quality of the bid. For our new contractors, residents were involved in all the stages. The contract award is made to the highest scoring contractor and confirmation is sent to all bidders in writing. Each contractor has the opportunity to receive more detailed feedback if required.
Where do you feel your priorities lie in terms of selecting contractors? The priority when selecting contractors is to ensure that the Accord Group obtains the best quality at an affordable price. The challenge is to deliver a high quality service to residents both in terms of workmanship and product and to do this within budget. It is also important through contracting to deliver the overall aspirations of the Accord Group, such as creating job opportunities for residents, regenerating communities and meeting our environmental aspirations. Accord Group Our Report 2012
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Have any changes to your team been made in-line with the new process and contractors?
Is there anything else that you think is important for customers to know about the procurement process?
We have restructured our team to operate as a more Group-wide service. We also created new roles within the team as shown in the structure below.
The procurement process can appear to be a long and complicated affair. The process is driven to a large extent by the requirement to meet European procurement rules.
Head of Assets Mark England Rubery Owen
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Asset Manager Compliance Gary Taylor Rubery Owen
Senior Surveyor - New Initiatives Keith Lanchbury Rubery Owen
Customer involvement in the process is critical to successful tendering as it ensures residents voices are heard when scoping out the aspirations of the contract and when selecting the successful contractor.
PA to Head of Assets Sue McAleese Rubery Owen
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... Asset Manager Works Dave Livesey Ashram
Senior Stock Portfolio Colin Maltby West Bromwich
Compliance Admin team leader Barbara Young Rubery Owen
Stock Condition Surveyor Mahmud Nadat West Bromwich
Stock Condition Surveyor Tanvir Akhtar West Bromwich
Stock Condition Surveyor Mike Price West Bromwich
Customer Liaison Officer Wendy Saunders West Bromwich
Systems Admin Dean Saunders West Bromwich
Senior Surveyor Terry Cashmore Ashram
Surveyor DTD Graham Willis Caldmore
LSA Admin Natalie Butler Darlaston
Surveyor DTD Sylvia Crosdale Moseley and District
Surveyor DTD Sean Ratcliffe Darlaston
Contract Admin Mina Bhakta Rubery Owen
Surveyor Voids Mark Lewis Moseley and District
Surveyor - Care and Support Dan Whistler Rubery Owen
Surveyor Voids Kelly Williams Caldmore
Contract Admin Sarah Bagnall Rubery Owen
Surveyor DTD Trainee Emma Cunningham Ashram
Contact Management Admin Taj Kaur
Contract Admin Shahid Zaman Ashram
Contract Admin Itesha Springer Moseley and District
The Group ran several customer workshops across the various stages of the process to ensure customers had a say in shaping their services. John Gorman, a resident of Moseley and District Housing Association, championed customer involvement by playing a full and active role in the procurement of two key contracts. He gave over 100 hours of his time. In the current financial year, we will be procuring service contract work including door entry and lift maintenance. If residents wish to be involved, they can contact Sue McAleese on 0300 111 7000 to register their interest.
Say what? The Group sometimes use different words for different service definitions.
First time f ix A repair is called a ‘first time fix’ when both of the factors below are achieved: • The repair was completed on the actual date of the appointment that the works were due to be done
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• The repair is fully completed when no further works are required.
Resident John Gorman.
And finally Mark, what do you enjoy most about your job? I enjoy the interaction with the team and key external people including residents and contractors. I enjoy the opportunity that the job gives me to change people’s lives through improvements to their homes and through the creation of job opportunities.
Right First time Is achieved where there is no recall due to a defect during the defects liability period – this is 12 months in the case of most of our contracts.
I enjoy working on green issues and external funding opportunities to bring more resources into the business.
by Barbara. 24
Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
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The figures Organisation
The Accord Group adds... Value-for-money
Accord general needs
Emergency repairs completed in target %
Urgent repairs completed in target %
Routine repairs completed in target %
Homes with an up-to-date Gas Safety certificate %
100
99
98
100
By moving to a process called Average Job Cost (AJC) the Group has saved time and has become more efficient by reducing the amount of invoicing processes from 50 to eight.
Accord Care and Support
97
98
96
100
Ashram
99
99
99
100
The Group has also achieved value-for-money for residents by focusing on the use of energy within homes. A number of programmes, aimed at tackling both energy use and costs and producing on-site electricity, are currently either underway or in contract negotiation stages.
Ashram Care and Support
99
99
94
100
bchs
100
98
98
100
Caldmore
100
98
98
100
The largest of these programmes is a Community Energy Savings Programme (CESP) funded scheme, where the Group is about to start works on 1,018 homes. This programme incorporates the installation of a variety of insulations and boiler installations which see ‘A’ rated gas central heating systems replace older electric versions. This work is being funded through energy companies and all eligible homes will see significantly reduced fuel bills and a warmer environment.
Caldmore Care and Support
96
97
95
100
Fry
100
99
100
100
Moseley and District
100
99
96
100
Moseley and District Care and Support
100
96
97
100
Redditch Co-operative Homes
100
100
100
100
Continuing with the theme of energy efficiency, the Group is also planning for a large-scale Photo Voltaic (solar panels) installation programme. The fitting of solar panels onto our roofs moves the Group into electrical energy generation. Customers with panels get to use the electricity that is generated, saving on average ÂŁ130 per year on their electricity bills.
Staff from Status meet residents.
It is important to note that Caldmore and Accord are still reported as separate organisations because the figures are as of March 2012, a month before the partnership was formed. Due to the change in contracts, the Group did not collect information on appointments kept, first time fix and satisfaction during 2011/12. However, from next year you will see more emphasis on this type of information. This change is a direct result of what our customers have told us is most important to them.
Fairness Did you know?
We ensure fairness by advertising opportunities effectively to provide equality of opportunity.
Your new contractors are more than happy to get involved and meet with customers. Look out for them at local fun days, conferences and seminars.
When pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQs) and invitation to tender documents are issued, the work programme and quality assessment criteria is clearly specified to ensure all contractors are assessed on the same basis. local Lovell contractors at a
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Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
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Accord Group Our Report 2012
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Our neighbourhoods
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The Accord Group is committed to bringing neighbourhoods and communities together. In the past the Group has demonstrated a variety of innovative ways to get people interested and engaged. Asma Mulla reports on her findings from across the Group below.
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Asma Mulla.
Neighbourhoods and locality working In preparation for the introduction of the Government’s new Localism Act, in November 2011, the Group has been working to re-shape the way it delivers services so that they have much more of a neighbourhood presence. In an effort to become more mobile and to reach out into neighbourhoods, the Group invested in ‘The Buzz’. This is a specialist vehicle which is used by staff across the Group to take staff and others out onto the road and into your community. This allows customers to access advice and support in regards to their tenancy on their doorstep and also allows the Group the opportunity to build local face-to-face relationships with customers.
Working in our neighbourhoods During 2011, both Ashram and Caldmoreaccord launched two neighbourhood pilot projects in Caldmore, Walsall and Bordesley Green, Birmingham. Both pilots will run for three years and aim to work with local people and agencies to develop ways of coming together and improving the community. The case studies on the next page give examples of the work done so far.
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Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
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With a strong group of local people already active in Caldmore, staff focused on trying to identify people who may still not be engaged but who had skills and ideas to offer. Therefore, a community based survey, the ‘100 conversations’, was launched with the help of volunteers.
A series of events and activities were then scheduled: • Every year staff, residents and local partner agencies come together to organise the Caldmore Village Festival. This is a large-scale event which helps bring the local community business and services together • Various initiatives such as a volunteering service, a community garden and other community facilities and events, enable residents to be more involved in their community, and improve work and training opportunities for local people • Work with local schools is designed to enhance the experience of their pupils, build confidence and make links with local families • Caldmoreaccord have been participating in projects organised by Walsall Education Business Partnership at local primary schools. In May, students took part in an Olympic-themed team challenge, where the students were tasked to create new and imaginative ideas for sports that could be played in the Olympics. • The Village Hub in Caldmore was launched in May 2012. The Hub offers information, training workshops, local help and advice for Caldmore residents and the wider community, opportunities for artists to exhibit their work, workshops, clubs and social events. Future plans include setting up a community website and recruiting two community organisers who will work from within the community to encourage interest in local issues and develop community groups.
Inside the Buzz.
Say what? Locality is the word the Group use to describe a particular neighbourhood, area, place or district.
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Accord Group Our Report 2012
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The figures
‘Your Bordesley Green’ pilot project The Bordesley Green Partnership steering group which is chaired and administered by Ashram Housing Association is made up of local residents and partners (such as other housing associations and the police). Whilst still relatively new, the group has overseen a number of activities such as:
Through ‘100 conversations’, residents of Bordesley Leisure Gardens told us the following: • 62.5 per cent were happy living in Bordesley Leisure Gardens
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• 25 per cent of residents suggested that they would be willing to get involved in community activities (such as clean up’s).
• A door-to-door survey, with a ‘100 conversations’ taking place to understand why local residents love their community and their ideas and aspirations for the future • Two neighbourhood roadshows to bring local residents and agencies together to start prioritising their local issues using lots of interactive and participatory activities. The priorities that came out of this include:
• 44 per cent of residents are active (such as engaging in sport and hobbies)
Advertisement for ‘100 conversations’.
Did you know? Did you know a member of Caldmoreaccord’s neighbourhoods team was commissioned to paint a mural for the famous film star Julie Christie in the early 1970s.
• Create a cleaner and better environment • More community events to promote community spirit • Work with partners to help make Bordesley a safer place • Develop facilities and activities for children and young people • Launch a community newsletter as a way of sharing local news and events. The first edition was released in January.
Estates week clean up.
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Future plans include the appointment of a dedicated neighbourhood development officer and youth worker, the roll out of community clean-up days, the setting up of a community website and the development of a youth programme in an effort to run more locally based sports activities for young people. ‘Your Bordesley Green’ newsletter.
by Asma. Planning for Real assist with community consultation.
30
Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
Accord Group Our Report 2012
31
Partnership working Working with other agencies and residents is a good way to ensure the Group’s work compliments the local objectives and the wider needs of the neighbourhood. Stuart Anslow reports on how the Group forms partnerships to tackle anti-social behaviour. He writes...
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Anti-social behaviour has become an increasingly discussed topic for people over the last 15 years. Under the Labour Government, former Prime Minister Tony Blair introduced Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs), that were designed to correct minor incidents that would not ordinarily warrant criminal prosecution. The Accord Group takes tough measures to ensure that residents are able to feel secure in their homes. In addition to a tough approach, the Group also engages with residents to identify and tackle anti-social behaviour.
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This year the Accord Group became a third-party reporting centre for hate crime and have trained staff to report it to the police via a special website.
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“This walk about is a chance for residents to raise any concerns that they may have about their community, from anti-social behaviour to fly tipping. All residents can give their ideas for how their area could be improved.”
Caldmoreaccord also teamed up with the police to introduce CCTV cameras in response to concerns raised by residents about anti-social behaviour.
“The Accord Group is committed to dealing with complaints of anti-social behaviour and supporting the complainants every step of the way. We work locally with partner agencies, such as the police and local authorities to effectively deal with anti-social behaviour and make our communities a safe and cohesive place to live. Using an early intervention approach with perpetrators of anti-social behaviour, we ensure that they are able to change their behaviour.”
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One such example of resident engagement was the ‘walk and talk events’. Paula Southall, Resident Engagement Officer at Caldmoreaccord, said:
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Stuart Rochelle, Locality Team Manager at Caldmoreaccord, summarised the Group’s approach to anti-social behaviour and the role partner agencies play;
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Hate crimes and incidents are perceived by the victim to be motivated on the grounds of age, race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or disability.
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Hate crimes may include:
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This means that residents, or other members of the community, can report hate crime to us, without needing to go to a police station.
• Physical attacks • Threat of attack • Verbal abuse or insults.
After the CCTV was introduced, Caldmoreaccord asked teenage residents to produce posters to inform people that CCTV was in use in the area.
Hate crime in any form is wrong. That is why it is important that if hate crime happens to you or someone you know, that you know you can report it.
Moseley and District Housing Association have also launched a support group, in partnership with the local police and other organisations. This is for residents who have concerns about anti-social behaviour and provides them with a platform to air their views and get advice.
If you want to report a hate crime, you can visit or phone any of our main Accord Group offices.
Participants have the opportunity to get vital and confidential information and support, as well as listen to guest speakers from other organisations such as the police and victim support.
32
Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
Did you know? On average 23 cases of anti-social behaviour are reported each month.
Partnership working with the police.
Accord Group Our Report 2012
33
Our involvement
Through the installation of our new measuring software, TP (tenant participant) Tracker, in April 2011, we know that our new approach is working. We have seen the largest increase (an extra 325) of residents getting involved. We still have a way to go, and with important changes to housing ahead of us, we will continue to ensure that our engagement activities meet the priority needs and aspirations of customers.
Introduction This year has been a very exciting year for our resident engagement service. Due to the demand of (and the development of new) resident engagement activities, the team has now gained two new members of staff. With the help of our Group Residents Panel, we have developed a new ‘Get In’ brand and a flexible menu of engagement.
Organisation
There are ten key activities contained within the menu:
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Average number of involved residents
Average number of engagement activities recorded
Accord
120
444
15
Ashram
18
22
9
3
10
1
Caldmore
29
38
5
Fry
23
33
3
Moseley and District
69
190
12
1
2
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Redditch Co-operative Homes
Average number of people per activity
Figures as of March 2012. The larger figures are reflective of landlords within the Accord Group that have more housing stock.
Your resident engagement team
I Great Resident Awards 2011.
Resident Conference 2011 at the Black Country Living Museum.
34
Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
Accord Group Our Report 2012
35
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Within our new menu of activities, one of the main priorities for this year has been about developing ‘scrutiny’ activities for residents. The scrutiny and improvement advisors (otherwise known as our ‘Get In:sight’ project) was launched in November 2011.
Value-for-money
Thomas Wakefield, a Caldmoreaccord resident, answers key questions about his role as a scrutiny and improvement advisor.
• Including the key messages in the annual report (particularly in interviews)
Resident Engagement staff across the Group have been demonstrating value-for-money in the following ways:
• Organising finance training with involved residents
How did you hear about the Resident Inspector Project?
• Having residents select the report design and distribution based on value-for-money best practice
I first heard about the Resident Inspector Project at the Accord Group’s annual Residents Conference in September last year. The event was very helpful and interesting and it gave me the encouragement to get involved, so I signed up to the Resident Inspector Project.
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Yes, I attended the resident-led inspection training programme which was run over five sessions." The training covered various aspects from the basics of the different types of inspections to carry out, to mock mystery shopping exercises, action planning and report writing. There was also a mini assessment on the final session, which was very useful.
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• Using volunteer inspectors, which adds value to services at a minimal cost – (in comparison to how much other organisations would charge for mock inspections)
P rior to signing up to the Resident Inspector Project, had you been involved with any resident engagement activities provided by the Accord Group? Yes, many years ago I used to be involved with Caldmore Area Housing Association Ltd Residents Committee and more recently their Customer Panel.
Did the Accord Group provide any sort of training to help you in your role as a Resident Inspector?
What have you been up to since finishing the training? Since the training programme has finished, the resident inspectors have been comparing the first response teams from five housing associations, including the Accord Group. We are looking at comparing email, letter and telephone responses as well as the different ways residents can get in touch with the housing associations. I have been to a couple of planning meetings where I have been involved in drafting questionnaires and carrying out mystery shopping exercises over the telephone.
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36
Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
• Saving around £23,000 on the Group newsletter and using it to add value for residents by reading about the Group
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• Working together with other organisations to offer training for residents • Running four joint/Group resident projects this year, which is 90 per cent up on last year. We also encourage our residents to travel by public transport or car share when possible, this helps us keep the cost of travel expenses down.
Did you know? Every member of the Resident Engagement team has a great sense of humour; we get on well and complement each other. It’s well known in the office that three of the four of the team are not morning people – only Joan comes in at 9am singing!
What skills and experiences have you gained from being involved with the Resident Inspector Project? Since signing up to the Resident Inspector Project, I have been able to renew skills and experience in team working, communicating with peers and others, work planning, preparing and carrying out surveys.
•
•
Fairness Thomas Wakefield.
We have made sure that our ‘ways to get involved’ booklet has opportunities for residents to get involved, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and/ or sexual orientation.
Accord Group Our Report 2012
37
•• Our governance
Chris Bishop explains governance from a customer point-of-view. His article is below. •
Governance is the word used for the people who run all the projects and make the decisions about what residents need and what they can get involved in. They listen to people’s views and make the right decisions to ensure services are the very best they can be.
Say what? Governance is the framework of rules and practices by which a board of directors ensures accountability, fairness, and transparency in a company’s relationship with all its stakeholders. Stakeholders include financiers, customers, management, employees, Government and the community.
The Government has said they would like housing associations, such as the Accord Group, to work more with residents on deciding matters that concerns residents. At the present moment the Group are changing the structure of how the Board works. They have brought in a Group Scrutiny Panel which consists of a number of residents and service users. The panel has an input into the different decisions the Board make and see if things could be done better.
Chris Bishop.
There are also the Resident Inspectors. These residents make on the spot checks to survey different areas and decide if improvements need to be made.
For an insider view, I asked Board member of Fry Housing Trust, Roger Clough, a few questions: How long have you been a Board member and what changes have you seen in the level of resident involvement with the Board during that time?
Roger Clough.
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38
Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
I’ve been a Board member of Fry Housing Trust since being invited to join back in 2004. Since then, the Board has taken on a resident member from the wider Accord Group and has encouraged the development of Fry Voices Together. This has forged an effective channel of communication between members and service users. This collaborative approach underpins our work.
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With ever-increasing budget cuts, how do you think resident involvement in governance will be funded? Effective and successful social landlords will, at all cost, seek to protect their resident involvement infrastructure from Government cuts. It is not an especially costly element of service and the gains from having a thriving network of resident involvement in place far outweigh any short-term savings. I would therefore expect organisations to view this as ‘non-negotiable’ and find innovative ways of protecting this service area from current and ongoing cuts.
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In the next few years, how do you think resident involvement in governance will change? The nature of Fry Housing Trust, with short term occupancy, makes full resident involvement that much more difficult to achieve, than in what you might call mainstream housing associations. Boards, on the whole are reducing in member numbers and they mirror the changing business world in which they operate. As this change continues to evolve, it is crucial to have a structure in place to ensure residents’ views are heard at the highest level and that their capacity to influence the decision making process is both clear and upheld. The Trust has this in place and I expect the level of resident involvement to continue to grow within the organisation over the next few years.
If a resident has a project idea could it become a Group service? The Board and management at Fry Housing Trust are open to all ideas for improving or extending the service we provide to our clients. Obviously any new idea would have to be fully costed, business planned and generally road-tested, but if it works, there is no reason not to incorporate it into what we do, whether suggested by a resident or anyone else for that matter.
Did you know? Governance is not just limited to housing, it extends into other companies and across the globe.
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Value-for-money Introduction We all know at the moment how hard it is to make ends meet with the current economic situation and the Accord Group is no different. It has to make the best possible use of all its resources, money, staff and time, whilst still ensuring that residents get a very good service.
•
My first question when asked to do a piece on value-for-money was “Well what does that mean then? Is it just about saving money?” I asked a few of my neighbours what they thought it was and they didn’t really seem to know, so I knew my first job was to understand it myself and my second job was to be able to explain it to other people so that they would understand it too. Thankfully I was taken under the wing of Colin Maltby, who has been heavily involved in the Group’s value-for-money campaign. Colin talked about how the Group had tried to make value-formoney more interesting as there was a general feeling amongst staff that it was boring and not something everyone had to get involved with.
Board member in action.
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“ Boards, on the whole are reducing in member numbers and they mirror the changing business world in which they operate. As this change continues to evolve, it is crucial to have a structure in place to ensure residents’ views are heard at the highest level and that their capacity to influence the decision making process is both clear and upheld.” Roger Clough, board member
Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
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Resident Kath Hodson, has done some investigative work around what the Group is doing for value-for-money and social return on investment. She reports her findings below.
by Chris.
40
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Kath Hodson.
There was already a value-for-money group of eight people who met regularly, but it needed to have a new lease of life to encourage everyone across the Group to think about working better. This was when the Make It Count campaign was born. The idea being that whenever anyone did anything they had to think about ‘doing the right things in the right way, for the right reasons and for the right cost’ This is called the three E’s:
Economy - the right cost Efficiency - the right way Effectiveness - the right thing, done the right way Colin Maltby. _ _ _ _ ..... _"-' _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
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Accord Group Our Report 2012
41
To launch the Make It Count campaign, the team embarked on a series of staff awareness-raising sessions to sell the message, the meanings of the three E’s to get people to think practically what they could do to make it count.
After meeting with Colin, my next task was to try and get to grips with a new concept within the Accord Group, Social Return On Investment (SROI). To do this I met with Natalie Jones, Head of Business Transformation at Ashram Housing Association, part of the Accord Group.
These sessions were very well received and people started to send examples to the team of how they had made it count. Here are a few examples of what people were doing or planned to do. • By buying all the gas and electricity for all the offices and schemes in bulk through one supplier, £120,000 savings were made
SROI is a framework that has been used by other organisations to measure the social value generated by the work an organisation does. The Accord Group has not been involved in measuring SROI before and so are trialling it with a project at Ashram which seeks to get people back into work or setting-up their own businesses.
• Undertaking ‘conference calling’ to reduce time spent in meetings and travel costs. The Make It Count team also set up a section on the computer system to share information and help make processes more efficient. This has been particularly helpful in dealing with anti-social behaviour cases to ensure residents get a more efficient and effective service by, for example: • Tracking of ‘hot spot’ areas • Taking quick snapshots of case details to improve the process of reporting and communication of key issues both to residents and other staff • Increasing security and reliability of storage to help with confidentiality of information • Automatically generating letters to tell the customer what staff have done and what they will do next. This involves data only being entered and recorded once, improving efficiency and allows for a quick response to the resident. The system also prompts phone-calls to residents with an update. • Allowing residents to provide feedback which can be analysed very quickly
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The impact on tenants of both the Make It Count campaign and the Social Return on Investment pilot is about tenants holding the Group
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to account for the services received and also about helping to design new services so they are fit for the purpose they are intended. In the coming months, the Group wants more tenants to be involved in the Make it Count campaign and there will be regular articles in your residents newsletter ‘Our House’ to keep you informed.
by Kath. Did you know? The annual rent setting formula used by the social housing sector is determined by the retail price index (RPI) which is set by a Government department called the Office for National Statistics.
The figures One of our teams started to use scrap paper to take messages and print internal reports. Over the last few years, on average the team have saved 15 reams of paper per year – which is an amazing 7,500 sheets! This annual report cost just 89p per issue to produce and print. This is 10p cheaper than last year.
• •
Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
This first pilot is evaluating Ashram’s employment and skills service to see what type of impact it is having on tenants who have accessed the support and guidance of a jobs and skills coach.
•
• Improving performance of the team due to better reporting mechanisms that help them in their day-to-day jobs.
42
I think the Accord Group has many wonderful stories to tell of how the work they do has changed people’s lives and Social Return on Investment is about measuring the difference made and putting a value on it. It is not really about money, but the Accord Group needs to know that the money they do spend on projects, puts some value back into society.
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Accord Group Our Report 2012
43
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Our money The Accord Group adds... In order to remain financially stable for the future, it is important the Group can balance its money carefully. On this page we report on how we spend your rent and how much money the Group has.
Fixed assets are the things that the Accord Group owns, like properties, equipment, computers and office furniture.
How every £1 of your rent is spent Pence
Consolidated means the accounts for all of the Accord Group organisations are added together with any transactions between them taken out.
Services, care and support
37
Interest
24
Management costs
13
Day to day repairs
17
Planned repairs
7
Other fixed assets This is the value of all the Accord Groups other fixed assets. For example, equipment, computers and furniture.
Bad debt and voids 2
Consolidated income and expenditure account For the year ended 31 March, 2012
Turnover is the income the Accord Group receives, including rent, care and support services and sales of shared ownership and other properties.
Turnover Cost of sales Operating costs Operating surplus Surplus on sale of properties Interest payable Taxation
Surplus means the Accord Group has made a surplus this year. This means more money has been received than spent. Any surpluses are reinvested in improving our services.
-
Surplus for the year
2012 £000
2011 £000
63,286
61,797
(583)
(228)
(50,214)
(48,389)
12,489
13,180
134
(26)
(10,912)
(10,698)
(13)
(16)
1,698
2,440
Operating costs is the money spent on managing and repairing properties, as well as the running costs of the office and staff salaries. Surplus on sale of properties is the money the Accord Group has received from selling houses and flats under the Right to Buy and other similar schemes, less the value of the properties. Interest payable is the total interest charged on loans, minus the interest received on bank deposits.
-- - - - -- - - -- 44
Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
- - --
Consolidated balance sheet As at 31 March, 2012
2011 £000
355,299
343,392
7,600
7,673
362,899
351,065
31,167
25,918
(17,672)
(16,291)
13,495
9,627
376,394
360,692
Fixed assets Properties Other fixed assets Total fixed assets Current assets Current liabilities
Net current assets and current liabilities These are the amounts owed to the Group and by the Group in the short-term.
2012 £000
Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities
Audit Report The above is an extract from the Accord Group’s full accounts, which have been audited by Grant Thornton UKLLP and have received an unqualified audit report. You can get a copy of the full accounts from the Accord Group website.
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Accord Group Our Report 2012
45
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Long-term loans Reserves Total
Rent £
Organisation
298,348
284,344
78,046
76,348
376,394
360,692
Accord
4.20
2.00
78.02
Accord 3.68 Care and Support
1.33
Ashram
91.29
Ashram
6.33
3.43
bchs
77.24
5.14
2.27
Caldmore
79.97
Ashram Care and Support
Fry
73.20
bchs
9.18
6.62
Moseley and District
81.57
Caldmore
4.74
1.49
Redditch Co-operative Homes
73.30
7.64
5.30
Black Country
75.03
Caldmore Care and Support
Bromford
76.36
Fry
4.68
2.50
Midland Heart
76.27
Moseley and District
6.47
2.41
Trident
73.06
Moseley and District Care and Support
3.35
0.44
Friendship
76.00
5.33
67.56
Redditch Co-operative Homes
7.41
Family
Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
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% of arrears % of arrears (expected HB (HB payments payments deducted) not deducted)
Accord
46
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The section below shows how the Accord Group funds its operations. 2012 2011 £000 £000
Average rents 2011/2012
Organisation
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Long-term loans In order to buy and build homes, the Accord Group had to take out loans (like a mortgage). The Accord Group uses its loans to build and buy new homes.
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Manjula Chauhan.
Accord Group Our Report 2012
47
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Our future
Some of us have heard that there may be changes to our benefits – how will this affect us?
This year more and more organisations have been tasked with ensuring customers are financially included, but what does that actually mean? Claudette Bonnet interviews Amanda Wilson, Income Recovery Manager for Moseley and District Housing Association to find out more. Her interview is below.
Claudette Bonnet.
...................................................................................................................................... What is the meaning of the term ‘financial Inclusion’? Financial inclusion is about customers having equal access to financial services and products and access to information, allowing them to make informed choices to achieve and maintain financial stability and improve their quality of life. During this year, the Group has been doing work to help customers build upon their financial confidence. As part of this work, the Group has asked all customers a number of questions as part of the ‘Getting to Know You’ survey. From the information received, we will be rolling out a number of projects and campaigns about money.
How did you become involved? I am the manager of the Income team at Moseley and District and along with my team, it is imperative that while our priority is to collect the rent and service charge payments, we also try to ensure that residents have the knowledge and skills to make the most of their money through clever budgeting.
hy is it important that people W know about money and gain financial confidence? It is very important that all residents across the Group are aware of what services are available to them. This will help them to: • Plan for the future and cope with financial pressure • Deal effectively with financial distress, should unexpected events lead to financial difficulties
48
Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
• Manage their money on a day-to-day basis by getting advice on better options such as direct debit payments and managing the daily challenges that everyone has from dealing with debt to paying bills on time.
Your benefits are changing. If you receive Housing Benefit, Job Seekers Allowance, Disability Living Allowance or a range of other benefits this will affect you. Although all the new rules haven’t been finalised, we do know what some of the changes will be and how they could affect you. We advise that you take action now to ensure that you are ready for these changes. The Government wants to simplify the welfare system and is doing this by replacing the range of benefits and tax credits currently available with one benefit, Universal Credit.
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• The introduction of Universal Credit will be phased, starting from October 2013 to December 2017 • From April 2013, if you are of working age, your Housing Benefit will be reduced if you live in a council or housing association property that is judged as being larger than you need. This means you will have to make up the shortfall. The size of the cut depends on how many extra bedrooms you have in your property. • To claim Universal Credit, you will have to apply on-line, so you will need internet access • Universal Credit will be paid monthly in arrears directly into a bank account - you need to make sure that you have an account to receive payment
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• If you currently receive Housing Benefit, it is usually paid directly to your landlord. Under Universal Credit, it will be paid directly to you and you will be responsible for paying your rent to us. We recommend that you do this by direct debit.
What are you doing to support customers through these changes? We can help you access: • Bank accounts • Affordable credit • Fuel bill discounts • Debt advice • Household contents insurance • Budgeting advice • On-line or discount buying. We want to work with customers to minimise the impact on their finances and to do this we need all customers to tell us about changes to their household so that we can keep our records up-to-date.
How can residents access these services or need to get advice? You can contact your housing officer and ask any questions. Across the Group we have dedicated teams who are happy to discuss any issues you may have. We can also signpost you to local organisations who may also be able to help.
by Claudette.
• There will be a cap on the amount of benefits an outof-work household will receive. This is likely to be a maximum of £350 per week for a single person and £500 for a couple. This will include money to cover your rent.
Accord Group Our Report 2012
49
Our extras Accord AddVentures – employment support service The Accord Group is much more than a housing provider and now offers support and guidance for those residents who need advice or help into employment. Fifteen year old Bromwyn Shayler investigated the new service and reports on her findings. She writes...
..... ...................... ................................................................................................. .......... Accord AddVentures was set up to provide a programme of employment and enterprise support for residents and service users. Within this service, residents are able to improve their skills and knowledge to help them to achieve their aspirations and move towards employment It is possible that if more than one resident has a similar idea, they may be able to combine their knowledge and create a business together, thus improving their knowledge base and give each other support. Speaking to Alix Drysdale, Development Officer at Accord AddVentures, I found out that there is a lot of advice and support available to do with a variety of areas of business and employment. Support available for employment includes; • One-to-One support from a coach
Cherise Case Study, Resident from Birmingham Cherise requested support from the employment and skills service after receiving a flyer in the post about it in February 2012. At her initial assessment meeting it became clear that she had lots of previous experience within the hospitality and retail industries. However, she had been looking for work for nearly a year without much success. Her employment coach supported her to edit her CV to make it stand out from the crowd and demonstrated to her some new ways she could find open job opportunities. She was also supported to write tailored covering letters to send with her CV. After two months of a reinvigorated and focused job search, Cherise attended an interview for a position working within the event staff team at Edgbaston Cricket Ground. Cherise was successful in gaining a position and after a few weeks working within the event team, her professionalism and enthusiasm was identified and she was offered a full time permanent position working at the reception of Edgbaston Cricket Ground in June 2012. Cherise says she is enjoying every moment and is thankful for the support she received from the employment and skills service.
• Training and support • Job search • Personalised plan • Work experiences/apprenticeships with our contractors. Support available for enterprise and self employment includes;
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• Access to business planning support • Access to grant support • Advice and guidance
Bromwyn Shayler.
• Signposting to external support agencies. Each resident is assessed individually, because everyone is different. For example, someone could have all the qualifications they require, but they need help setting out a proper business plan, or someone might need help improving their numeracy and literacy, or getting experience in the field that they are looking to move in to. For more information about Accord AddVentures speak to your housing officer about how you can book and appointment with your local jobs and skills coach.
by Bromwyn.
50
Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
Cherise in her new job.
Accord Group Our Report 2012
51
• Volunteering and apprenticeships The Accord Group volunteer service was set up in January 2011. By combining services across the Group, it offers a vast choice of volunteering opportunities to residents.
.•
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Did you know? There are 83 active volunteers across the Group
The service is in great demand and is accessed in the main, by people looking to gain experience to assist them into work. However, there are a small group of volunteers who want to offer their skills to support people in their local communities.
Out of the 83 volunteers, nine of them are residents. Out of these people, one has found temporary paid employment which may lead to a permanent post and one is hoping to develop a social enterprise with support from AddVentures.
Since the service began, the Group has been able to assist many people, either to volunteer across the organisations or at other local businesses or organisations. The Group is committed to continuing to offer as many volunteer roles as we can across the Group and offers assistance to our customers to gain valuable experience. Volunteering roles have ranged from helping out in the kitchens at care schemes to administration work in local offices.
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The Accord Group also has a strong commitment to recruiting apprentices. The Group employed 11 apprentices in 2011, some of whom are still with us in full-time jobs. Others went onto find full-time employment or do further qualifications. Volunteers in action.
To find out more about volunteering, contact Irene Casserley on 0300 111 7000 extension 7203 or email icasserley@accordgroup.org.uk
“Volunteering allows me to develop my interpersonal skills and build my self confidence.” Ibrahim Shittu
Accord Group apprentices.
“Being involved keeps me feeling young. Volunteering is a privilege and a joy and I hope I can do this for a few more years to come.” Janet Ball “Volunteering gives me the work experience I need to gain a qualification.” Valerie Duncan
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Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
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Accord Group Our Report 2012
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Accord Group Our Annual Report 2012
Accord Group Our Report 2012
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The Accord Group 178 Birmingham Road, West Bromwich, West Midlands B70 6QG Tel: 0300 111 7000 Fax: 0121 358 9011 Email: customerfirst@accordgroup.org.uk Web: accordgroup.org.uk
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