Tenant engagement

Tenant engagement is about tenants playing a role in helping us to improve our services and performance. We want to encourage all tenants to get involved in shaping our services, by sharing their experience and telling us where we can improve or make changes. 

These are some of the many ways you can get involved.

Tenant Advisory Group (TAG)

This group of tenants will work in partnership with Circle VHA to improve service delivery by providing feedback, keeping tenants informed, and overseeing tenant-related policies/procedures/publications. The group will also review the effectiveness of the strategy and monitor its progress against targets set.

Regional Tenant Advisory Sub Groups

Regional subgroups will be introduced when interest grows across the country. It is envisaged that each region will have a subgroup that will feed into the overall TAG.

Tenant Surveys

Tenant’s complete surveys to give their feedback. They can reply by telephone, by post, text, or online.

IT Focus Group

A group of tenants work with members of the staff team. Together, they will work on the website, tenant app and gave valued feedback to Circle VHA. Proposed time commitment – as and when deemed necessary. Meetings will be face to face and virtual.

Tenant Association

A group of tenants who will promote and facilitate community spirit in their area. For example, by helping with organising open days and community events.

Editorial Panel

Tenants and staff work together to produce tenant newsletters and other publications.

The Shadow Group

The group will assist with the development and review of policies and procedures on an ad hoc basis. It may take the form of being part of a focus group to discuss and develop specific housing policies. Also, tenants may be asked to consider revised documents online.

Scheme Walkabout

An opportunity for staff, tenant representatives and relevant agencies (e.g. OMC/management company and local authority) to walk around a scheme or neighbourhood to identify any issues and consider possible solutions.

Interagency Meetings

The meetings follow up on the issues highlighted at the scheme walkabout. Agencies, including management companies, meet regularly with community representation to deal with ongoing concerns.

Biannual Updates

Staff will organise face to face updates at individual schemes, providing feedback from the scheme walkabout and interagency meetings. A living document will demonstrate progress on the various issues. It will show actions that are completed and those that are still outstanding.

Mystery Shopping

Tenants will be the mystery shoppers and training will be provided. This will allow tenants to examine the quality of the services provided by Circle VHA and provide customer feedback, which will help improve services. Examples would be testing the response from the office to a request for customer service, or a complaint.

Customer Journey Mapping

To get the tenant’s experience of a particular service provided by Circle VHA, the tenant is talked to, taken through Circle VHA’s policies and procedures, and asked about their experience at each stage. The feedback is recorded, and recommendations made for improvement.

Enhancing Services

A group of trained tenants assess a service area and seek a wide range of opinions regarding how the service is delivered. The group will review policies and procedures and speak to staff responsible for the service area.

Board Member

Carry out a process that will enable tenant representation on the Circle VHA board.