TP Charter 12A4 v8 SML

Welcome to the Kirklees Tenant Participation Charter The outcomes we want to achieve: How will we do it?
Area forums Children and young people Choosing the right contract and contractor Choosing the right staff Community events Community premises Community voices Conferences Estate inspections Estate manifestos Focus groups Funding KNH Board of Directors KNH Excel KFTRA Management Committee Improvement schemes and regeneration Leaseholders involvement Mystery shoppers and tenant inspectors Newsletters Notice of concern and performance improvement notice Scrutiny Panel Service Champions Social media Speak Easy Surveys Tenant and resident associations (TRAs) Tenant and resident committees Training Working groups and forums Service Standards Who to contact:
Contents
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Welcome to the 7th edition of the Kirklees Tenant Participation Charter
he Charter is an agreement between Kirklees Federation of Tenant and Resident Associations (KFTRA), Kirklees Neighbourho od Housing (KNH) and Kirklees Council about how tenants and residents are involved in decisions affecting their homes and communities. It tells you how you can get involved in planning changes and improvements to your home and where you live and what you can expect from us. We have a proud tradition of involving people in improving our services and this Charter looks to build on that successful tradition and commitment, whilst also focusing on building and sustaining safe and vibrant communities. Our ambition is that all members of
the community: feel that they are listened to have a real say in decisions about where they live and the services they receive. Our challenge is to : strengthen current ways of working, reaching out to more p eople develop new ways of working that help p eople to get involved in different ways. This is our invitation to you to get involved and applies to you whether you are a council tenant, a leaseholder or a homeowner. Tenant Participation Charter Steering Group, June 2012.
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The outcomes we want to achieve:

What we are doing
Increasing community resp ect and understanding of p eople from different back grounds, ages and areas Increasing confidence and skills amongst residents and communities to shap e and influence their local place and services
Community events where everybody mingles
How we will do it
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Training to be a community leader
. We will have a range of methods in place to allow residents to get involved in a way and at a level that suits them. We will encourage and develop a wider range of innovative, less formal approaches to encourage more p eople to take part. . We will have arrangements in place to consult and involve p eople who are not involved in formally recognised groups and make a sp ecial effort to reach those tenants, leaseholders and residents who do not normally get involved. . We will explore new ways of getting tenants, leaseholders and residents views and ensure that they have the chance to express their views and influence the planning and delivery of local services. . Irresp ective of age, ethnicity or social back ground, we will design our involvement methods around the needs of the community. . We will put more supp ort into areas that need it and be clear about the reasons for doing it. . We will develop effective partnerships with a range of agencies to address the differing priorities in each local area. . We will develop a programme of staff learning opp ortunities to ensure the sharing of best practice.
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Family day out at a community event
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How will we do it?

Listening Ensuring that we capture information from you and can start a dialogue e.g. community events Discussing Creating an ongoing dialogue directed towards exploring a subject or resolving a problem e.g. area forums Consulting About the development, delivery and performance of services and policies that affect your homes & communities e.g. tenant & resident committees
Building successful communities
Developing Making decisions about the choice of options and / or the delivery of a service e.g. community premises
Participating Taking part in designing, delivering or assessing a service e.g. working groups and deciding on improvements
Informing Providing relevant, clear and accessible information about our services and decisions e.g. newsletters
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Area forums
What are they?
Area forums are a great way to keep up to date with whats going on. KNH organises the forums every six weeks or so to share information and consult with tenants and residents about what is happening in their area. Discuss tenants, residents and councillors concerns. This may mean officers from KNH or other services, for example, neighbourho od p olicing, will be invited to talk about sp ecific issues. Discuss p erformance management information for their area and get up dates on estate plans and estate insp ections. Recommend improvements for the environmental works budget to the tenant and resident committees. Agree any issues that need to be raised at tenant and resident committees for wider discussion.
I like my Area Forums because I feel that we get to make proper decisions and that they are our meetings.
What are they for?

If you are a representative of a tenant and resident association or community group, a community voice or a local councillor, you are invited to the area forum. A Kirklees Federation of Tenant and Resident Associations (KFTRA) fieldworker attends to feed in the latest developments from KFTRA and housing officers will come if asked to speak about specific issues or to keep in touch with their local representatives. If you are interested in attending, please let us know.
Time commitment: Small Level of involvement: Discussing and consulting For more information, contact the Community Engagement team: 01484 223213
See also:
Tenant and resident associations page 32 Community voices page 14
Who can help?
Why are they important?

Area forums are informal meetings to: Discuss any issues raised by KFTRA Offer one another supp ort in their work and share ideas and news
KFTRA page 21 Area housing managers organise the meetings, inviting other officers when Tenant and resident committees page 33 appropriate, and share information about how we are doing and what is planned for the area.
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Children and young people

Time commitment: As much or as little as you like. Level of involvement: Talking and listening
For more information please contact Community Engagement team: 01484 223213
What do we do?
We like to work with you to improve the estate where you live improving the environment, your safety or putting on social activities and clubs. If you are interested in working with us, get in touch. We also work with you in schools through our KNH Kids programme. We come to your school so you can tell us what its like to live in your community and we look at the kinds of projects that you might get involved with to help to improve things (age 7 to 11). Communities United Project is working with us to provide activities for young people where they live and to involve parents and other local people in them (age 7-13). If you are over 16, you might want to join our leadership course, which is a way of building your confidence so that you can play an even bigger part in leading improvements on your estate.
If you are 16 or 17 and are a member of our young tenants support scheme, we involve you through our texting service, newsletter and annual satisfaction survey.
Who is it for?
This work is often targeted at areas that need a bit of extra support or where young people and other residents are having difficulty getting along. For more information about getting involved, contact the Community Engagement team.
Why is it important?
This work helps us to understand what it is like for you to live on our estates and helps make sure we take your opinions into account when we plan changes or improvements.
Who can help?

Staff from across KNH and KFTRA help to make sure these projects succeed.
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Choosing the right contract and contractor

What does this mean?
It is important that tenants, leaseholders and residents are involved in the process of developing contracts and choosing contractors to carry out major improvements on their estates.
By involving those who will be benefiting directly from the improvements, we believe we will get the contract right at the beginning and will get the best contractors for the job. This will give tenants and residents the most positive experience.
Time commitment: Small Level of involvement: Decision-making

Who is it for?
If you are actively involved in our work, you could be involved in agreeing the contract and selecting contractors for work in your area.
Who can help?

The Investment team supports you to influence the decisions we make when appointing contractors to carry out improvement schemes in your area.
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Choosing the right staff

Time commitment: Small Level of involvement: Decision-making
What does this mean?

We aim to employ staff who share our vision and who are committed to providing an excellent service to our tenants and residents. We achieve this by involving tenant and resident representatives in the recruitment of staff who have direct contact with tenants and residents and for some senior posts. We also involve tenants and residents in our staff training and development programme, which includes sessions on involving residents and customer care.
By involving those who have direct experience of receiving the services we offer, we believe we will recruit excellent staff who can deliver our vision. The training and development programme will equip our staff with the skills and information they need to provide an excellent service.
Who can help?

The KNH Human Resources team offers support and training for representatives who are interested in this area.
Who is it for?
Tenant and resident representatives who are actively involved with our work are invited to take part in a training programme that will give them the skills needed to take part in recruiting staff.
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Community events
What are they?
Events can be anything from celebrating something youve achieved on your estate and local galas to events for the whole of Kirklees. We concentrate particularly on estate events so that we can get to know you better, understand what the particular issues are where you live and plan to make appropriate improvements.

These are opportunities for residents to come together and meet neighbours in a relaxed and fun environment. They are also opportunities for us to hear what it is like to live on your estate and what we might do to improve things; we often use these events to consult on the estate plan and see what ideas residents have for future developments or to try and set up a tenant and resident group.
I like being involved in organising community events; everyone had a great day out at our gala and it brought everyone together. It involves as much or as little time as you like
Time commitment: Variable Level of involvement: Discussing and consulting

For more information please contact Community Engagement team: 01484 223213 KFTRA: 01484 223466
Who are they for?

If you have told us that you are interested in getting involved with us, you could help us to plan and organise events for your area. Of course, if we hold events near you, we would love you to come and tell us what it is like for you to live there.
Who can help?

If you are interested in getting involved, the Community Engagement Team and KFTRA field workers have lots of experience and information to help you to organise a successful event. A KNH Achiever may also be able to support you.
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Community premises
I like managing our own community building because we can provide somewhere for people to get out of their home and get to know their neighbours
What are they?

Where community premises are available (houses, flats, disused shops), the council can agree to lease them to tenant and resident groups if the group is able to show the need for such a centre, their ability to manage it well and a desire to provide a range of activities and services for residents.
Who can help?

The Community Engagement team can help you understand what is involved in applying to manage community premises. There is also a Community Buildings Forum, where community groups who manage centres come together and share experiences and some of the KNH Achievers may also be able to support you with your community activities. This is valuable support if you are considering what may be involved.
Who are they for?

Time commitment: Sustained Level of involvement: Decision-making
For more information please contact Community Engagement team: 01484 223213 Corporate Landlord (Kirklees Council): 01484 226081 Community Buildings Forum (Voluntary Action Kirklees): 01484 518457 If your group feels that it can manage a centre and provide community activities, please contact the Community Engagement team for further information about what is involved.

Community buildings provide a community with a place to come together and take part in a range of activities and services; they are a useful resource in any successful community.
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Community voices
What are they?
A community voice is someone who has agreed to represent neighbours views to KNH and other housing staff working in that area. They are a link between KNH and residents and may be asked to pass out information to residents, welcome them to the area, speak to them about local issues and feed views back to KNH. There are also other opportunities to get involved in various forums around a range of issues.

We want you to get involved in a way that suits you. By having a range of different opportunities, with different time commitments we hope you can find something that interests you.
I like being a community voice because I like to help people, find solutions and feel that Ive achieved something
Who can help?

KFTRA can help you become involved and support you with training or finding out about other things that may interest you. The housing officer is the most important contact for day-to-day issues for community voices.
Time commitment: Medium Level of involvement: Discussing and consulting

For more information please contact KFTRA: 01484 223466
Who is it for?
Anyone who is over 18 and lives on a KNH estate that is not represented by a tenants and residents group may volunteer to become a community voice. You will need 10 other residents to support your application to represent them.
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Conferences
I like attending conferences because you learn so much and you get a real sense of working together
What are they?

Both KNH and KFTRA organise a range of conferences each year. They are an opportunity for tenants, leaseholders and residents to discuss specific issues with the organisations and with each other, making sure their voices are heard and they influence how KNH and KFTRA develop.

Conferences offer an opportunity to look at some of the bigger issues we face, such as the future of council housing and sustainable energy. They are also a good way to meet people who are active in other areas of Kirklees.
Time commitment: Small Level of involvement: Discussing and consulting

Who can help? Who are they for?

Anyone who is actively involved with our work can come along. If you are interested in getting involved, please let the Community Engagement team or KFTRA know. The Community Engagement team and KFTRA help organise these conferences.
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Estate inspections
What are they?
Estate inspections involve walking around an estate to see how tidy it is, find any problems and look for opportunities to make it a better place to live. Inspections are organised on a quarterly basis to pick up issues unless a local agreement has been reached with the TRA to vary this frequency neighbourhood teams to plan how they are going to make the area more attractive and successful. By looking around the area with people who actually live there, we are able to check that communal areas are being maintained as well as see if problem areas have arisen and agree what the best solutions are.
I like going on estate inspections because you pick up on problems and see whats changed since last time we did an inspection.
Who can help? Who are they for?

If you are nominated by your local tenants and residents group or are a community voice, you are invited to join the housing officer, local councillors and other local agencies working to improve the area on estate inspections. Estate inspections are organised by the housing officer, who draws up an action plan after each inspection and sends it out to all participants within 10 working days.
Time commitment: Small or Medium Level of involvement: Talking and listening


The estate inspection helps to improve how the area looks and provides information for the
See also:
Estate manifestos page 16 Tenant and resident associations page 32 Community voices page 13
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Estate manifestos
What are they?

Tenant and resident associations (TRAs) carry out a survey of everyone living in their area to establish their priorities. This gives the TRA a plan of issues which they address over the coming years.

The estate manifesto helps the TRA to concentrate its time and efforts on the local communitys main priorities. The issues raised in this process are also taken into the estate plan, which is put together by housing officers.
See also:
Tenant and resident associations page 32
Who are they for?

Estate manifestos are led by TRAs. If you would like to get involved, you can work with your local TRA.
Who can help?

KFTRA field workers support TRAs to develop and follow up their manifesto.
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Focus groups
What are they?
A focus group (also called group discussion) is an opportunity for us to research a particular topic or issue, such as how young tenants feel about their support service or how well residents on a particular estate feel the green spaces are maintained. It is a single meeting or series of meetings and not an ongoing commitment. They are flexible enough to attract people who are not otherwise involved in our work and it may be easier for you to get involved in them as they are usually a single meeting, or short series of meetings,

Who can help?

To tell us that you would like to get involved, contact the Community Engagement team or KFTRA. The Community Engagement team can also help services get the most from focus groups.
See also:
Who are they for?

If you are interested in getting involved, please let us know. From time to time, the subject matter may only be relevant for certain groups of people, for example, leaseholder tenants, younger people and only members of those groups of people will be invited to get involved.

A focused discussion is particularly helpful when we need detailed information about a particular issue. Focus groups also allow you to build on each others ideas and test out each others experiences.
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Funding
What is available?
KNH supports tenants and residents associations and groups with annual support grants to help them carry out their work. They are also able to apply for an extra support grant in times of difficulties and for an Excel community grant to help with community activities. Other funding may become available from time to time and there are pots of money available locally and nationally.
See also:
Excel page 19 Tenant and resident associations page 32
External funders have different ways that you can apply, some on line and some by an application form. KFTRA and the Community Engagement team can help you find the right funder for you.
Supporting groups to organise and provide a range of community events and activities which allows people to come together and support one another, build their confidence and skills and enjoy where they live. Getting funding for resources or activities can be a great way of building a sense of pride in your community.
Who is it for?
If your association or group has signed a partnership agreement with KNH, it is entitled to a support grant every year. You may also be able to apply for an extra support grant under certain circumstances; applications are considered by the Grants Working Group and are straightforward. Anyone wanting to provide activities for its community is able to apply for an Excel community grant. These applications are considered by the Excel panel. You can apply online or contact the Community Engagement team.
Who can help?

The Community Engagement team and KFTRA Fieldworker can tell you what is available and how to apply. Kirklees Council has lots of information too, www.kirklees.gov. uk/grants or email funding@kirklees. gov.uk
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KNH Board of Directors

What is it?
The main role of the board is to ensure KNH achieves its mission of quality homes and services in successful communities. The board provides strategic leadership to the company and challenges KNH on our vision for the future and the services we provide to our customers. Board members are responsible for the sound management of KNHs finances by making sure KNH achieves value for money in all that it does. They are also responsible for the performance of the company, and the health and safety of staff and customers. Four of the tenant members are elected through a secret postal ballot of the tenants in their neighbourhood. The fifth tenant member is elected by KFTRA. Tenant board members have to be tenants or leaseholders of Kirklees Council.
Time commitment: Sustained Level of involvement: Decision-making For more information contact Governance Manager: 01484 416412
Board members are company directors and have legal responsibilities; they have to meet set standards before joining the board and have a number of policies and procedures to follow, including a code of conduct
Who is it for?
There are three kinds of board members: independents, council representatives and tenant representatives. When a vacancy for an independent member arises, an advert is placed in the local press for interested people to apply and a selection process begins. This is similar to KNHs recruitment and selection process for staff. Tenants and residents can be selected as independents. Council representatives are put forward by Kirklees Council.
Who can help?

The Governance Manager and Company Secretary support the board to make sure it meets legal requirements, runs efficiently and aims to follow best practice.
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KNH Excel
For more information please contact Community Engagement team: 01484 223213 or KFTRA: 01484 223466
What is it?
This rewards scheme recognises and rewards all our tenants, leaseholders and staff who help make our communities great places to live. Its our way of saying thank you in a way that people will find rewarding, including community grants, good neighbour awards, garden competitions and a money-saving discount card. The scheme is developed and delivered by tenants and residents, who are involved in a variety of ways, from making decisions about scheme benefits and deciding on grants and award recipients to helping judge competitions and recruiting businesses for the discount card.
Who is it for?
All secure tenants who have not broken their tenancy conditions are automatically members of KNH Excel. But there are also opportunities to get more involved in the scheme by joining the KNH Excel Panel. In order to join the panel, you must be a member of the KFTRA Management Committee.
See also:
Estate manifestos page 16 Tenant and resident associations page 32 Community voices page 13
The scheme is designed to reward and encourage positive tenancies and to encourage residents to contribute towards creating successful communities.
Who can help?

The Community Engagement Team can help you apply for any of the initiatives in the Excel scheme. KFTRA can give you advice on how to get involved in the Panel.
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KFTRA Management Committee

What is it?
KFTRA has a democratic and representative structure. Each Kirklees tenant & resident association elects two delegates to represent their association and attend regular KFTRA meetings, conferences and seminars. Delegates elect the KFTRA Management Committee members annually at the Annual General Meeting, which is usually in June. The Management Committee is made up of the four neighbourhoods that KNH works within: Huddersfield South Huddersfield North Dewsbury & Mirfield Batley & Sp en
Who is it for?
Six representatives from each of the neighbourho ods are elected by the delegates from their area. A further four officers chair, vice-chair, treasurer and publicity officer are also elected. If you are interested in standing for KFTRA Management Committee, you will need to be a KFTRA delegate on your tenant & resident association.

It is important that KFTRA has representation from across Kirklees to take overall responsibility for running the organisation, including the control of spending.
Who can help?

KFTRA field workers support the Management Committee members and they work very closely together.
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Improvement schemes and regeneration

I liked being involved in our improvement scheme because I got to choose my front door
What are they?

Improvement and regeneration schemes can include simple and small environmental improvements or multi-agency regeneration schemes involving demolition and remodelling. But in all cases, the people involved in that community and their influence over the regeneration is as important as how the place looks.
choice over colours, styles and so on. Representatives are invited to attend site meetings to check how the work is going and to iron out any problems which may arise. Tenants and leaseholders who have had improvements done on their homes are asked how they think the work has gone and this feedback is shared with representatives and KNH. Some large schemes may have formal arrangements that we cannot involve you in, but we will keep you fully informed.
Time commitment: Small Level of involvement: Talking and listening

Who are they for?

When KNH plans an improvement scheme, we organise a meeting involving those tenants and leaseholders directly affected and any neighbouring residents to outline the reasons for the scheme, show the timetable and the costs involved and discuss the arrangements for carrying out the work. We write to all those involved to confirm the details once the design and arrangements have been finalised. The contractors provide their contact details and outline any opportunities for you to influence what they are doing, particularly where there is
See also:

We like to have a close working relationship with those residents who will benefit to make sure that we meet their needs and aspirations as far as possible.
Who can help?

The Investment team can support you to get involved in schemes in your area.
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Leaseholders involvement
What are they?
Leaseholders are tenants who have bought the lease to a council flat, either through the Governments Right to Buy scheme or through the open market. Because leaseholders own part of a building but not the whole structure, they are still tenants. However, they have a lease, rather than a tenancy agreement, which sets out their rights and responsibilities. They pay a service charge for the services they receive and pay part of the cost of maintaining the block. team to shape the service. Details of the forums are advertised in Leasehold Matters, the dedicated leaseholder newsletter. You could also become a Leaseholder Champion if you want to get more involved and have greater influence over developments.
I enjoy attending the leaseholder forums as its a way of gaining an insight in to how KNH works, and being able to be involved in up and coming works that are planned.
Leaseholders are important as they are a growing sector within our communities. KNH has a duty to ensure they receive a high standard of service and to make sure their views and opinions are heard and acted upon.

For more information please contact Home Ownership team: 01484 416990
Who is it for?
You can attend the leaseholder forums, which take place around three times a year. The forums have a set agenda, and leaseholders work closely with the Home Ownership
Who can help?

The Home Ownership team is the first point of contact for any leaseholder questions
See also:
Working groups and forums page 35 Newsletters page 25 Service champions page 28
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Mystery shoppers and tenant inspectors

What are they?

Mystery shoppers and tenant inspectors are residents who have been trained to act as potential customers and who report back on their experience so that we can improve how we do things. We also talk to customers who have actually used a KNH service so that we can find out what they thought of it.

Mystery shopping and inspecting are important ways of giving us a clear picture of how we are performing. Poor levels of service damage customer satisfaction and anyone who has had a bad experience will often tell others about it, so spreading negative perceptions. We involve mystery shoppers and inspectors to make sure that our service is as good as it can be.
See also:
Who are they for?

If you are interested in getting involved, please let us know. We have a register of people interested in getting involved in this way.
Who can help?

The Customer Services team works closely with mystery shoppers and inspectors to provide us with useful information about the quality of the services we offer our customers.
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Newsletters
What are they?
KFTRA produces Home Truths 10 times each year for tenants and residents groups and it is also distributed to libraries and other public buildings. KNH produces Door to Door magazine three times each year for all residents on its estates and Leasehold Matters twice a year for all leaseholders.

Keeping people up-to-date with what is going on across Kirklees is very important and newsletters provide a wider picture for readers. They also share good news stories and ideas for how people can get involved in improving where they live.

For more information please contact Home Ownership team: 01484 416990 Communications team: 01484 416440 Home Ownership team: 01484 416990 KFTRA: 01484 223466. Please contact us if you would like to receive a copy.
Who can help? Who is it for?

If you have news about an event in your area or would like to share a success story, youre welcome to submit an article. KNH also has a Publications Panel, which priorities the content for each edition. You can send ideas for articles to the KNH communications manager, who produces Door to Door and also convenes the publications panel the Home Ownership team for Leasehold Matters KFTRA for Home Truths
Page 25.
Notice of concern and performance improvement notice

For more information please contact KFTRA: 01484 223466 KNH: 01484 414886
What are they?

The Quality Guarantee tells you about the main standards of service you can expect from KNH and explains how we work in partnership with Kirklees Council to provide services to your community. If you feel that the standards have not been met, our simple complaints procedure is also explained in the leaflet. A notice of concern can only be served by a tenants and residents association if there has been a consistent failure to deliver the standards set out in the quality guarantee. It is served to the neighbourhood operations manager, who explains the issue to the tenant and resident committee and presents an action plan to resolve it. If the issue has not been resolved after four weeks, the TRA and tenant and resident committee can issue a performance improvement notice, which is investigated by a senior
See also:
Tenant and resident associations page 32 Tenant and resident committees page 33 KFTRA page 21
member of staff. The resulting action plan will be reported at each tenant and resident committee until they are satisfied that the service standards are being met.
Who are they for?

If you are not satisfied with the service you have received, you should use the complaints procedure. If the problem affects a number of people in the area, your tenant and resident association can issue a notice of concern.

We believe that everyone living on our estates has a right to a high standard of service and that things should be put right as quickly as possible if we fail to meet this standard.
Who can help?

Your housing team or KFTRA can help you if you want to make a complaint.
Page 26.
Scrutiny Panel
What is it?
Scrutiny Panel is made up of tenants, residents and leaseholders of KNH. They must not be on the Board of KNH or the Management Committee of KFTRA. The panel is run by KFTRA, assisted by a scrutiny officer seconded from Kirklees Council.
Scrutiny is an important way to bring about change, improve standards, performance, efficiency and excellence. The reports and recommendations are considered at the highest level and influence how KNH moves forward.
Who is it for?
Applicants to the scrutiny panel must have an open mind and be prepared to work co-operatively in a small team, focusing on the issue chosen for scrutiny. Topics for scrutiny are put forward by the tenants, residents and leaseholders of KNH, and cover all housing services.
Who can help?

KFTRA Field workers can tell you more about it, describe the training available and support to join.
I like being involved in the scrutiny panel because I enjoy the feeling that Im doing something for society rather than for myself and we get things done when we get together.

For more information please contact KFTRA: 01484 223466.
Page 27.
Service Champions
Time commitment: Sustained Level of involvement: Discussing and consulting
What are they?

A service champion is a resident of a KNH estate who has agreed to be a point of contact for specific KNH services such as Leaseholder Services and the Older or Younger Peoples Support Services. They share residents views and experiences, providing useful background information, and they let residents know what KNH is doing about their issues.

We want you to get involved in a way that suits you. By having a range of different opportunities, with different time commitments we hope you can find something that suits you.
Who can help?

The Community Engagement Team can help you become involved and support you with training or finding out about other things that may interest you.
See also:
Tenant and resident associations page 32 Tenant and resident committees page 33 KFTRA page 22
Who are they?

Anyone who lives on a KNH estate and who is interested in improving the services we provide can get involved. Contact us and we will then discuss your options with you.
Page 28.
Social media
What is it?
A way of communicating that is fast, cheap and easily accessible for the whole community. It allows you to know quickly what is going on and what is available in your area. You can stay in touch with both neighbours and those who live further away. See www.facebook.com/KNHCommunities
It is an easy way for every member of the community to know what is happening in their area and to be able to comment, question or suggest improvements.

Who can help?

The Community Engagement Team and KFTRA field workers can help you become involved and support you with training or finding out about other things that may interest you.
Who is it for?
Everyone with a smart mobile phone, computer or access to a Kirklees Library. You can make sure you know whats going on and make sure everyone knows your news and views too.
Page 29.
Speak Easy
I like being a member of Speak Easy because my views are important; Speak Easy makes sure that they count
What is it?
KFTRA has a panel of over 600 individual tenants and residents who have a range of opportunities to be involved such as attending workshops and focus groups, taking part in training events, getting invitations to seminars and conferences, or simply filling in a questionnaire three times a year. It is entirely up to you!
KFTRAs main aim is to ensure that tenants & residents living on council estates in Kirklees are able to play a full part in the decision-making process and have a voice on issues concerning their housing, their environment and their communities. You can get your voice heard without leaving the comfort of your own home!

Who is it for?
Anyone who would like to make their voice heard and wants to join the Speak Easy panel can contact KFTRA for more details.
Who can help?

KFTRA can tell you about what will be expected if you join the panel.
Page 30.
Surveys
What are they?
KNH and KFTRA use surveys to collect and record information about particular issues. We use them when we want to measure satisfaction with particular things, collect factual information or get peoples opinions. They can be done face-to-face, by telephone, by post or by e-mail.

Surveys help give us a clear picture of how we are performing. They allow us to contact a large number of people across a wide area to collect information, which helps us improve how we do things.

For more information please contact Community Engagement Team: 01484 223213 KFTRA: 01484 223466
Who can help?

Many KNH teams use surveys, as well as KFTRAs Speak Easy panel.
Who are they for?

If you are interested in getting involved, please let us know. From time to time, the subject matter may only be relevant for certain groups of people, for example leaseholder tenants or younger people, and only member of those groups will be invited to get involved.
Page 31.
Tenant and resident associations (TRAs)

I like being a member of my TRA because we can help to solve peoples problems and work together to have an integrated community.
What are they?

If youre interested in getting together with neighbours to try to improve your homes and communities, then you might be interested in joining a tenant and resident association (TRA). By representing your neighbours, you can campaign for better services, improvements to the environment and tenants homes and organise events that bring people together.
forums and tenant and resident committees receive an annual grant from KNH to supp ort your exp enses and activities organise community activities welcome new neighbours
Time commitment: Medium Level of involvement: Decision-making

Who are they for?

If you live in an area where there is a TRA or similar group, and you are over 18, you can get involved by contacting the group, KFTRA or KNH. If there isnt one in your area and you want to start one, help is available from KFTRA and KNH.
They are also an important way to share information with people living on the estate and provide support to other tenants who might be finding it difficult to get a service or get their views heard.
Who can help?

KFTRA field workers can help you set up or develop a group and can advise you on organising activities for your community. Your housing officer is the most important contact for day-today issues and works with groups to improve where they live. In some areas, a member of the Community Engagement Team or the Councils community worker can also help you organise activities.
See also:
Area forums page 7 Tenant and resident committees page 33 Funding page 18 Community events page 11

People who work together to improve their estate can really make a difference. KNH and other council services want to consult with tenant and resident groups and involve them in making decisions about various aspects of what they do. You can: go on estate insp ections send representatives to area
Page 32.
Tenant and resident committees

What are they?
These are a formal (but friendly) way for KNH to consult with tenants and residents. There are four committees, one for each KNH neighbourhood. They meet six times a year and are an opportunity for you to influence key decisions made by the KNH Board of Directors. The agenda is set by the committees themselves and you can ask for policy or procedure issues to be addressed here. about the priorities for each neighbourho od. The council consults with the committees about key housing decisions and the annual budget. The committees approve estate improvements to be funded by KNHs environmental works budget. The committees can require services to improve by issuing a notice of concern, which requires a formal resp onse and action plan. Committees may refer relevant items of concern to local area committees for wider discussion.
I like being a member of the TRC because you get to make decisions
Time commitment: Medium Level of involvement: Decision-making

Who are they for?

These are open meetings and anyone can attend to observe what is being discussed. They are made up of: representatives from tenants and residents groups the KNH Board director for the neighbourho od community voices a KFTRA field worker local councillors
See also:
KNH Board of Directors page 19 Tenant and resident associations page 32 Community voices page 13 Notices of concern & performance improvement notices page 26
Who can help?

Each committee is supported by the neighbourhood operations manager, KFTRA and by the KNH Community Engagement team.

Concerns raised at committee are fed back to the KNH Board, so they are a direct link with the highest-level decision makers. They offer a chance to contribute to local decisions
Page 33.
Training
For more information please contact Community Engagement team: 01484 223213 KFTRA: 01484 223466 Voluntary Action Kirklees (VAK): 01484 518457 Northern College: 01226 776000 Trafford Hall: 01244 300246
What is it?
There are a range of training opportunities for tenants and residents to gain new skills or knowledge, such as confidence building or using computers, to help them get involved with the tenants movement, public services or wider community activities. The opportunities include informal training courses, one-off sessions, briefings, shadowing staff, one to one support and accredited courses; we can often bring the courses to you locally. The courses are provided by KFTRA and KNH and are usually free. In some cases, we can arrange for you to attend courses offered by other organisations like Voluntary Action Kirklees and we can often contribute to fees if the course is essential for what you are doing to improve your estate. KNH Achievers runs an annual programme and links closely with Northern College.
Who is it for?
If you are a member of a tenants and residents group or are involved with us in another way, you can take part in any of the opportunities offered.

We hope to increase the number of tenants and residents who are able to play an active part in our work by offering you a range of opportunities to become more confident and knowledgeable so that you can make a difference to your community.
See also:
Area forums page 7 Tenant and resident committees page 33 Funding page 18 Community events page 11
Who can help?

KFTRA or the Community Engagement team can tell you about current training courses. To discuss what support you think you might need and what courses you might like to attend in the future, please get in touch.
Page 34.
Working groups and forums

What are they?
These are groups that meet regularly to look at specific areas of our work, for example leaseholder issues or repairs, disabled residents forums and forums for those who live in flats. They help us to consider issues from your point of view and support us to make improvement to our services.

We can develop ways of working that are more in tune with what you want and you can get a better understanding of the current issues we face.
I like being involved in the Disabled Residents Forum because were shaping things to benefit disabled people
Who can help?

Each service area develops working groups as they need them and supports you to understand the issues so that you can play a full part in the discussions.

Who are they for?

If you are interested in getting involved, please let us know. Training is available so you feel able to contribute fully.
See also:
KNH Board of Directors page 8 Tenant and resident associations page 32 Community voices page 13 Notices of concern & performance improvement notices page 26
Page 35.
Service Standards
1. Resources for tenant participation/community engagement
A specific budget is set aside each year to support the following activities: A dedicated tenant participation and community engagement staff team providing supp ort and advice Additional supp ort through neighbourho od and sp ecialist teams Annual supp ort grant to KFTRA Annual grants to recognised tenants and residents groups Annual training programme Printing and publicity supp ort Out-of-p ocket exp enses for volunteers who take part in engagement activities at KNH request Community premises leased to tenants and residents groups Annual conferences Surveys New, creative approaches to engagement
2. Meetings
Meetings are a useful way of sharing information and opinions. To make sure they are as effective as possible, we will: Publicise meetings using a variety of means and in good time Hold meetings at suitable times and venues Make sure that everyone has the opportunity to have their say and chair the meetings properly, respecting everyone Make sure that the meeting has a clear purpose which has been made known to those attending Send out relevant papers at least 5 days in advance for regular, planned meetings and wherever appropriate for other meetings Not discuss individual issues at meetings, unless invited Record and monitor any decisions and actions through action plans and minutes Feedback to participants as soon as possible after the meeting. Reimburse agreed expenses Provide special help where required e.g. interpreters Items under any other business will be notified at the outset of meetings to enable the chair to manage the agenda effectively
3. Information
We will: Make sure it is written clearly, in plain English and available in other formats on request. Requests for other languages will also be considered Provide information in good time Publish Door to Door for all residents of our estates and Home Truths for all tenants and residents groups Make meeting minutes and papers available on request and on the KNH and KFTRA websites, in particular those from the KNH Board, KFTRA Executive and Tenant and Resident Committees Include information about how tenants can get involved in the new tenancy pack and make it widely available
Page 36.
4. Consultation
When we ask you for your opinions and ideas, we will: Be clear about what we are trying to achieve and how the results of the consultation will influence how we do things or decisions that we need to take Be clear who we want to consult with and how to include those who are not often involved with our work Work within a realistic timescale, allowing participants enough time to consider their contributions Use methods that are most suited to what we are trying to achieve and that help participants to contribute fully and creatively Feedback the views that we have gathered through the exercise and explain how these have been used to influence our decisions and actions
5. Tenant and resident groups

We involve many formal tenant and resident groups in our decision making processes and they sign a partnership agreement, which makes clear how they will operate. They must: Have a written constitution that supp orts the equality and diversity statement in the partnership agreement Provide all local residents with information about how they can contact the group and publicise the groups work in two newsletters each year for all local residents Hold regular meetings, including at least one public or consultation meeting each year and an annual general meeting to hold elections for the committee Keep written records of meetings Have op en financial records and have all accounts externally examined each year
6. Monitoring and measuring performance

The Charter Steering Group will set standards and targets for each of the commitments made in the Charter, The group will monitor progress, investigate any that are not being met and develop appropriate resp onses. We will compare our p erformance against similar housing organisations. We will review our p olicies and practices regularly through the Charter Steering Group. We will monitor how different p eople are involved in our work and lo ok at ways to encourage any under-represented groups to get more involved.
Page 37.
Who to contact:
For all aspects of the charter:
KNH Community Engagement team Perseverance House, St Andrews Road, Huddersfield, HD1 6RZ t: 01484 223213 e: community.engagement@knh.org.uk w: www.knh.org.uk f: www.facebook.com/KNHCommunities For information about and support for tenants and residents groups: Kirklees Federation of Tenant and Resident Associations (KFTRA) Federation House, St Johns Avenue, Newsome, Huddersfield HD4 6JP t: 01484 223466 e: general.admin@kftra.net w: www.kftra.net For estate management issues: KNH neighbourhood teams t: 01484 414886 e: housing@knh.org.uk Kirklees Council Civic Centre 3, Market Street, Huddersfield HD1 2TG t: 01484 221000 e: customer.enquiries@kirklees.gov.uk w: www.kirklees.gov.uk
Page 38.
T: 01484 414886 E: housing@knh.org.uk
Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing Ltd. Registered Office: Perseverance House, St Andrews Road, Aspley, Huddersfield, HD1 6RZ, England. Registered in England and Wales. Company Reg. No: 04394471. KNH is a not for profit company set up by Kirklees Council to deliver housing and neighbourhood services in the Kirklees area

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Welcome to the Kirklees Tenant Participation Charter The outcomes we want to achieve: How will we do it?

Welcome to the 7th edition of the Kirklees Tenant Participation Charter

The outcomes we want to achieve:

Community events where everybody mingles

Family day out at a community event

How will we do it?

Building successful communities

What are they for?

Who can help?

Why are they important?

Children and young people

Who can help?

Choosing the right contract and contractor

Time commitment: Small Level of involvement: Decision-making

Who can help?

Choosing the right staff

What does this mean?

Who can help?

Why are they important?

Time commitment: Variable Level of involvement: Discussing and consulting

Who are they for?

Who can help?

What are they?

Who can help?

Who are they for?

Why are they important?

Why are they important?

Who can help?

Time commitment: Medium Level of involvement: Discussing and consulting

What are they?

Why are they important?

Time commitment: Small Level of involvement: Discussing and consulting

Who can help? Who are they for?

Who can help? Who are they for?

Time commitment: Small or Medium Level of involvement: Talking and listening

Why are they important?

What are they?

Why are they important?

Who are they for?

Who can help?

Time commitment: Small Level of involvement: Discussing and consulting

Who can help?

Who are they for?

Why are they important?

Who can help?

KNH Board of Directors

Who can help?

Who can help?

KFTRA Management Committee

Time commitment: Sustained Level of involvement: Decision-making

Who can help?

Improvement schemes and regeneration

What are they?

Time commitment: Small Level of involvement: Talking and listening

Who are they for?

Why are they important?

Who can help?

Time commitment: Small or Medium Level of involvement: Talking and listening

Who can help?

Mystery shoppers and tenant inspectors

What are they?

Why are they important?

Who are they for?