Jack Simpson wrote in inside housing on 18th January 2022, According to him:
In an effort to raise standards and ensure landlords are prepared to deal with tenant concerns, the government will start a new comprehensive assessment of training and credentials for people working in social housing.
Eddie Hughes, the Minister for Homelessness and Rough Sleeping, launched today the Social Housing Professionalisation Review, which will look into the current credentials for workers and see whether any further training is required to improve services to residents.
The review will be an important component of the social housing reforms proposed in the Social Housing Regulation Bill. Many of the suggestions in the Social Housing White Paper, which was issued in November 2020, will be brought forward in the bill, which is anticipated in March.
In the white paper, the government promised a review of all training and development for social housing staff, including management staff. It said that this would be informed by a working group made up of landlords, professional bodies and academics, which would explore the relevance of current standards.
The government has said that the working group will include representatives from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), tenant engagement experts Tpas, Sanctuary Housing and North Star Housing Group.
It comes after surveys carried out by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities found that thousands of social housing residents felt that their landlords were failing to treat them with respect and courtesy.
This is backed up by a deep-dive investigation by ITV News, which exposed cases of appalling circumstances in which social housing residents have been forced to live — and to which social landlords frequently take months to respond.
According to the most recent English Housing Survey, over 59 percent of social housing residents who complained were dissatisfied with the response to their complaint.
In addition to the training review, the Social Housing White Paper included a number of additional ideas for social housing changes, the most important of which was the expansion of the Social Housing Regulator to now govern consumer standards.
The regulator announced intentions to regulate consumer standards late last year. It’s designed to look at a variety of metrics, including safety, engagement, openness, and accountability.
“Too many social housing residents have told me they feel like they are not listened to or treated with respect – that they have raised complaints time and time again only to have the problems not be resolved,” Mr Hughes added.
“This has to come to an end. This study, which was released today, will improve the quality of services provided to residents, ensuring that their complaints are addressed and that they have a safe place to live.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the assessment to help ensure that housing professionals have the proper tools to offer good-quality homes and services with people at the core,” said Gavin Smart, chief executive of the CIH.