Date & Time
Tuesday 26th November, 2024 | 9:45 AM - 15:00pm
Venue
Online Event
Availability
Limited Availability
Purchase
Overview
The introduction of the new Complaint Handling Code and the focus on complaint management in social housing highlight a critical need for landlords and housing providers to adhere to best practices. The joint code, along with increased oversight from the Regulator, puts pressure on ensuring that tenants' issues are promptly addressed, while also encouraging landlords to learn from complaints to improve their services.
Given the heightened scrutiny—especially following the Grenfell tragedy and the poor handling of damp and mould—it's clear that complaint handling has evolved from a simple regulatory requirement into a broader measure of service quality and tenant safety. The implementation of effective systems to manage, resolve, and learn from complaints is now a key part of organisational accountability in social housing.
By attending our Effectively Handling Complaints in Housing event, gain essential insights into the expectations laid out by the Ombudsman and Regulator. It's a valuable opportunity to acquire practical tools and learn from peers who are grappling with similar challenges, potentially finding shared solutions that improve tenant relations and service delivery.
Learning Outcomes
Learn from experts, formerly with the Housing Ombudsman Service, about the latest requirements for good complaint handling in line with the Complaint Handling Code
Hear how to avoid common mistakes and resolve complaints through effective investigations and robust written complaint responses
Learn what to consider when proposing an appropriate and proportionate remedy to resolve a complaint
Hear how best to use customer feedback to learn from complaints and improve services for residents
Increase your awareness of the importance of keeping up to date and accurate records and avoid common pitfalls in record keeping
Hear about the latest and coming developments in complaint-handling, and discuss these with the trainers and other delegates
Lead Trainers
Dave Simmons
Company Director of the Housing Mediators
Dave Simmons is the company Director of the Housing Mediators which provides a mediation service focusing on housing and workplace disputes, as well as a training and support service for landlords specialising in effective complaint management.
He spent 15 years at the Housing Ombudsman Service where he worked as an Adjudicator and Sector Engagement Lead. His achievements included leading on the project to write and publish the first Complaint Handling Code. After leaving the Ombudsman he spent two years as Peabody’s Compliance Operations Manager, where his duties included overseeing compliance with the Ombudsman Service.
Dave is a long-term associate of HQN and Tpas (Tenant Engagement Experts) and in his various roles he has delivered hundreds of training workshops, forums and webinars to the housing sector covering a breadth of subjects. He has also written dozens of briefings and best practice documents which he currently continues to do in his capacity as HQN’s Complaints Hub Lead.
He is an experienced accredited mediator and has mediated on a wide range of disputes including family, community and workplace. As a Board Trustee of Croydon Community Mediation, he co-produces newsletters which promote learning and knowledge sharing for its small team of community mediators
John Goodwin
Housing Consultant, Trainer and Mediator
Former Compliance & Systemic Lead at the Housing Ombudsman Service
Agenda
9:45 am
Logging on and Accessing the Online Platform
10:00 am
Expert’s Welcome and Overview of Learning Objectives
10:10 am
Understanding the Role of the Housing Ombudsman Service and Requirements of the Complaint Handling Code
The role and powers of the Housing Ombudsman Service
Understanding what the Housing Ombudsman expects of social housing landlords
The requirements of the Ombudsman’s ‘Complaint Handling Code, including current significant changes to the Code
10:40 am
Group Work: What’s Working Well and Areas For Improvement
Group discussions about what is working well in complaint handling in your organisation, and what you struggle with
Feedback from groups and discussion of key themes with trainers
The trainers will address the feedback from groups and pick up on any questions or areas of uncertainty during the remaining sessions
11:10 am
Resolving Complaints Effectively
Key requirements and things to get right when looking to resolve complaints effectively, including taking account of vulnerabilities and managing unreasonable behaviour
Tips for avoiding common pitfalls
Hear real life examples from the trainers’ experience and from the Housing Ombudsman Service’s complaint investigations
11:40 am
Morning Break
11:55 am
Insurance claims and the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions
How should landlords deal with complaints that involve insurance claims, or potential legal action e.g. for disrepair?
Landlords are often unclear about how to handle these tricky cases. Our trainers will set out the Ombudsman’s guidance and expectations
12:05 pm
Record Keeping
The trainers will highlight areas of good and poor practice, and how to tackle common problem areas, such as records of verbal agreements and missed appointments
12:15 pm
Remedies to Disputes
Consider what to include in an effective remedy, including compensation payments
Hear about some creative solutions and innovative approaches that landlords have used to resolve disputes
12:45 pm
Lunch Break
13:15 pm
Effective Written Responses to Complaints
Learn how to improve responses and receive guidance on the latest requirements and good practice
Discuss an example of a complaint response letter
13:45 pm
Learning from Complaints
Find out how to capture learning through complaints to improve services by analysing the root causes of complaints and prioritising areas for improvement
Discuss how to use customer feedback to inform future complaint handling and ensure that tenants feel listened to
Hear examples of how landlords have used learning from complaints to make practical improvements
14:15 pm
Recent and Future Changes
This session will consider the current and future changes that will shape the housing complaint-handling landscape.
14:30 pm
Discussion, Questions and Answers
In this closing session delegates will have the opportunity to come together with our expert trainers to discuss areas of concern and ask any final questions.
15:00 pm
Feedback, Evaluation and Close
* Programme subject to change
Pricing
Health & Voluntary Sector
£245 + VAT
Public Sector
£345 + VAT
Private Sector
£445 + VAT