Introducing ABC

ABC - as easy as 123

We recognise how valuable resident involvement is and how much tenants and the Council can achieve when they work together, so to make it easy for everyone to have their say, we are introducing or re-establishing a range of methods (some new and some tried and trusted!)

People lead busy lives and some people don't work in the same area as they live; this often means that some people don't feel or act as part of the community. Others often feel excluded because of age, ability, gender, sexuality or health and such; so we have taken a long hard look at resident involvement and introduced methods of engagement that can be dipped into and out of as and when it suits the invividual participant; the ABC is set up for this to happen, and, as the strap line says ...it's as easy as 1, 2, 3!

The methods of involvement have been divided into three categories, each of which complements the others.

A is for Armchair

Questionnaires and Surveys

This method is used for collecting information about a specific subject. A set of written questions will call for responses to test opinion on a subject; it could be self-administered or we could call and ask you the question. The latter example is what we mean by Telephone Surveys.

The questionnaires can be sent on CD in British Sign Language, on tape for those who have difficulties with the written word and in any language you request.

Telephone surveys

This type of survey is useful for contacting you directly to find out your views and opinions on a particular service. Telephone surveys provide us with useful and instant feedback. In the future, this will include SMS text polls via your mobile phone.

Fifteen-two-one

This is a very simple way of transmitting a message to a community - particularly an isolated one. It's a very simple process; one person gives a message/question/idea to two people, those two people spread the same message to two new people each and those four people give the message to two more people each. Then the answer comes back up the chain. One message to fifteen people and back again, thus Fifteen-Two-One (See the diagram on the page 10 Use this form to establish your own 15-2-1).

Telephone conferences - involving residents by phone

This is a conference by telephone in which three or more persons in different locations participate. There is a mediator who allows everyone to express their opinion. The success of the conference is highly dependent on the respect and good manners of the participants. You will receive information before hand so you know what the background to the subject is and the mediator will summarise the significant points and each member will receive a report a week or so later.

Question of the month

The question of the month is a simple one page survey with 'Yes No' answers for you to tick.

The aim is for us to gain a snapshot of residents' views about a specific service or area.

Subjects likely to be included are

• rent

• repairs

• anti-social behaviour

• customer services

• the newsletter

This simple method of Armchair feedback helps us plan for the future, make improvements to our services, share it with members of staff and residents and promote policies or procedures that tenants possibly didn't know about.

• Penny Black

B is for Broadband

Broadband Involvement

(a generic term used here to mean the internet)

The Resident Involvement Team has pulled together a quite innovative range of technological aids to and methods of participation; the whole range is called The Inter-net-works (and we're crossing our fingers that it does!)

This exciting range of methods of involvement serves many purposes and will be especially suitable for:

• Working people who may have access to the internet in their lunch hour

• People who prefer to fill in quick, easy surveys on line

• People with care responsibilities who can access a computer at home more easily at midnight (for example)

• Young people who may have access to the internet at school (or home or library)

• Young people who may feel participation is not seen as cool, but who still may have a valuable point they want to make (but not quite so openly as the other methods)

• People who find it difficult to leave home, or to use pen and paper

• People who may be blind and want to take their time to listen to "documents" over and over (the interactive website has the facility to be listened to)

• Deaf people who can watch short video clips of important questions being asked in their language of BSL; then having the choice of giving lengthy replies or reply by putting ticks and crosses on a downloadable form (not everything on the page will be translated until we have established a need from tenants for this service).

The Inter-net-works

Several methods of participation are available via the internet:

Emails

Pure and simple, we send you an email, you send one back!

An email Round Robin Service is being explored (and so is a catchy name for it)

This will be similar to Fifteen-two-one (see armchair involvement for full explanation), but rather than sending one email to lots of people, it is sent to one person and that person adds their comment and passes it on to two people. This method will be a good way of developing a point. The email is forwarded back down the chain too, so any interesting points can be commented on again. This is not something that has been tried out, so it will be piloted in the first instance.

An online or virtual community is the gathering of people, in an online "space" where the people connect, communicate, and discuss things of concern to their community. The "space", that BDC have developed for this purpose is an interactive website.

The Bridnorth District Council Resident Involvement Team has opened the first online community for the purpose of tenant participation and offer support to any group (or area) of tenants who wish to create an online community of their own (providing the recommended methods/sites are used - this is only because the Team may not have the necessary skills to support other systems).

The first community will be available to every tenant who has access to a computer to join.

We will also be actively encouraging the Federation of Tenants and Residents Associations and every recognised tenant and resident group to develop an online presence. The groups will be able to link to each other.

If there are requests for specific online communities to be developed to suit a particular age group (or any other often excluded group) then this will be done.

• The Website

C is for Conventional

Conventional Involvement

Conventional is the term we have used to identify tried and tested methods of involvement and includes:

Focus Groups

When you hold a focus group it is similar to conducting many interviews at the same time. The benefit of a focus group over an interview is that each participant can hear everyone else's contribution enabling ideas to be bounced off of each other. Because the discussion needs to flow and various perspectives to come out, the initial focus group should have at least six representative users.

The person facilitating the group has a set of questions or points that need to be addressed. As the outcome of any single session may not be representative and discussions can get sidetracked it's possible that more than one discussion will take place per topic.

Meetings

The biggest waste of time is meeting when it's not necessary, it's also a waste of money, petrol and other valuable resources. That's one of the biggest reasons why we won't call a meeting unless it is necessary.

We recognise that groups can work much better when they meet and bounce ideas off of each other and so admit that some times there is no other way of conducting business than by holding a meeting.

Mystery Customer or Mystery Shopper

A Mystery Shopper is someone who uses one of the housing services and then reports back on their experience. We need to know that we do what we say we will and at the standard that we claim to maintain. Our aim is to deliver consistently high quality services to all our tenants and residents. Having Mystery Shoppers will help us identify:

The Mystery Shopper scheme is confidential so only the resident involvement team will not know that you are a mystery shopper. We ask our Mystery Shoppers to complete one of a range of tick box forms every time they have had genuine contact with us.

We want to know things like:

We may also include fake shopping from time to time. When we arrange this type of shopping (generally only used for making an application for housing), it will be a two-way agreement with another housing provider in the area - they will check our services and we will check theirs.

Housing Fayre

An event devised by BDC to provide opportunity for tenants and housing and housing services providers to meet in an informal way. This annual event is designed to be a fun yet informative day for all members of the community.

Service Review Panel

Similar to Focus Groups but the main focus is on monitoring the service and deciding a future course of action.

Topics will probably include:

Please have a look around this webpage and see if there is something in it to suit you, if there isn't please get in touch and tell us how we can improve - and that will be your first step in changing services for the good of all tenants and residents of Bridgnorth District Council.

If you would like to get more involved, please download a registration form. If you would like to speak to a member of the Team please call 01746 713255 or email rclough@bridgnorth-dc.gov.uk