Member Spotlight

It’s our members that make Tpas such a great organisation to be part of and what better way to show this than with our member spotlight feature.

Each month we will invite one of our members to share their engagement achievements, tips and ambitions, allowing you to keep bang up to date with what others are up to across the sector.


March 2024 Member Spotlight  - Partners Foundation  

We asked Tracey Williams from Partners Foundation to share what they are up to.

If you’d like to contact Tracey about any of the below, click here


Give us a little known fact about your organisation.

We was founded by a learning disabilities nurse and a social worker with no social housing experience. However, they were focussed on making a difference to people’s lives, providing quality homes in nice neighbourhoods (a value we carry with us to this day) for individuals being discharged into the community following the closure of long stay mental health hospitals.

Tell us about a time that engagement has made a difference to your services or communities?

As a supported landlord for tenants with mental ill health, autism / autistic traits, neurological / musculoskeletal conditions or visual/auditory impairments, we are acutely aware that every tenant has differing needs or capacities, and one size does not fit all. All these conditions are on a spectrum with varying degrees of severity that may or may not be exacerbated by external factors.
We visit every tenant each year to make sure that they are happy in their home and that it is still suitable for them. This allows us to build a relationship and rapport with them. By getting to know our tenants personally we can tailor our services to suit them.
We can evolve and improve because of listening to what our tenants say.

What are you currently working on when it comes to engagement?

We are on year 3 of a programme to find out more about our tenants so we can best meet their needs.

  • Year 1 was all about gathering demographic information, such as how they want to be addressed and how they identify. We also carried out an informal assessment on whether they would have the capacity to take part in any activity independently or with support. We asked them what their hobbies and interests are so that we include articles and competitions in our publications that they are interested in.
  • Year 2 was all about communication methods. We now know how many are comfortable reading and writing, how many are non-verbal and also what kind of technology they use and what for. This information will be used to create a communication strategy.
  • Year 3 (current) we will be gathering information about their own individual circumstances. Is there something that we could do as a landlord that would make their life (and that of their support staff) easier? It maybe arranging appointments on a certain day/time to suit their daily routines, avoiding language, behaviour, or clothing that they may find triggering, providing a washing machine with a very short cycle, or a microwave with dials rather than buttons.

Future topics will depend on conversations held in previous years. 

Why did you decide to join Tpas?

For networking opportunities to learn and share best practice and access to conferences and seminars.

What is your top engagement tip?

If something doesn’t work or you don’t get the answer you expect, don’t give up; approach it from a different angle and listen and act on the answer you get.

What is the one thing you are really proud of when it comes to engagement?

We was an early adoptee of the Tenant Service Measures and have visited every tenant to seek their views so we now have 2 years of data. This data, alongside our additional questions around getting to know our tenants really help us, as fully as possible, to shape our services to meet our tenants needs.
Tenant engagement has moved on since Arnstein’s theory was adapted to show that the aspiration of involved tenants was to become a board member which was only achievable by starting at the bottom and working your way up. A medical condition is not a barrier to having your say and influencing services, no matter how small your contribution is. We pride ourselves in giving every tenant the opportunity to have their say in a way that they are comfortable with.


Previous Member Spotlights

February 2024 - Red Kite Community Housing

January 2024 - St Leger Homes of Doncaster

December 2023 - settle

November 2023 - Flagship Group

Sept / Oct 2023 - Hinckley and Bosworth Council

August 2023 - Tenants Hub CIC

June / July 2023 - Dovecotes TMO

May 2023 - Stockport Homes

April 2023 - TPTracker

March 2023 - Metropolitan Thames Valley

February 2023 - West Kent

January 2023 - Fairhive

December 2022 - Platform Housing Group

November 2022 - Integrated Solutions - City Plumbing

September / October 2022 - Homes Plus

August 2022 - Aspire

May 2022 - Arches

April 2022 -  Acis Group

March 2022 - wdh

February 2022 - Michael Dyson Associates Ltd

January 2022 - South Yorkshire HA

December 2021 - Gateshead Council

November 2021  - LiveWest

October 2021 - YMCA Thames Gateway

September 2021 - Bernicia

August 2021 - Anglian Building Products

July 2021 - Warrington HA

June 2021 - Futr

May 2021 - Vale of Aylesbury HT

April 2021 - Aaron Services

March 2021 - Soha

February 2021 - North West Leicestershire DC

January 2021 - Vinci Facllities

December 2020 - Ongo

November 2020 - Places for People

October 2020 - Community Gateway Association

September 2020 - Dacorum BC

August 2020 - Eastend Homes

July 2020 - Connexus

June 2020 - Gridizen

May 2020 - Grand Union Housing Group

March / April 2020 - Onward Homes

January / February 2020 - Estuary HA

December 2019 - Muir Group

November 2019 - Blackpool Coastal Homes

October 2019 - Texthelp

September 2019 - Greatwell Homes

August 2019 - Selby DC

July 2019 - North Star Housing Group

June 2019  - Rotherham MBC

May 2019  - Homes for Haringey


I'd like to be in the spotlight

If you'd like to be featured in our Member Spotlight and highlight the work you are doing, please get in touch by emailing lisa.holt@tpas.org.uk.

Why choose Tpas?

Well established

We've been promoting, supporting and championing tenant involvement and empowerment across England for over three decades

Not for profit

Investing in Tpas means benefitting from the latest tenant involvement policies and practices but also securing and supporting the future of the tenant involvement agenda

Accreditation

We offer the only independent evidence-based accreditation scheme that assesses resident involvement arrangements.

Expert advice

Our shared knowledge, expertise and experience with staff, tenants, landlord and contractors are the building blocks of this organisation.


Find out more?

For more information please contact our dedicated membership team

Lisa Holt

Membership and Events Co-ordinator

Email: lisa.holt@tpas.org.uk
Telephone: 0161 868 3500

Louise Holt

Head of Membership Services

Email: louise.holt@tpas.org.uk
Telephone: 0161 868 3500