Scrutiny: Route to Success

1. Are you new to Scrutiny?…the route to success18th June 2012 Janene Glover, Wulvern Tenant & Yvonne Davies Scrutiny & Empowerment Partners

2. Stages of scrutiny • Find out all you can about the service before you start • Review documents and hear from staff, • Decide what’s good? What’s not? • Pull this into a report • Present your recommendations • Make sure the results are delivered

3. 12 weeks of information gathering and decision making • Where do we start? • What facts do we need to know? • Where will we get them? • Who do we need to interview and observe? • What information do we need to analyse? • How do we determine what to value most? • How will we share the work and who can help? • What are the stages and who will be involved in these? • Where will we meet and keep evidence? • When do we know we are done?

4. What skills might help? • Team Building • Assertiveness • Conflict handling • Negotiation skills • Confidentiality and data protection • Diversity and equality • Understanding business planning processes and budget times • Procurement and contract management • Data collection • Understanding value for money • Effective evidence gathering • Benchmarking • Interpreting performance data • Interview techniques • Report writing • Presentation skills • Effective meetings

5. Recruitment • Advertising • Newly involved tenants or existing tenants? • Taster sessions • Skills • Behaviours • Previous involvement? Volunteering? • Being honest about the time commitment

6. Getting the basics in place Training plan Deciding what to review next Review your structure and ways of working: • Terms of Reference • Code of Conduct • Get yourself a timed planner

7. How do we deliver the service? Tenant Services Authority – new standards from April 2012 • Knowing the base line of expectations of the regulator • What are the local standards set by the landlord

8. Asking for help • What the Landlord thinks are the strengths & weaknesses of the service? • What improvements are underway? • What is being spent and where?

9. Measuring What gets measured gets done! • What are your landlords priorities for the service? • What are the quality and cost assurance processes which exist? • Do you think that service is value for money – why?

10. Speak to staff Interviewing staff and contractors • Who shall we speak to? • Who shall we observe? • Who will do this? • What do we need to know? Think - How might experienced staff be feeling?

11. Communicating Speak to existing involved customers • What did they think of the service? Non involved customers: • Surveys; estate visits and walkabouts

12. Simply the best • What do you think of the way that other landlords do things • Do you have time to go and visit them? • Is it worth it?

13. Sifting the evidence Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of service Analysing your findings in progress meetings • Knowing when to stop digging! • Knowing what is most important • Listeningand negotiating with each other

14. Report writing & Presentation of findings • Report writing skills • Examples of reports www.tenantadvisor.net • Deciding on the style and detail of content • Presentation skills • Reporting to the Board – what to expect?

15. So what? Action Plans Check what you asked for has been done Easy!!??? So then you start scrutinising another service But which one?

16. Thanks for listening -any questions?………Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help yvonne@tenantadvisor.net Tel: 07867 974659 www.tenantadvisor.net/blogs