Human Rights, healthcare and debate

On one of those days where you’re wondering why you’re spending your day off at a Human Rights seminar, the availability of reasonable priced parking outside the door of the venue was the first hint that this would be a good day.

Realising human rights are about my work

At the initial refreshments, where that “first day of school” feeling can so easily creep back in, I was instantly made to feel at ease with the people who joined me at my table. It was refreshing to meet people from a range of backgrounds who were all really passionate about their jobs. Having initially signed up for the seminar with my work with refugees in mind I soon realised that the content was also really relevant to my ‘day job’ at a housing association.

David vs Goliath

This week has been an education in good customer service and has demonstrated how often it's the smaller businesses who do it best.

Today I have spent over an hour and a half on the phone to Orange, EE, or whatever they call themselves now trying to upgrade my phone. I am given two ways to do this; online or over the phone. As is now usual the deal is better online and I understand that this is because it is cheaper for them. However when this does not work, and I quote; "How do you know it hasn't worked?" "I haven't received a confirmation email or text ...or a new phone," it might have been cheaper for them to fix it over the phone on Monday rather than leave me, still phoneless, awaiting my fifth phone call of the week having tried three times myself online. I could get started on how their website logged me out three times whilst I was trying to navigate it* but I won't.

In between speaking to the polite but hopelessly unhelpful people in various Orange customer service teams I have also been waiting for some banners to be delivered. The firm, onestoppromotions.co.uk have produced them for me in superquick time and been very nice about my failure to meet their 'safe' copy deadlines. This morning I called to check the banners had been dispatched and they were able to confirm, without me knowing my order number, that they had. Then they gave me my tracking number and the number of the courier, www.apc-overnight.com and said I could contact them directly for more information.

APC overnight's number was answered without me being placed in a queue and each time I called the person I spoke to could retrieve my request with the tracking number, know exactly what I was requesting and where the driver was and each tried to get hold of the driver to get an update for me. Everyone I spoke to was friendly and each offered me a new 'Plan B' option when I explained that I really needed the parcel by Monday morning.

And its not just today. A couple of weeks ago I got the most amazing customer service from an airport transfer company, www.british-airport-transfers.co.uk, on behalf of one of the charity's clients. Again whoever you spoke to was able to promptly bring up my details, was helpful, proactive and reassuring and took even the most specialist requests (Tamil speaking driver) in their stride. And I only have the highest of praise for the poor taxi driver who put up with constant calls asking 'Are they there yet?'

In contrast BA customer service were unable to even tell me what the 'Special Assistance' they offer might include when I was booking it for one of our more vulnerable clients.

I understand that with flights and contracts more security is required and the staff I'm talking to are probably less empowered to make decisions or use their initiative but does that need to be the case?

We're looking at a new contact centre and CRM system at Bolton at Home and we need to make sure that this improves the services we can offer to customers rather than overcomplicate the situation. As a customer I don't understand why the person I speak to on the phone isn't able to see my online self service activity and if I'm honest I don't care. If I contact an organisation through whatever channel I think it's their job to be able to join up the dots and I hope that we're going to be able to offer this for our customers.



*Also picked up some lessons in how not to design a website. If your staff can't find the page, your customer can't find the page and the search function can't find the page perhaps you need to look at your navigation. Thankyou to whoever invented internet history.

A day in the life of a tenancy services manager at one of Bolton at Home's housing offices

Having seen a number of enquiries about issues related to tenancy services come through our social media channels I’m looking forward to getting out and seeing how they’re dealt with in a housing office.

Tenancy services are the first point of contact for customer enquiries, to housing offices and deal with allocations, sign ups, terminations and other tenancy related enquires. As part of their process they identify vulnerable customers who might require additional support from the Support and Sustainment team and signpost people to specialist teams in Housing Services such as enforcement and to other external agencies.

Gareth has worked in Housing Services at Bolton at Home for 16 years starting off in Concierge as a Control Operator. He is experienced in being the subject of a ‘Day in the Life’ article as back in 2008 he volunteered to be interviewed for our in house magazine. Back then he was a Housing Officer and he says there have been big changes in the way that our housing services teams work moving from Housing Officers looking after a patch and dealing with a range of enquiries to more specialist teams such as Income Management, ASB, Estate Enforcement, Support and Sustainment and Tenancy Services. Although the teams have only been structured like this for a year the feedback from customers so far is positive. As well as the in house changes Welfare Reform is also having a big impact upon customers and the manner in which Housing Services are delivered.

Gareth begins the day following up on a client leaving a probation hostel. He’s at the top of the list for a flat but staff are concerned that the area might not be suitable for this particular customer. After discussions with the local police constable and probation services about the current situation in the area it is decided not to offer him the property. It is thought that the types of problems in the area might increase the likelihood of the customer breaching the terms of his licence and lead to him being unable to sustain a tenancy. It is agreed by all agencies that the customer will be advised to express interest in properties in other areas. On average Gareth deals with about two or three allocations every week that require further consideration following verification checks; and for him to work with other agencies to find the right solution.

Next on the agenda is going through list of provisional voids in the north area. A provisional void is where a tenancy termination notice has been submitted for a property and Gareth needs to check whether the keys have been handed in or not. All tenancies terminate on a Sunday and keys need to be handed into the housing office by 10am on Monday. This week three properties are due to terminate and the keys have not been handed in. Housing Officers from Gareth’s team will follow this up through contacting the tenant and if necessary visiting the property to check whether they’ve moved out. Sometimes a tenant not handing back the keys can result in the locks needing to be changed and a delay in a void property being handed over to technical services for inspection and any necessary repairs.

It is possible that sometimes tenants haven’t been able to move out for various reasons for example they’ve been let down by a new landlord or have had problems organising their move. In these cases the tenants are advised that they need to make arrangements to move out as soon as possible as their notice of termination has expired and their tenancy has now ended. If in these circumstances a tenant does not make arrangements to vacate the property it may be necessary to consider legal action. However this is an extreme and hasn’t happened in Gareth’s experience and a solution is usually found in most cases.

Next new termination notices are checked to see that they’ve been registered properly and arrangements have been made to advertise and make pre termination visits to the property.

Late morning we head out to a viewing with a couple who need to leave their property due to structural issues. Customers offered a decant like this don’t have to wait on the waiting list like everyone else, instead they are made a direct offer of alternative accommodation. They do still have to meet the criteria for the propery they’re applying for.

These customers are keen to stay in the immediate area which limits the number of properties available to them. They have seen a property we’re currently refurbishing around the corner. As it’s been given a complete overhaul following major works it looks brand new inside and the garden’s been refenced and levelled. The customer has some concerns about the size of the kitchen and whether there is enough room for a dryer as well as a fridge freezer as some of the kitchen has been taken up with the downstairs bathroom, a requirement given the amount of work carried out on the property. Our surveyor promises to look into how these can be fitted in and the customer seems happy with this. In the living room she requests that the fireplace be fitted on a different wall so she can fit in the sofa and the surveyor agrees to accommodate this.

Having recently been on a few viewings and shown people round properties for private sale in the past this seems like a good service. For investors we would rarely have put the effort in to make amendments to fixtures and fittings for anyone other than a big bulk buyer and in flats I’ve viewed recently I wouldn’t have even thought it worth asking the letting agent.

Later a discussion comes up in the office around unhappy customers and people who are abusive to housing services staff. I ask whether this has increased since the bedroom tax was imposed on people, leaving many struggling to paying their bills.  Gareth says he hasn’t noticed this particularly but is in no doubt of the challenge we face to mitigate the impact of welfare reform through debt and money advice and moving options to help people avoid building-up rent arrears.

The rest of the day involves looking at developing new policies and procedures. Some developments are made in response to changing legislation or to providing clarification for staff. Working with our in house legal team changes are made to make sure there are less ways our policies are open to challenge for example on issues such as termination notices.  Following up these policy and procedural changes will involve communicating the changes to customers and providing additional staff training to ensure they are implemented smoothly. I had thought that housing services staff would be constantly out and about but there’s a lot more paperwork than I expected. Gareth estimates that he spends about 60% of his time in the office, about the same as the housing officers in the neighbourhood offices.

It’s been good to spend some time in the neighbourhood office and I’ve come away with more ideas for these articles on staff and other aspects of our work. Looking at enquiries from a customer point of view as they come through social media I can see how the processes we have are confusing and sometimes inaccessible but with the massive scope of the work done here, the complex individual needs of customers and the policies and legal framework the teams work it’s hard to see how it could be any other way. There are long conversations about the needs of both individuals and groups of customers and what really comes across from these is the focus of the staff on getting the best service

A day in the life of our ESF team

With their offices hidden away in an unmarked ground floor office of one of our properties in Breightmet the first challenge of spending the day with our ESF team is finding them. In the pouring rain it took me too long to work out that the sat nav had taken me to the back of the building and then more time to find Warren's number to ask to be let in.

Worlds away from the smart new offices at Valley House they are based in converted flats with tenants living on the first floor. As we go to the team meeting we have to shut the windows in the office for security, cross the tenants stairwell, and go through two locked doors past the door to the tenant's garden.

Bolton at Home's ESF team was set up in December 2011 as part of a government response to entrenched worklessness. Money from the European Social Fund (ESF) was allocate to deal with the wider family problems around worklessness. G4S were awarded the contract for the North West and Bolton at Home were commissioned by G4S to carry out the work in this area.

A target set within the contract is to reach 500 individuals over 3 and a half years but given that ESF is a voluntary programme this is unlikely to be reached. Unlike the work or voluntary programme there are no benefits sanctions for people who choose not to engage with the ESF team. Referrals come from a range of organisations including housing staff, UCAN centres, social workers and the jobcentre. Working within the DWP framework can be complicated for the team as they need to make sure their work sits within other programmes. People already on the work programme cannot be accepted for ESF but when people are on ESF and are put on the work programme the team have to demonstrate they are providing an additional service above and beyond this.

A major difference between the work of the ESF team and the rest of Bolton at Home is that the contract is on payment by results. Sixteen progress measures, ranging from improving parenting skills to acquiring work experience are in place and individuals on the programme need to achieve against these. In addition to these the larger objective of finding work for an individual means a larger payment from G4S. On each case the team will only get paid for three progress measures so even though they might be working on five there will be no additional provision within the contract for this. This extra work aims to get them into work orhelp them to remove themselves from the cycle of worklessness and take control of their own lives.

In assessing against these progress measures very specific requirements are in place. For example progress against English language development would involve attendance at 16 hours of training over 4 weeks. Within the training certain areas would need to be covered. This and the need for detailed reporting means the team need to be able to work very closely with training providers to get information about the course or work placement.

ESF clients are required to be available for work and this means being on Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) or another Working Age Benefit. Clients range from having never worked to people who have been made redundant recently and are struggling to get back into employment.

On receiving a referral Susan Isaacs has to contact the potential client within four hours and attempts at contact need to be logged. A meeting is arranged where Susan carries out an initial assessment where people are assessed for suitability for the service and the necessary paperwork is completed.

In line with the DWP requirements this includes ID checks and declarations around their suitability for the service. Susan tells me it can sometimes be difficult to get clients to confirm that they're not on the work programme and as there is no real way of checking this without the help of their jobcentre advisor the stronger relationship they are building with the jobcentre is proving helpful.

It is at this initial interview that Susan will find out more about their aspirations and what they want to get out of the programme. For many people their goal can seem unachievable given long periods of unemployment, lack of education or training or a general lack on confidence in their ability. "Its all about taking small steps to improve yourself" Susan tells me. For example a mother who has had children before she's left school might not feel she's prepared for work but its all about identifying what skills they do have and can build on.

"Its about bringing what they want into their lives removing the large obstacles and making them into smaller steps." Where a risk assessment has not been carried out on a new client's home Susan will meet them at a local office or UCAN centre. She tells me to make sure I get in a big thank you to the UCAN staff and The Workshop for making the effort to accommodate her meetings.

Some clients are worried that going back to work will leave them worse off than being on benefits but it is hoped that the introduction of the benefits cap will make this a clearer decision for families in this situation.

Benefit reforms had little impact on referrals, biggest impact on referrals is simplifying the referral process to place more of the initial work within the team rather than with the referrer.

After the initial assessment clients are passed onto another member of the team who consist of Warren Rogers, Dionne Willis, Sarah Nicholson and Susan Owen who will take the case for the next 12 months. The team’s work with clients ranges from intensively supporting people and transporting them to every appointment through to checking they’re ok in their new job by occasional text messaging. Using text messages can be helpful for dealing with people who might not have credit or may have a lifestyle where they're not available for phone calls during office hours.

After lunch there are children playing outside the door and music coming from the flat above. With the windows open to help with the humidity all the conversations from around the office and the path across the yard can be heard in the office. Susan is inputting cases onto the new IT system brought in the previous week and scanning the paperwork that goes with each case.

Warren and I head out to see some clients, a young guy from Breightmet who is looking for work in construction and a women from Great Lever who is recovering from a drug addiction.

At the first visit the client is shy when Warren asks about his Bolton at Home placement but seems to be happy with how its going and Warren has had good feedback from the people he's been working with. The main task at the visit is filling in an application for an apprenticeship. The form isn't long but the competency based questions require some experience to fill out properly and Warren guides him through his previous experience to look for good examples of his skills. It’s clear that Warren knows his history well and has built up a relationship with both him and his mother who takes an interest in the visit.

On the second visit the client seems happy to see Warren and is relaxed and open around him. She is participating in a couple of programmes run by other organisations, is starting a Learn Direct course and is keen to go to college to study catering. Warren is encouraging but seems to be working on what Susan told me previously about breaking goals down into simple steps, build confidence and get the basic skills first. This visit really brings home the range of organisations that the ESF team work with and the depth of knowledge they need to have about what services are available.

Although the people we've seen today seem to be really happy with the programme on the way back to the office Warren tells me that there are times when client's refusal to engage can be frustrating with unanswered texts, phone calls and front doors. However when he and the rest of the team talk about the success stories it is clear that there is a lot of job satisfaction in this area and that when it does go right its a very rewarding thing to be doing.

Amy Lythgoe, Digital Marketing Manager

Angry tweeting

This weekend I wrote what I think was my first negative tweet going against my own advice of ‘if you can’t say anything nice on social media don’t say anything.’  I’d spent the weekend standing in the foyer of Morrisons with a bucket collecting for the Refugee Welcome Trust. For those that haven’t ever done this it is hard work. Physically standing for six hours carrying a bucket of coins makes everywhere hurt, add to that being ignored by 70% of people that walk past and the boredom of being in a supermarket for three days in a row.

The store I go to is in a little Lancashire town which has a massive sense of community. Staff turnover seems low and they are friendly helpful to the customers, a young man collecting baskets knows an elderly customer by name and is concerned when she waits over 40 minutes in the hot foyer for a taxi and seems confused. She tells me she always has the same driver who helps her lock up and carry her shopping and is visibly pleased to see him when he arrives. He is very attentive, checking she’s OK with the heat and giving her his arm  to walk to the car. Morrisons' staff come to check she’s gone a few minutes later.

There must be some research around collecting like this. You can tell, with a  reasonable amount of accuracy, whether people passing you on the way in will donate or not on their return. Some are surprising groups, teenage boys in my experience are much more likely to donate than girls, people who look like they have less to give more likely than those who appear to have more. A distinct group peer at the bucket. At first I thought they were looking for a particular cause or charity and maybe some are. Being such a small organisation the majority won’t recognise our name and some people, it appears are filtering out rather than in. One lady tells me she was just checking I wasn’t from an animal charity and one that I wasn’t from a hospice. Quite a few people ask what we do and this is sometimes where the trouble begins.

I am the first to be picky about what I give money to. In times where people have less to give where it goes becomes so much more important and when I say ‘Refugee families’ in response to their question many say they prefer to give to ‘local people.’ Most people ask more questions about where they’ve come from and why they’re here and this is partly what makes standing here worthwhile. There are a small minority that look at me with complete disgust like I’m suggesting they give money to help murder puppies. For a large part these are respectable looking older ladies and I continue to be shocked at how rude they can be to a stranger. But the tweet was not aimed at them, they’ve aired their feelings and its their decision who to give to.

My first bad encounter was with a man who unfortunately for him was shorter than me. When he asked the standard ‘What is it this time?’ I responded with ‘Refugee families.’ ‘Why don’t they just stay where they are?’ he asked. A perfectly reasonable question. Apart from the fact he was standing way to close for comfort and shouting at me. If the store hadn’t been busy and the staff so attentive this could have been quite scary. Next time a man who was a lot bigger than I was leaned over my and shouted ‘Pakis?!’ in response. Not really sure how to respond there was an awkward silence with him staring at me until I nodded and he backed down.

I chose to end my angry tweet with the #idiot which I’ve never used before and won’t use again. This is not particularly because of people thinking it’s OK to be aggressive and intimidating but more the fact that both of these people donated money. Over a pound each. Didn’t see that one coming.

Benefits sanctions will hit most vulnerable non English speakers the hardest

George Osborne’s proposals to sanction benefits for those who are claiming Jobseekers Allowance and refuse to attend mandated English language courses will be destructive to our client’s attempts to make a new life for themselves and their families in the UK.

Families entering the UK under family reunion policy are arriving after one or more member has suffered persecution. Parents have been separated from children for years at a time when they most need each other’s support.

Placing more conditions on entitlement to Jobseekers allowance will push even more newly arrived families further into poverty. Negotiating the complexities of benefit entitlement already means that some families are living off a single person’s benefits for weeks after they arrive.

Those arriving under family reunion have already suffered and their arrival in the UK should be an opportunity for them to recover. Mandatory English courses would place unneccessary strain on families at a time when they’re least able to cope.

Contrary to popular belief refugees coming to the UK want to work. Many are surprised that they receive benefits and some do voluntary work to help themselves feel more comfortable about taking the handouts.

Noone is denying that learning English will be instrumental in enabling refugees find paid employment but if Osborne wants people to get themselves into work maybe he should make it look at the difficulties already faced by so many in trying to access ESOL courses. Those seeking asylum have to wait 6 months before becoming eligible for only funding for half the costs, a spouse who’s partner is working has to wait a year before becoming eligible for co-funding..

Sanctioning benefits based on English course attendance won’t force people with poor English skills into work it will push them further into isolation and hamper their efforts to integrate into their new community. 

From the Refugee Welcome Trust blog: www.refugeefamilyreunion.blogspot.com 

www.refugeewelcometrust.org

A day in the life of a UCAN Project Officer

Tonge Moor UCAN centre is in a lovely old library building which houses the north neighbourhood management team and housing services offices as well as the UCAN. In the large public area the computers are busy with people browsing the internet looking at everything from job searches, to tattoos to Facebook.

Maryam from housing services is around to answer housing queries and there is a free phone which customers can use to call for benefits advice, the council or utility companies. Christine tells me that this phone is always busy and there is sometimes a queue of people waiting to use it.

Christine works in a glass-fronted office looking over the main reception area with the door open for customer enquiries. As we sit down she’s receiving texts from members of her women’s group telling her she’s recruited another member. As Christine says, you can put as much information out as you want about something, but word of mouth is always the best means for getting a message across. UCAN is about putting people in touch with services and if someone has a good experience they’ll pass it on.

Although it could be seen that using social network sites is not a good use of the UCAN facilities, Christine sees this as a positive tool that enables her to engage with customers that wouldn’t normally access services. It allows us to get to know the customer and build trust and gradually introduce them to services.

However, while people do use the computers for job searching, paying bills and checking bank balances, some also just need to be able to get online to get access to the information they need to live their lives. Internet access is a vital part of daily life in today’s connected world and something that many people with instant access often take for granted.

Once people are through the doors of the UCAN the opportunity to engage is there and conversations can begin. This is especially important with difficult to reach groups who would come in to get online, but might not engage with other more formal services as easily.

For others, visiting this IT suite can be a lifeline and the only way they will get to engage. For some of these people who would otherwise face exclusion for various reasons, visiting regularly and getting to know staff and other customers can be a way to feel part of the community. Simple things like answering questions from other users, switching machines on in the morning and doing favours for staff can make people feel like they’re helping out.

Once people are in the centre and get to feel more comfortable around staff, there is a real opportunity to engage and be able to identify any services that might be helpful. If it’s the internet access that gets them through the door, then that’s some of the work done.

As the centre is open, our visitors are constantly coming to the door asking an array of questions, from a lady asking what to do with her deceased neighbour’s mail to a passer by  who’d found some keys on the floor outside. Visitors are put in touch with sports activities for teenagers, some come to chat about bin collections and disposing of dog mess. Incidentally, a top tip from Warren is that nappy sacks are better than dog bags for not being as smelly!

One visitor provides an almost textbook example of the UCAN approach. He comes to the office to ask for help getting onto a PC. During his visit he is signed up for a CV session and offered information about other relevant services in the area. Christine says trying to offer too much on the first visit can put people off and so she’ll make sure that it’s followed up when he comes back on Thursday.

Christine tells me as a UCAN Officer you’re a walking A-Z of services and, without prompting (!), that Facebook is the best way to keep up to date with what services and activities are available in the area as more organisations are using this as a tool to promote their services. Christine also gets regular emails and updates from partner organisations that realise the importance of the UCAN promoting their services.

Christine’s daughter is volunteering at the UCAN one day a week and she sees this as a good way to build up her confidence. Christine started as the first volunteer at the first UCAN centre in Bolton at Halliwell 13 years ago.

Under the wing of the then UCAN manager Marie McNulty she started taking on small tasks and doing short courses, building up into more responsibility and then going on to study community and youth work. After three years as a volunteer, Christine began to work for Bolton at Home part time and started full time in 2005.

In between Halliwell and Tonge Moor, Christine set up Hall I’ th’ Wood UCAN which introduced UCAN services into the estate. Now there is an increased range of activities at the community centre there and Hall I’ th’ Wood residents come to Tonge Moor UCAN to access services.

“When residents say they feel like we’ve got a community again – that’s job satisfaction and you feel like you’re doing something right,” says Christine.

After this quick run through of Christine’s experience its lunchtime and the UCAN closes. There’s half an hour before the women’s group starts at the Greenway centre up the road. Christine tells me “You never get your dinner working in the UCAN – it never goes half an hour without the bell ringing.”

With no time for lunch the Wonder Woman group kicks off at the Greenway Centre with ESF officer Warren Rogers talking about what the programme can offer to the women. As we’d discussed the importance of word of mouth as a promotional tool this looks like a great way of spreading the word and getting people referred to the programme.

Visiting face to face also allows the women to get their questions about the programme answered by Warren and discuss what they might get out of the scheme. Warren is able to collect contact details directly from people. In between saying hello and making sure people are introduced and have brews, Christine has to grab a quick bite of lunch.

Kalysa gives one of the women advice about how to get work in the prison service to and Christine hands someone a job application form she’s helped them complete. The group clearly know each other really well and there is a lovely relaxed atmosphere.

The main activity today is an exercise looking at evaluating the women’s groups and services in the area and there is a passionate discussion on the importance of the groups. Some of the feedback includes comments such as:

-       “It makes me feel important not like I’m just another number on paper.”

-       “It’s the only time I have to myself. For two hours a week I feel special.”

-       “Afterwards you can feel down when you have to go home.”

Jennifer was introduced to the women’s group by her cousin and then brought her sisters, mum and nana along. She says the women’s group is a nice place for them to meet up with them regularly as well as meet other people she’d seen around the estate but never spoken to. Christine tells me the women’s groups have gone a long way towards promoting sense of community on the estate; residents who previously were making ASB complaints against each other have come together through the various activities.

Christine has introduced Jennifer to staff from Christine Partington House, our women’s centre and she wants to be able to volunteer there, taking her experience of being part of a successful women’s group with her. Christine has also suggested that she apply to be on the Bolton at Home board and has introduced her to other board members. Jennifer doesn’t visit the UCAN because through the women’s group she can ask Christine directly. She says Christine is “brilliant” and the reason she wants to get more involved with Bolton at Home. Jennifer sees Christine as a friend, someone who can relate to the other group members and not as a facilitator. She says she’s helped everyone at the group in different ways.

One of the problems about working in the UCAN, Christine says, is that there needs to be more joined up working within Bolton at Home. She says: “I wish we all had a greater understanding of each other’s services. We’re all fighting the same cause at the end of the day.”

In response Christine is working on a ‘Welcome to the Community’ pilot working with housing services to target new tenants and give them more information on the services that are available. The event takes the format of a quarterly coffee morning where new residents can learn about what the UCAN offers, and meet their Housing Officer and local PCSO. The idea is to promote UCAN services to new tenants as soon as they arrive and help introduce tenants who could become isolated to local community groups.

As Jennifer said: “Christine makes it look like fun and not like she’s working,” and I would agree – it’s been fantastic to spend the day with someone who’s so enthusiastic about their work.