Your Voice
Listening and acting on the views of our tenants has been central to our work at Adra, helping us to make sure that we are meeting their needs, providing quality homes and excellent customer services.
Through tenant participation, we have received valued feedback and ideas which have helped us to design and improve our services. Who better to provide us with insight than those who are living in our homes and communities, and using our services.
‘Your Voice’ will allow us to build on this good work and shape how we will work with you over the next three years.
A word from the Chair
“As a Board, we recognise the importance of listening to our tenants and the vital role that their feedback has played in the development and success of Adra since 2010.
In April 2022, we launched our new and ambitious Corporate Plan. The Plan reflects our vision and values, our fundamental principles and the key goals that we want to achieve by 2025.
In the Plan, we highlight our continued support for tenant participation by committing to
“tailor our services to respond to the needs of our customers, who will be at the heart of
what we do” and also to “Improve how we listen and act” to our tenants.
The Adra Board is fully committed to tenant participation. I believe that ‘Your Voice’ will make sure that the tenant’s views will continue to be heard so that we can successfully deliver the priorities of the Corporate Plan. “
Hywel Eifion Jones –
Chair Adra Board
A word from tenants on our Board
‘As tenants on Adra’s Board, we are delighted to see the launch of the ‘Your Voice’ strategy.
We have been working with other Board Members to learn how you would prefer to get involved with Adra and how you would like to give feedback on our services.
Through this strategy, activities will be designed so that it is much easier for more tenants to get involved. Meeting tenants in their homes as part of Estate Walkabouts is a big feature of the plans but Adra will also be phoning customers, organising drop in events and sending short questionnaires that you can fill in at home. There will be focus groups for tenants to look in detail at specific services and big decisions.
As Board members, we look forward to hearing your feedback and making sure that we act on what you have told us’.
Tenant Participation in Wales
Tenants are central to the regulation of housing in Wales and the Welsh Government places clear expectations on housing associations to demonstrate that they involve their tenants in helping to shape and influence the services and decisions taken.
Welsh Government have developed a model for tenant involvement – “The Right Stuff”. This model aims to
stimulate thinking about what methods should be used to gather tenant feedback for specific circumstances.
As part of Your Voice, we will follow The Right Stuff model when consulting and engaging with our tenants.
How are we doing?
Welsh Government believe that we are performing well – we have maintained the highest mark in their Regulatory Judgement, and part of that assessment includes their Standard that
“Tenants are empowered and supported to influence the design and delivery of services.”
You have also told us that we are doing well.
We compare favourably with other Housing Associations, with the latest results putting us in the top 10% in Wales when it comes to satisfaction with tenant participation and engagement.
What are we going to do?
We will put you – our tenants, at the heart of what we do, and make sure that:
• Those that give us their views are representative of our tenants
• The opportunities to participate and share views are varied, inclusive and meaningful
• That we will listen to your views and act upon them
• You will have a say in how our services are managed
• You will be given opportunities to participate in our decision-making processes
• We will provide you with feedback on how we have considered your views and the difference
it has made
We will embed a tenant participation culture within Adra, to help us deliver the
key themes within our Corporate Plan:
• Providing an Excellent Customer Experience
• Providing Quality Homes to be Proud of
• Decarbonising Our Homes
• Supporting People and Communities to Thrive
• Strengthening Our Business
Our Corporate Plan Objective
We will understand the expectations of our tenants and ensure that our services are responsive and tailored towards to them.
How will we do it?
We will provide a variety of opportunities for you to share your views and influence the services that you receive in a way and at a level which suits you. Your Voice provides a mix of face to face and digital involvement with consultations on identified topics. Through this model, we will make sure that the tenant voice is heard.
We will also work in partnership with other organisations within our communities to increase the opportunities to provide feedback and to gather the views of the wider community.
Estate Walkabouts
An opportunity for tenants to meet Staff and Board Members in their communities and receive information, share their views and report any issues/concerns about their property/neighbourhood.
Tenant and Residents Associations
Run by local residents and supported by Adra. These groups discuss and resolve local issues and hold community events and activities.
Customer Panel
Panel members share their views on a different topic once every 3 months by completing a short online/postal questionnaire.
Area Chats
Informal meetings held in our communities, providing tenants with the opportunity to give feedback to staff and learn about Adra’s work and future plans.
Tenant Satisfaction Questionnaires
Tenants are selected at random each month to provide feedback on services they have recently received from Adra.
Online Consultations
Use of technology such as Zoom, Facebook, Website, SMS etc to gather customer feedback to help improve services.
Task and Finish Groups
Set up to look in detail at a specific area of work which is of interest to them. Meeting with the findings and recommendations used to
improve that service/area of work.
Community Events
Variety of different events such as fun days, environmental days and community projects, held to engage with our tenants in their communities.
Question of the Month
Each month we will focus on a different subject, with the question asked when contacting our Customer Services Team.
Complaints and Compliments
Utilising feedback received from tenants – both positive and negative, to improve services and the tenant experience.
Elected Member Feedback
Utilising feedback from elected members on behalf of tenants to improve services and the tenant experience.
Adra Board
Make key business decisions and set the priorities and strategic direction for Adra. The Board membership ranges between 9 – 12 full members, which includes 2 tenant members.
Feedback
We will provide feedback to everyone that takes part in our consultation activities.
We will do this through e-mail, post and via our website.
Supporting You
Support available for those wishing to take part with us will include:
• Training
• IT Support
• Help with travel arrangements
• Reimbursement of travel expenses
• Help with carer costs
Inclusivity
We will aim to ensure that all our participation activities are inclusive and conform to both our
Equality and Diversity Policy and Welsh Language Scheme.