Aims & Objectives 2005 - 2006
Statement of Principle

Cymdeithas Tai Hafan – Quality Support and Housing Services for Women and Children in Wales Founded on Equal Opportunities and User Involvement

The aims of Tai Hafan are:

• To empower disadvant ged women, children and young people in all aspects of their lives and to enable them to work towards full independence in the community.
• To provide quality support services for a wide range of needs. To develop partnerships to identify and provide for the needs of disadvantaged women, with, or without, children, in particular those who are survivors of domestic abuse .
• To establish links with other agencies to provide and campaign for improved services for women and their children living with abuse
• To provide the best possible quality support services for a wide range of needs, based on the needs of individual.
• To identify and work with the needs of children and young women who have been subject to abuse.
• To promote ant i-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities in all areas of our work, recognising the importance of celebrating cultural diversity.
• To ensure a sound financial base underpins our service delivery.
• To increase and manage our housing stock to a good standard.

The objectives of Tai Hafan are:

• To ensure financial viability and build financial strength by increasing cost-effectiveness and expanding our sources of funding.
• To consolidate and continuously improve the quality of all services.
• To ensure continued full participation of ten ant s/service users and staff through effective communication, information-sharing and enhanced accessibility to our services.
• To ensure that the Associations' strategies and policies conform to the principles of long-term sustainability, including the issue of affordability for ten ant s and applic ant s
• To increase the Association's profile and market our services widely.
• To expand the services and resources for children and young women within the Association.
• To develop new housing and support services to meet identified needs.

Equal Opportunities Statement
Statement of Policy

Cymdeithas Tai Hafan was founded in 1989 with the objective of providing housing and support services for women and children in greatest need on a fair and equitable basis.

The Association acknowledges that in society, certain groups and individuals are unfairly discriminated against. It is committed to taking positive steps to help redress the effects of unfair discrimination and disadvantage in order to ensure that equality of opportunity becomes an integral feature of al its activities. It recognises the benefits which come from acknowledging and celebrating people's differences and is committed to managing diversity in a positive manner – within the stated objectives of the Association – to ensure that all employees, shareholders, Board Members, service users and partners have equality of opportunity regardless of sex, marital status, sexual orientation, colour, race, ethnic origin, nationality, language, age, health, political and religious beliefs, disability or illness.

To this end, the Association has a mission statement which reflects its commitment to ensuring that equality of opportunity underpins all areas of operation and service delivery and is therefore mainstreamed into all policies and procedures

The purpose of this policy is to set out the Association's commitment to eliminating unfair discrimination from all aspects of its work, to outline policy priorities and to give the mechanisms for implementing, monitoring and co-ordinating progress towards the achievement of those policy objectives.

The Association’s Equal Opportunities Policy applies equally to the following areas:

• The provision of housing and other services
• Recruitment, employment and training
• Housing development, consultants and contractors
• Partners, whether statutory or voluntary
• Shareholders and the Board Members.

Tenant Participation Strategy

Tenants participating in the Swansea carnival

1. Policy Statement

Cymdeithas Tai Hafan is committed to the active participation and involvement of all service users and their children, throughout the Association and its activities. In particular, Cymdeithas Tai Hafan aims to develop innovative housing management and support policies and practices built around service user participation in small scale housing developments and Floating Support Projects, spread across the whole of Wales .

Given the nature of the housing provided and the support needs of the tenants, Tai Hafan recognises that flexibility is the key to meaningful participation by its service users and that ongoing review and evaluation of this strategy is vital in order to ensure that appropriate opportunities for service user involvement are made available and that service user involvement in the organisation is maximised.

Service User participation is seen as part of Tai Hafan's whole service to tenants and service users providing them with a variety of benefits. Those who participate find that it can help to build confidence and can enable them to foster the process of taking control of their lives.

Cymdeithas Tai Hafan is committed to adopting a Best Value approach to the delivery of its housing and support services and in establishing Participation Compacts with its tenants and service users. As part of this process, the Association will involve service users in the development of its Service User Participation Strategy and the subsequent Action Plans designed to improve the active participation of service users within the Associations' activities and will review the strategy, action plans and Compact annually with service users.

2. Development of the Strategy

Tai Hafan's first strategy was approved by the Management Committee in 1995. It was recognised in that Tai Hafan would have to develop an innovative method of participation because of the geographical spread, the size of schemes, the high turnover of tenants and their support needs.
One of the aims of the strategy was to ensure that tenants would be consulted on the proposals and be able to influence the way tenant participation would develop within the association. This consultation has taken place in a number of ways including detailed discussions at Regional Tenant Meetings, scheme meetings and with individual interested tenants. TPAS (Cymru) have also been involved in these discussions as facilitators for the regional meetings. Tai Hafan was also included in a research report entitled 'It seems like common sense to me'. The strategy has developed as a result of the discussions with tenants, the findings of the research and monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of participation by the Management Team.

In order to be effective, it is recognised that participation needs to be developed both for the tenants and the organisation. Participation is often described as a ladder where tenants and organisations need to climb the various levels before full involvement is possible. Given the nature of Tai Hafan Housing and support, it is accepted that the schemes and individual tenants may be at different steps on the ladder at any one time and, therefore, Tai Hafan needs to be as flexible as possible in the ways that participation is encouraged within the organisation.

Tai Hafan's Tenant Participation Strategy consist of six sections:

1. Provision of information
2. Obtaining feedback from tenants and Service Users
3. Involving tenants and Service Users
4. Resourcing the Strategy
5. Developing the Strategy
6. Monitoring and Evaluation

It is recognised that without information it is impossible to become involved in any organisation. Service Users need to be given information about Tai Hafan in accessible ways.

Documents will be written in plain, simple English.

Tai Hafan is working towards the provision of all documents in both English and Welsh

Tai Hafan is working towards the provision of information in other formats, such as audio / videotapes when resources are available.

• Tenants Handbook – At start of tenancy and sections to be discussed at scheme get togethers
• Tenants Guarantee - At start of tenancy
• Changes to Housing Policies - In Newsletter / by personal notification / at Scheme and Regional get togethers

For Service Users receiving Floating Support services

• Service User Handbook – At start of Support Services

For all Tenants and Services Users:

• Membership of Tai Hafan - At Scheme / Regional / Annual get togethers. Reminder in Newsletters
• Tai Hafan's Annual Report - Annually
• Performance Indicators - Annually in Newsletter / Annual Report
• Tenant's Newsletter - Produced 3 times a year by tenants with information from staff
• Changes to central staff - Newsletter
• Changes to scheme staff - By personal notification and invitations to be involved in recruitment process
• Service as a whole and developments in Service - In Newsletter / Annual Report / at Scheme / Regional/ Annual get togethers

In order to make better informed decisions and to improve the service provided it is essential that feedback is received from service users Tai Hafan has a number of methods of obtaining feedback and the Association will continue to develop new ways of obtaining feedback which suits the needs of its service users.

Feedback is currently obtained in the following ways:

The Support Service

Individually through a service users' structured support planning process involving reviews with an individual service user - monthly, 4 monthly and when they leave Tai Hafan

Current and former service users are asked for comments on the service annually during the Quality Assurance process of each scheme or project. This information is either obtained via a standard form or a face to face discussion with the person undertaking the review (see Tai Hafan's Quality Assurance System).

Through Tai Hafan's complaints system which is actioned by the local Regional Manager and/or Chief Executive with an opportunity for the complaint to be brought before the Board of Management.

The Housing Service (for tenants living in Tai Hafan properties only)
Housing Policies

• Individually via letter or personal discussion
• Through Tenants' / Service User Newsletter
• Through Scheme / Project / House, Regional, and Annual Tenants Get Togethers

Maintenance

• Satisfaction questionnaires sent to tenants
  Where Tai Hafan's maintenance services are tendered out to another organisation that organisation will be required to assess the satisfaction of the repairs carried out on Tai Hafan's behalf
• Feedback is also obtained during an annual inspection of properties carried out by a Manager and through the Annual Review process (Quality Assurance System).
• Individually through Tai Hafan's complaints procedure
• Issues raised at Scheme and Regional Service Users' Get Togethers.

Design

• Feedback obtained is obtained during the annual property inspection and Annual Review (QAS).

• Tenants would be asked to complete a design questionnaire after 6 months occupation of a new development and regular inspections would be undertaken during the defects period.

General

• Tenants' opinions are sought during the Annual Review process (QAS) and by completing a questionnaire when they leave Tai Hafan
• Tenants are encouraged to hold regular scheme/ project meetings
• All tenants are invited to their local Regional Get-Togethers which gives them opportunity to raise issues with their Regional Manager / Assistant Regional Manager
• An Annual Conference is held which involve Board members, Chief Executive and other staff.
• The Tenants' Newsletter as it is produced by tenants for tenants is an ideal opportunity for tenants to feedback on issues of concern

Other General and Scheme Issues

• Through all of the above and through discussions with service users during special focus / topic groups set up to look at specific issues.
• Through suggestions made by service users at Get-Togethers

Tai Hafan aims to involve service users in as many ways as possible and to be flexible in our approach to service user involvement.

Tai Hafan also recognises that service users may not wish to be involved in group meetings in the early stages of their support with Tai Hafan and that for these, it may be appropriate to seek their views and opinions individually through direct contact either by letter or through the support planning process.

As service user confidence grows they may wish to become more involved in wider issues looking at the scheme/ project as a whole or issues that affect the whole of the organisation.

Over the years, Tai Hafan and its service users have developed and established a method for service user involvement which is centred on the above and which enables service users to be as involved as they want to become.

More traditional methods of tenant user involvement including the establishment of constituted Tenants' Groups are not always been seen by service users as being appropriate because of the temporary nature of their housing and their individual needs at a given time. However, where a group of tenants wish to establish a constituted Tenants group Tai Hafan will support and encourage tenants to achieve this goal.

Project / Scheme / House Get Togethers

• The first stage of involvement is through local project / scheme or house get togethers. Tai Hafan's minimum standard is that at least 1 project/scheme or house get together will be held every 2 months i.e. 6 a year
• These are designed to be as informal as possible and can be held either in communal rooms where they exist, in service users' homes, at local offices, cafes, community centre or other suitable public places.
• The aim of the get togthers are to keep tenants informed, consult on project / scheme issues and Tai Hafan issues, obtain feedback from service users and to start the process of involving service users in Tai Hafan.
• At scheme meetings, Tai Hafan supports service users and their children who wish to raise funds for local issues.

Regional Get Togethers

• Tai Hafan's minimum standard state that Regional Service Users Get Togethers / Events are held 4 times a year in all 3 regions – North, South and Mid and West Wales . All tenants and service users within the region are invited to attend these get togethers.

• A facilitator from either outside or within the organisation can be provided for these get togethers who meets for the first part of the meeting with the tenants and service users without any staff presence.
• The get togethers give the service users an opportunity to discuss more general issues with women from other schemes and projects.
• The Regional Manager / Assistant Regional Manager will attend to answer any issues raised or to take back suggestions and issues and action that is required. The facilitator makes the notes of the meeting.

All Wales Annual Service User Conference

• This meeting provides a further opportunity for involvement to which all tenants and service users are invited to attend and a chance for them to meet other members of staff and Board members.
• One of the aims of the All Wales Get Together is to provide an opportunity for tenants and their children to input into the forward planning for Tai Hafan as well as to review the Participation Compact and Strategy for involvement.

Membership of Board of Management

• Two places are currently reserved for tenants on the Board of Management and applications from tenants and service users are encouraged.
• It is however recognised that due to the exceptional needs of Tai Hafan's service users and the short term nature of their tenancy or support services, existing tenants and service users may not be in a position where they would be able or want to join the Board of Management.
• There are no current tenants or service users sitting on the Board although there are now 4 former tenants who are Board members.

Working Parties / Focus Groups

• Tai Hafan encourages service users to be involved in ad hoc working parties and focus groups, which consider specific issues affecting them and the Association.
• Tenants/ service users have been involved in a number of these groups including the following:

1. Working Party to put together a PSE pack for schools on domestic abuse
2. Developing an Information Pack about Tai Hafan's Services
3. Working Party to discuss Tai Hafan's 10-year celebrations
4. Working Party to organise the Conference held in September 1999
5. Small Focus Groups held at the Conference to look at issues raised by tenants
6. Focus Group looking at Children's issues
7. A working Group to organise and manage new projects
8. A small group of tenants who revised the Tenants' Handbook

Due to the all Wales nature of these groups enabling all tenants / service users who express an interest to attend can be difficult. Service users who are unable to attend personally have asked that they receive feedback and updates on the progress of any working groups.

Other Ways of Involving Service Users

• Tai Hafan strives to involve its service users and their children at every opportunity. Some examples of involvement are detailed below:

Involvement in the Recruitment of Scheme Staff
Service Users are invited to and have participated in the recruitment process for their local Project Co-ordinators

Involvement in the Production of Information on Tai Hafan
A number of current and former tenants and their children were involved in the making of a bilingual video on Tai Hafan and provided their own contributions to it.

Tenants have also been involved in a bilingual video of the Tenants' Handbook

Involvement with outside agencies
Tenants have attended TPAS Wales Annual Conferences over a number of years and have actively participated in Workshops on participation in Supported Housing.

Tenants have been involved in a video commissioned by WFHA on assured shorthold tenancies

Involving Service Users and their Children in New Initiatives
During the Tenants' Conference held in September 1999 a number of children raised the issues of stigmatisation at schools.

As a result Tai Hafan applied for and was successful in obtaining European money to raise the awareness of domestic violence and its effects amongst school children in Wales .

Tenants and their children were involved in theatre workshops held at schools and in the production of The Spectrum Pack (an educational pack for use in schools throughout Wales ) which was officially launched in January 2001. Funding has just been obtained to further facilitate the use of the Spectrum Pack in schools

Service Users have also been involved in Arts Care Workshops at scheme level involving photography; screen printing etc.

More recently, service users have been involved in the Pilot of Tai Hafan's New Dawn Lifelong Learning Project.

3.4 Resourcing the Strategy

Effective service user participation is impossible without sufficient resources, both financial and staff time and commitment. Tai Hafan and its service users recognise that the costs involved in funding a strategy for a small Association which is spread throughout Wales , will be high, although it is also agreed that the Association needs to be aware of the financial restraints that are necessary and that the expenditure will need to be cost effective.

Resources to promote service user participation are provided in the following ways:

Budget - A budget is set annually for service user participation to cover the costs of meetings including venues, refreshments, child care, facilitators, and travel and the costs of attendance by service users at conference and training sessions

Costs for training staff and Board members is included in Tai Hafan's training budget

Training - Tai Hafan's training strategy and its annual training programme is developed from the organisation's Forward Plan. Training staff in the promotion of participation and the skills required to undertake this work is a core function within the training strategy.

Staff Time - The organisation enables staff time to attend meetings, monitor feedback and promote participation

Certain posts within the organisation have a specific focus on Service User Participation e.g. Peripatetic Project Co-ordinators

Additional Financial Resources - As part of its fund-raising strategy Tai Hafan will apply for charitable and additional grant funding to promote and enable participation within the organisation.

Staff assist tenants at scheme level to raise funds through fund-raising events

3.5 Developing the strategy and three year action plan

The overriding principle when developing a strategy on service user participation is that service users are consulted and involved at all stages and that the action plan is continually reviewed .

• Service users have been consulted and involved in the development of this strategy
• The Action Plan for Participation is reviewed annually at the Annual Service Users's Conference .
• The Action Plan sets out the minimum standards for participation which must be achieved on an annual basis

Commitment to service user participation within the organisation will be maintained by regular reports, by the Regional Manager ( South Wales ) to both Management Team and Board of Management on the progress and changes to the Action Plan.

It is essential that the feedback from service users and the effectiveness of the participation process is monitored, evaluated and reviewed. This takes place in the following ways:

• All responses to service user questionnaires are seen by the relevant management team member and any immediate action can be taken.
• Current and former service users have the opportunity to feed into the Association's Quality Assurance System which includes both feedbacks from POMS and COAS and the results reported to Board of Management
• Regional Managers monitor the effectiveness of participation within their own regions and reports are made to Team, Board and to service users at Regional Get Togethers
• The effectiveness of participation is monitored by service users at the Annual All Wales Tenants' Conference.