We want to hear your thoughts on our services, your homes and your neighbourhoods. This will help us to develop and deliver the best possible services for you.
There are loads of good reasons to get involved!
You can make a big difference to what we do and the way we do it – making things better for customers!
You will also gain experience and skills that could help you into work or access training. It’s also a great way to meet new people and make friends!
We will support you to get involved, however you choose to do it. For example, we will pay for your transport if you are attending a meeting, or pay for childcare if you need it. Just let us know how we can help you.
We offer lots of opportunities to get involved - just pick the one that’s right for you!
You may prefer for get involved regularly or just from time-to-time. Either from the comfort of your home or by attending meetings and events.
Below are all of the ways you can get involved and make a difference. If you are interested in any of them – we would love to tell you more. Please complete the form at the bottom of this page and we will be in touch!
| How to get involved | What's this? | What's involved? | Commitment | Incentive |
| Become a Customer Board Member |
Our Board of management is a team of people who set our priorities and oversee the work we do as a housing association. The Board include three customer members. Being a Board member is a really important role in helping us to effectively operate the business, and you will get paid for this. |
As a Board member you will need to prepare for meetings by reading and commenting on reports. | High: at least 1 day per month | £5,500 per year |
| Resident Scrutiny Panel |
As a Resident Scrutiny Panel member you will review our services and make recommendations for how we can improve. These recommendations are reviewed by the Audit Committee (this is a subgroup of the Board) |
Attending regular evening meetings and giving your thoughts. Carrying out activities between meetings such as reading policies, job shadowing and keeping an eye on performance information. |
High: half a day per month | |
| Mystery Shopper | As a mystery shoppers syou will share your experience as a customer by completing a short a survey every time you have a contact with us such as phone call, a repair, a gas service or a tenancy visit. This helps us to see how we're doing from a customers perspective. |
Filling in a short survey every time you have contact with us. |
High: complete a survey on a monthly basis | We will offer you £10 for each survey you complete. |
| Irwell Valley Foundation Panel | Customers and community groups can apply for funding from the Irwell Valley Foundation. As a Panel member you will consider these applications and decide who we support. Making sure we award funding to support causes our customers will benefit from. |
Attending regular meetings. |
High: half a day, once a month | |
| Equality and Diversity Forum |
We believe that everyone should be treated fairly, with dignity and respect. To treat people fairly, we may need to treat people differently, tailoring our services and support to their needs. By joining this group, you will help us to make sure that we are delivering services which is inclusive and accessible to all of our customers and communities. We are looking for customers who are passionate about equality - particularly in relation to age, race, religion, sex, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and sexual orientation. |
Attending meetings and giving your thoughts and feedback. |
Medium: half a day, four times a year | We will offer you £20 in high-street vouchers for each of the meetings you attend. |
| Green Team |
We aim to be a zero-carbon organisation by 2038 and we have a plan to get us there. This includes building new eco homes, installing eco technology in existing homes, supporting customers to reduce their carbon footprint and making our business operations kinder to the environment. To read more about our plan click here. This is an ambitious plan and we’re looking for customers to help us! The green team meet at least four times a year and help us deliver our environmental strategy by sharing your thoughts, recommendations and ideas.
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Attend quarterly meetings. | Medium: half a day, four times a year |
We will give you £20 high street vouchers for every meeting you attend. |
| Neighbourhood Champions |
The Neighbourhood Champions are our ears and eyes on the ground. They let us know how well services are being provided such as grass maintenance or communal cleaning. Your feedback will help us to provide a high level of service at all times. The feedback will be shared to the contractor’s providing these services to make sure they improve the service for you. |
Carrying out regular neighbourhood inspections with your Tenancy Management Officer or completing surveys. We will offer you full training before you become a Neighbourhood Champion. |
High: complete a survey on a monthly basis. | For every inspection survey we will offer you £10 in high-street vouchers. |
| Customer Focus Group | On our Customer Focus Group you will provide feedback about any service or policy changes we are planning. | Attending meetings and giving your thoughts and feedback. | Medium: half a day, four times a year | We will offer you £20 in high-street vouchers for each of the meetings you attend. |
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Editorial Panel |
Are you creative? If so, why not work with our Communications and Marketing Team to create our customer annual report. Tell us what information you would like to see in this report and how you’d like to see it presented. |
Attending meetings and commenting via email. | Medium: half a day, four times a year. | We will offer you £20 in high-street vouchers for each of the meetings you attend. |
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Customer Offer Group |
Join our Customer Offer Group and keep an on eye on how we are performing against our customer offer. You may also be asked to get involved in learning from complaints |
Attending meetings and reading reports. | Medium: half a day, four times a year. | We will offer you £20 in high-street vouchers for each of the meetings you attend. |
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Customer Auditors |
As a Customer Auditors you will help the Resident Scrutiny Panel to collect information about the quality of our services. You will also speak to new customers about their experience of moving into their homes. |
Calling customers and asking them a few questions about the quality of our services and their experience of dealing with us. This will be done at a community hub near to you. We'll support you to do this and provide any training you need. |
Medium: half a day every 2 to 3 months | You will be offered £20 in high-street vouchers for helping us with this. |
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Independent and Community Living Resident Groups |
If you live in our sheltered and supported homes you will have the opportunity to comment on the support services you receive, at regular residents meetings and events. | Attending meetings in the communal sitting room. | Flexible: you can attend meetings as often as they wish | |
| Social Media Champions |
As a customer you can comment, make suggestions and share our posts on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. We also use social media to ask for customers opinions, make them aware of things that are going on in your neighbourhood and our services. |
Following us on social media and engaging with us |
Flexible: you can post comments any time. | |
| Be Heard Facebook Group |
Join our closed Facebook group and you will be given the opportunity to give us your thoughts and comment on the way we work and the decisions we make. |
Giving your ideas and opinions on our services by reading the information we share with the group and providing your comments. |
Flexible: you can post comments any time. | |
| Digital Communications Champions |
From time to time we will invite you to take part in an email survey to give us your thoughts and comments on the way we work and the decisions we make. |
Reading the information we share with you on email and taking part in an online survey to gather your thoughts on it. |
Flexible: you can provide feedback any time. | |
| Email Surveys |
From time to time we send customers surveys to get your views and feedback on the homes and services we provide. This helps us to see how we're doing and where we need to improve. |
Completing surveys online. |
Flexible: you can provide feedback any time. | You will be entered into a prize draw. |