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Equality & DiversityPositive Engagement Strategy
Positive Engagement Strategy
H & F HOMES, POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY
JUNE 2006
Aim
The aim of the strategy is to assist Hammersmith and Fulham Homes (HFH) improve its understanding, engagement and communication methods to effectively consult, engage and work in partnership with `Hard To Reach', excluded, marginalised communities. This in turn will provide an opportunity for those groups or communities to access H&FHomes service delivery and assist in addressing any barriers that may arise through effective consultation and engagement.
Addressing equalities and diversity issues and the challenges of tackling Social Inclusion has particular implications for the relationships between H&FHomes (HFH) and service users including Voluntary and Community organisations that often provide services to the most vulnerable and hard to reach members of the community.
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a vibrant, diverse borough and our council tenants mirror this. According to the 2001 census there were 165,242 residents in the borough in 75,483 households. This represents an 11% increase in the population since 1991. The 2001 census demonstrates that 22.2% of Hammersmith and Fulham population were from Black and Ethnic minority communities an increase from 17.5% in the 1991 census. The largest non-white ethnic minority communities were Black Caribbean (5.2%) and Black African (4.9%). In 1991 it was Black Caribbean (5.9%) and Black African (2.5%). There is also a large Polish and Irish population and also the increase of new arrivals from Eastern Europe. (Census 2001)
H&FHomes has 18,000 tenants and leaseholders from diverse backgrounds and additional data is required to ensure that it is targeting service users in most need. This information is crucial for measuring the performance of services, how effective they are and to ensure value for money.
H&FHomes aims to provide the opportunities for tenants and residents and all other service users to actively participate in the decision making structures relating to service delivery and provisions. However, we are mindful that there are traditional methods of involvement which does not fit all; therefore we are committed to involving communities and individuals in a way that suits them. Many authorities/service providers believe there are difficulties in engaging with specific groups/communities. However this is not always the case, as quite often authorities create barriers themselves that prevents genuine participation. E.g. lack of resources to support tenant participation and community development, availability of community resources such as meeting places, access to IT equipment, funding etc
The majority of tenants and residents do not actively participate in how their homes are managed, how their communities are being serviced and how decisions are made about their day to day lives. HFH is actively aiming to change this process in relation to Housing Management Services. HMS aims to ensure that tenants and residents are not actively involved because they choose not to be and not because there are barriers that are preventing them from having the opportunities to participate effectively.
HFH is committed to Equalities and Diversity and is consciously working towards achieving all levels of the Audit Commission's Equalities Standards Framework and carrying out Equalities Impact Assessment Reviews of policies (new and revised), procedures, programmes and practices (PPPP) to ensure that there is no adverse impact on the users of it's services.
It is currently working towards meeting the objectives set out in the Equalities Action Plan (EAP) and the Equalities and Diversity Strategy which includes the development of this Positive Engagement.
Objectives
1. To proactively engage with those groups/communities that service providers have difficulties in engaging with. ( groups that identify with Hard to Reach communities)
2. To ensure that non-traditional methods of engagement are explored to ensure that proactive engagement methods and techniques are tried and tested (depending on cost/resources implications)
3. To provide the opportunities for the targeted audience to proactively participate in the decision making process of HFH
4. To be transparent and accountable to all stakeholders by engaging with those that are in most need.
5. To ensure that the HFH Positive Engagement and Communication Strategies address issues that are raised from those Hard to Reach stakeholders/communities including the wider community.
Definition
The definition of 'Hard To Reach' can be interpreted in many different ways depending on whom it is being defined by. For example, an organisation working with vulnerable adults could classify this client group as 'Hard To Reach'. Therefore the groups that this strategy represents are those that fall within the Equalities and Diversity categories. They are as follows:
• Black and Ethnic Minority Communities including Faith/Religion and Traveller and Gypsy communities
• Young People
• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender communities
• Older People
• Disabled People
• Mental Health individuals
• Ex Offenders
• Unemployed
• Drug/Alcohol Dependency Users
• Young Single parents
• Gender – Gender disparities e.g. Employment, wages and others
• Those with literacy barriers
• Refuges and Asylum Seekers
• Homeless people
• People with emotional or behavioural difficulties
This is not an exhaustive list.
Those service users we categorise as `Hard To Reach' generally require various innovative methods of consultation and engagement from service providers and should be seen as `Hard To Hear' service users (service providers not listening to their views and needs).
Also with all of the groups identified there will be many who would not categorise themselves as 'Hard to Reach' and are proactively involved in other community issues and also those who choose not to be involved. Hence all communities have groups that Service providers find difficulties in engaging with.
Barriers Identified – Examples
• Cultural Barriers – HFH tenants and residents come from a diverse cultural mix and this should be reflected in how service is provided. Response to the change in the demographic profile of the borough must be demonstrated.
• Physical Barriers – Service users unable to attend meetings due to the lack of accessible premises, lack of physical aid adaptations, lack of transport to and from meetings
• Socio Economic Barriers – Lack of interest due to financial pressures/poverty, lack of family and friendship support networks, lack of educational support and other social factors
• Language and Literacy Barriers – English not the first language, literacy problems, unaware of interpreting and translation and other related support services
• Lack of Trust and Apathy – Some service users and communities such as BME, faith and LGBT communities do not trust authorities and transparency is one element of helping to break down such barriers
• Building Perceptions – Service providers quite often develop their own perceptions of specific communities and or service users which more often creates barriers to effective and valuable participation from those we need to engage with most.
• Learning Difficulties/ Mental Health – Understanding the innovative methods of communicating effectively with this section of the community
• Lack of a Sense of Belonging – For example, some young people are often seen as the problem and are quite often victims of crime, bullying racial harassment and quite often not encouraged to participate in local issues that affect them.
• Personal Commitments – Carers responsibility, financial commitments (e.g. travel expenses), unsociable working hours/study hours, therefore preventing attendance at meetings.
• Lack of data/information – HMS lack the information required to build a picture and understanding of our service users and the wider communities we serve.
• Lack of Representation of BME, disabled etc staff at senior management levels that reflect the communities HMS serve and embed the experience, qualities and knowledge of those individuals within the ethos of the company.
H & F Homes – Where are we now?
HFH is a newly formed company still developing and implementing PPPP's and working towards meeting requirements laid down in various equalities legislation and regulations. Below are listed some of HFH developments in the area of Equalities and Diversity.
• Committed resources – Equalities and Diversity Manager
• Committed Senior Management Leadership in relation to Equalities and Diversity
• Communication Strategy
• The Equalities Action Plan
• Equalities and Diversity Strategy
• Equalities Action Team
• Equalities Champions Group – Engaging with the Voluntary and Community Sector
• Implementation of the Audit Commissions Equalities Standards Framework
• Compliance under the all Equalities legislation including the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000
• Increased transparency when consulting and engaging with staff at all levels in particular BME and other excluded groups
• All Executive Team members have responsibility and accountability of delivery objectives set out in the EAP
• Development of a Positive Engagement strategy
• Integrated Services Improvement Plan
• EIA Challenge Panel ( Internal)
Monitoring and Scrutiny
HFH has developed a robust monitoring and scrutiny structure both internal and external. They are as follows,
• Equality Impact Assessment Internal Challenge Panel – consisting of HFH staff from all levels and across the organisation providing a critical perspective on revised or new Policies, Procedures, Programmes and Projects
• Star Chamber Panel – provides a scrutiny process directly from statutory organisations across London. Representative range from the Primary Care Trust to Housing Associations. The come together and provide a critical, but constructive perspective to the Equality Impact Assessment process and draw upon each others knowledge and experience relating to Equalities and Diversity and wider areas of work.
• Equalities Action Team – consisting of staff at all levels monitoring the Equalities Action Plan and all Equality Impact Assessment
• Human Resources and Equalities Committee – an internal scrutiny committee, chaired by a HFH Board member. The committee focuses on service delivery and workforce equalities information and issues. It also provides a scrutiny mechanism for Equality Impact Assessments
• HFHomes Board – receives regular updates on HFH's progress with implementing the Equalities and Diversity agenda across the organisation as well as ensuring that EIA's are robust and finally signed-off and approved
• Equalities Champions Group – this group discusses Equalities and Diversity issues from the service users perspective and also participates in full consultation pertaining to Equality Impact Assessments
The Way Forward
The Social Inclusion Agenda has identified the need to redress the balance of community participation and to be more proactive to hear and action the views of people and groups that have traditionally been exclude and under represented in social policy issues that effect their day-to-day lives. Also HFH will work towards meeting the objectives in the 'Respect Agenda' and work with communities to achieve the desired outcomes
The participation process can be inaccessible to those targeted groups and some organisations and internal departments may have limited experience, resources and knowledge of the particular skills and techniques that are required to proactively engage with those defined.
Many Hard To Reach groups have limited capacity for involvement and are experiencing consultation fatigue due to the volume of organisations that are requesting feedback on particular issues.
Making progress in this area is vital and requires high levels of co-ordination with other internal departments and strong working relationships with lead officers and other staff involved in the process.
Recommendations – Next Steps
• To develop and implement the Positive Engagement Strategy and Action Plan across HFH and externally
• In partnership with the Equalities Champions Group, Equalities Steering Group, Executive Team, and Executive Action Team to draft an action plan for implementation of the strategy.
• To develop an HFH strategy on how to target service users and communities, that HFH experience difficulties with reaching.
• To ensure that the strategy is linked with other associated HFH and Council documents – Equality Action Plan, Communication Strategy, Equality and Diversity Strategy, HFH business plan, Integrated Services Improvement Plan, BME Housing Strategy and others
• To widen the consultation process to newly developed Voluntary and Community networks HFH has developed.
• Collating data of tenants and residents profiles to develop a robust monitoring system as part of the measuring and monitoring process of HFH service provisions and delivery
• The development of an external scrutiny mechanism to enhance the scrutiny process e/g EIA Service Providers Panel. (This will form part of the external validation process)
• To widen the representation of ECG to ensure sustainability and active participation.
Conclusion
HFH has developed various structures and practices which have assisted some area teams and individual staff members proactively seek views from specific groups and communities. However this has lacked a strategic approach and joined-up thinking that would most definitely make inroads in building a two way communication process between service providers and service users.
Implementation of the Positive Engagement Strategy is vital to the organisation, where both service users and HMS can gain immense benefits and value for money.
To achieve all the goals set, all areas of work under the Equalities and Diversity agenda must be included in all HFH Performance Plans. This would naturally create a process of mainstreaming the work into the organisations main business and day to day operations.
HFH is a progressive organisation with the potential of achieving all levels of the Equality Standards for Local Government. We will ensure that focus is placed on the quality of work produced under the Equalities and Diversity Agenda rather than quantity, as we aim to 'Get it Right'.