Tenant involvement

Carrick and its tenants have been working together for over a decade making sure that we deliver what tenants want.

Every tenant is invited to get involved with us and you can do as little or as much as you like.

We have developed a whole range of opportunities from the easy, like answering a few questions in a telephone survey; to the fun, like playing short mat bowls of an afternoon; to the serious, like being a tenant representative on the management board of Carrick Housing.

Help yourself to new experiences and to meeting new people.

If you would like to know what is happening in your area please contact us using the contact details to the left.

Involving, Learning, Leading

Carrick Housing has always placed great importance on involvement of tenants in all aspects of the operation and development of our work. We believe that tenants should be at the very centre of decisions that are made, decisions which affect the day to day lives of the tenants. This approach to business has been deeply embedded in our policies and culture of work, from the solid foundation of the Tenant Compact right through to the Board of Directors.

In recognition of our partnership with tenants, Carrick Housing was given the Beacon Award for Improving Housing Services by Involving Tenants (IHS) by the Improvement and Development Agency in 2007, one of only a handful of organisations to receive this award in the country. Carrick Housing and the other award winners developed the Peer Support Programme, - a scheme designed to promote the sharing of excellent working practice in the field of tenant participation,.

Through this programme it became increasingly evident that housing organisations really benefit from the support and advice of other practitioners. In 2008 Croydon, Bolton, Kirklees and Carrick established the Resident Involvement Champions' (RIC)Network, with funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government to create and operate the network.

The 'RIC' Network consists of nine regional partners, which are responsible for facilitating the exchange of best working practices regionally, as well as leading by example. Champions have been approached because of excellence demonstrated in involving communities and Carrick Housing is responsible for developments in the south west.

At a national level, one of the first things Carrick Housing has achieved in its role as Resident Involvement Champion, has been the launch of a new website located at www.residentinvolvement.org.uk. The purpose of the site is to provide a platform for workers in the field of involvement to gain inspiration, ideas, fresh perspectives and support from co-workers in the industry. The website was successfully launched in July 2009 and has since received quite some attention following the success of the sell-out first national conference held at the Guildhall in London in October 2009.

Regionally, Carrick Housing hosted a conference at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth in October 2008, and has been hosting and attending a number of learning exchanges across the south west.

In this section:

Tenant Inspections

Tenant Inspections and results

Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a Carrick Housing database of tenants and leaseholders who are happy to take part but are not able or willing to commit to regular meetings or mystery shopping.

Training

We have a regular programme of training which tenants may access through the Carrick News or by contacting the Tenant Participation team

Paying expenses

Tenants input is valuable to us, so we aim to ensure that no tenant volunteer is out of pocket as a result of attending such events as a training event, meeting, focus group or conference with us or on our behalf.

Funding

We provide opportunities for tenants to apply for grants from Carrick Housing to make improvements to their neighbourhood.

Having your say

Here are some of the ways that you can help us to improve our services:

Reaching everyone

Carrick Housing invests resources in ensuring all tenants can be involved in making decisions about their homes and neighbourhoods. This can include running projects or initiatives to engage with different groups of tenants, or can be a level of support for a particular group.

Beacon Community Regeneration Project

Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall in a speech to the World Health Organisation in May 2006 sited the Beacon Project as an excellent example of how a small tenant led organisation has helped to improve the health of local people.

Tenant Compact

Carrick's agreement with tenants

District Forum of Tenants

The Forum is our district-wide umbrella organisation of well trained and informed tenants

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