Once again the Acuity SPBM conference for 2018 will explore the horizon from a smaller housing association perspective so that you are in the best possible position to respond positively to the challenges.
The SPBM Annual Report for smaller housing associations will be published on our website and available in hard copy at the Smaller Housing Associations’ Conference and Exhibition 2017 in London on 2 November. We’ll be there too (Stand 9).
This year’s report has plenty of good news for smaller associations, including
Smaller associations costs and performance compare favorably with the rest of the sector
What we have learnt from the Sector Scorecard pilot
The latest on salaries, terms & conditions
Insights and good practice from leaders of smaller associations
Smaller associations contribution to supply
Going digital – how realistic is this for smaller associations?
Are smaller organisations better at listening to residents?
Please contact us if you would like us to send you a copy of the report when it is published.
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any more bewildering along comes Brexit, Trump and the departure of the architects of recent housing policy. The Acuity SPBM conference for 2017 will explore the new horizon from a smaller housing association perspective so that you are in the best possible position to respond positively to the challenges.
The programme
All the sessions will seek to make sense of the operating environment and its implications from a smaller housing association perspective:
the latest on housing policy from the NHF and regulation from HCA
interactive sessions that explore how smaller housing associations are reflecting the changes in revised business strategies, with a panel of CEOs and strategy, governance and finance specialist DTP
Breakout sessions exploring:
the implications of deregulation for board members, risk management and assurance
cracking digital service provision
the latest on how smaller housing association can contribute to supply
There will be ample opportunity to network with colleagues.
In the interests of open exchange and transparency, the event will operate in accordance with the Chatham House rule.
This is a computer based practical workshop for staff who would like an update on the role of the CORE Co-ordinator and using the online reporting tools.
The Managing CORE workshop will cover:
The role and responsibilities of a CORE Co-ordinator
User management (creating, editing and re-assigning data providers)
Creating and editing Management Group/Schemes
Log management (finding, viewing and re-opening logs and resolving queries)
View performance reports (individual and organisation)
Benchmarking CORE data at local authority area level
Analyse and view data at national level
View, download and analyse your own data using Excel
We run this workshop frequently, and dates are normally advertised directly by MHCLG. For details of forthcoming dates please contact us.
Masterclasses in London exploring how HAs can work together in collaboration, partnerships and mergers.
Dates: Wednesday 8th June London
Collaboration, partnerships and mergers are becoming increasingly the watchwords of the sector. With a Government focused on shrinking the sector and squeezing every last drop of value from housing associations, the need to demonstrate and indeed achieve greater cost efficiencies is paramount. For smaller providers, this is not only to accommodate the impact of Government policies such as the 1% rent reduction and introduction of Right to Buy, but also to demonstrate to a range of stakeholders that smaller associations can be viable, effective and achieve their purpose at the same time as contributing to new supply, provision of specialist support and meeting community needs.
There are many ways in which HAs can work together, and this masterclass explores a wide range, looks at the pros and cons of each, and examines the cultures and processes needed to attain success.
The masterclass will be led by David Tolson, founder and Managing Director of DTP (more information on David below)
Aim
To provide delegates with an understanding of the importance of collaborative working, and of the various options and vehicles for achieving this:
why working together is more important than ever
how you can work together successfully
the options and alternatives
overcoming obstacles
what has worked elsewhere?
challenge personal thinking through debate and hearing from others
opportunity to network with others
Format
This is an informal half-day masterclass starting with lunch and registration at 1pm for a 1:45pm start and 4:45 pm finish.
Note that this masterclass follows the morning Governance masterclass after a lunch break.
Who should attend
Board members, Chief Executives, other senior staff.
Cost
SPBM members £130 plus VAT (before 30 April)
SPBM members £140 plus VAT (after 30 April)
non-Acuity/DTP customers £175 plus VAT
additional places – £15 discount
attend both morning and afternoon sessions – additional £30 discount overall
David started DTP in 2006. He was previously the Managing Director – Housing, Local Government and Regeneration for the Tribal Group Plc, where he led a team of 150 consultants’s and associates. Prior to that, David was the Group Director (Finance) for what is now the Places for People Group, one of the largest housing groups in the UK. He was also a board member of Barnardo’s for six years, where he chaired their audit and risk committee.
David has extensive consultancy experience and specialises in governance, strategy development, financial management, organisational reviews, group structures and mergers, business planning and social enterprise.
Established in 2006, DTP is an independent consultancy providing high quality advice and support to more than 100 affordable housing providers, charities and commercial organisations across the UK. Our mission is to help businesses improve and deliver better services to their customers – by offering a different perspective. Please click here for more information about DTP .
Masterclasses in London and Manchester on achieving good governance in times of major sector change.
Dates Wednesday 8th June (London)
Housing association boards have had much to contend with in recent years. And there’s little sign of things getting quieter for them in the years ahead.
A major overhaul of the regulatory system governing housing associations is having a big impact on boards, and in ways which were perhaps not predicted.
DTP work with lots of associations (including many smaller ones) to improve the way their boards operate and perform – and to enhance the contribution they can make to organisational performance.
Get it right and your board really can make a difference – providing independent and objective oversight on your strategy. They can be the critical friend you need when times get tough. Get it wrong and your board can act as drag on performance and effectiveness.
Aim
To provide delegates with the tools, tips and information to achieve good governance in times of major sector change:
overview of the governance framework
challenges for smaller HAs
top ten tips for improving your Board – where to focus, what questions to ask yourself
challenge personal thinking through debate and hearing from others
opportunity to network with people in a similar position
Format
This is an informal half-day masterclass with lunch. Registration and refreshments at 9:30 am for a 10 am start. Lunch at 1 pm.
Angela has more than 22 years’ experience in housing within the public and private sector, including three years in a regulatory role.
Angela’s work has addressed wide ranging issues affecting strategy and performance, including stock rationalisation and transfer, merger, governance and asset management.
Angela was a director in Savills Housing Consultancy and previously she was a Director with Tribal Group’s housing consultancy team.
Angela worked with the CIH to develop the resident-led self-regulation methodology and to publish research into low cost home ownership products. Angela also wrote the board members’ guide to asset management and maintenance with the NHF and contributed to HouseMark’s publication, “Social Hearts, Business Heads”.
Established in 2006, DTP is an independent consultancy providing high quality advice and support to more than 100 affordable housing providers, charities and commercial organisations across the UK. Our mission is to help businesses improve and deliver better services to their customers – by offering a different perspective. More information about DTP can be found at www.dtp.uk.com
The operating environment is changing beyond all recognition, representing the greatest challenge many will face in their entire careers. This event will explore the new horizon from a smaller housing association perspective so that you are in the best possible position to respond positively to the challenges.
The programme
All the sessions aim to cut through seemingly bewildering changes so that you understand where you stand, how fellow smaller associations are responding and what you need to do:
the latest on housing policy from the NHF and regulation from HCA
interactive sessions that explore how smaller housing associations are:
reflecting the changes in revised business strategies, with a panel of CEOs and strategy, governance and finance specialist DTP
using different collaborative models to meet their objectives
the latest on welfare reform and what you need to do from CIH
Workshops in London and Manchester to explore VFM and support delivery on VFM self-assessment.
Dates: Wednesday 4 May (Manchester) 2016
(Weds 27 April London NOW FULLY BOOKED)
The Value for Money (VFM) of housing associations is in the spotlight. The government is not convinced that the sector provides VFM and the HCA has made it clear that demonstrating VFM is now more important than ever, not simply to add value, but to mitigate the considerable challenges faced by the sector. Smaller or community-based associations also have to overcome the presumption that they are somehow less efficient.
The VFM self-assessment is the principle means by which any housing association demonstrates its VFM. Read by both government, special advisers and the HCA to make judgements about the sector and individual associations, the VFM self-assessment is something you need to get right.
Aim
To provide delegates with the tools and information to produce a robust VFM self-assessment:
clarity on the regulatory requirement in light of lessons from three years of self-assessment
understand how a changed political environment might influence the content and tone of the VFM self-assessment
where might VFM be going?
step through the process incorporating an Acuity template and data
challenge personal thinking through debate
opportunity to network with people in a similar position
Format
This is an informal half-day workshop with lunch. Registration and refreshments at 9:30 am for a 10 am start. Lunch at 1 pm.
Steve Smedley created our original VFM self-assessment template for smaller housing providers and has been running VFM workshops and projects with SPBM members since 2013. He has also written a number of publications for HouseMark, NHF and CIH on this subject over the past 10 years
Who should attend
Those responsible for completing the VFM self-assessment, especially those who have not done it before, want to improve it or need a refresher.
Feedback from previous VFM workshops
Delegates gave an overall rating of more than 4.5 out of 5 for these workshops.
On average they gave a rating of 4.5 out of 5 for both the content and delivery of the workshops.
Cost
SPBM members £125 plus VAT (early bird purchase before 1 April)
This website uses cookies. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.