dfg workshop - middlesbrough driving change shirley janes housing improvement manager
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DFG Workshop - Middlesbrough Driving Change Shirley Janes Housing Improvement Manager. County Durham. 6 th largest geographical area nationally 185,000 private sector housing 51% of private stock is coalfield housing 510,000 population (4 th largest nationally) 22% registered disabled. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
DFG Workshop - Middlesbrough
Driving Change
Shirley Janes
Housing Improvement Manager
County Durham
• 6th largest geographical area nationally
• 185,000 private sector housing
• 51% of private stock is coalfield housing
• 510,000 population (4th largest nationally)
• 22% registered disabled
Background
• Pre 2009 two-tier authority
• 7 District Councils and 1 County Council
• 5 OT Teams sat within the County Council
• 5 HIA’s cover the county
- 2 x in-house
- 3 x Care & Repair
1st April 2009 – Unitary Authority
• Housing work-stream identified DFG as a priority area for change
• Identified a Lead Officer to carry out options appraisal
• Options appraisal recommended one central system for the county
• Lead Officer tasked to implement by the end of May 2009
Challenges
• Intensive work with District Council Officers, OT’s and HIA’s
• Different systems and ways of working• Different relationships between professionals• Different understandings of legislation• 2 HIA’s had large waiting lists• Difference in level of HIA fees• Staff movement
Central System
• Asked for expression of interest from District Council Officers
• Seconded 2 Officers part time to co-ordinate information from Councils and HIA’s
• Meetings with HIA Managers and OT’s to agreement interim arrangements
• Central system commenced on 15th May 2009
Perceived Obstacles
• Waiting lists in Sedgefield and Derwentside
• Initially only CLG funding (Council budgets weren’t approved until October 2009)
• Uncertainty and resistance to change
• Many complaints, mainly from Members
• HIA contracts due to end
• Paediatric assessments contracted out to Health
Developing an Efficient System• Time Limited Project Team established
- Consultant Project Manager
- Housing Lead Officer
- Senior Managers from Adult and Children Services, (Operational and Commissioning)
- Senior Managers from Legal, Finance, HR, Procurement and Audit
• Regional Loans Scheme Project Manager
• Relevant sub-groups included HIA Managers
Project Outcomes• Amalgamated 2 in-house HIA’s and
established Central Improvement Team within existing budget envelope
• A single business model for HIA’s to provide consistency in service delivery
• A single written procedure for staff from clients first contact with Council to works complete
• A single process for complaints across services
• £10k charge on extensions over £15k
Project Outcomes
• A single OT process plus priority criteria and risk assessment process
• 12% HIA fee
• Outline procurement policy
• Set up Mapping Demand & monitoring Caseload group
• Continue cultural change programme – client centred ethos
Benefits
• Clear procedure for staff teams
• Momentum in DFG continued
• Waiting lists addressed
• Same level of service to clients across the county
• Single reporting mechanism
• Interim arrangements drive change
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