Agenda item

Report of the Director of Placemaking and Housing. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing & Planning (Deputy Leader).

Considering two new policies for adoption across the Council's landlord

services: the Vulnerable Council Tenants and Leaseholders Policy and the

Safeguarding Policy.

The Leader of the Council introduced the report which set out how the Council would help its vulnerable tenants’ and leaseholders’ households access housing management services and sustain their tenancies. The policy was clear that supporting people to live well in the community was a core housing management task for the Council.

It was noted that the policy further set out how the Council’s Housing Management services would work to prevent abuse and neglect of children and vulnerable adults in its own housing stock. The policy aimed to ensure that the Council’s overarching Safeguarding Policy was embedded and delivered specifically through its housing management services. The policy was clear that safeguarding is a core responsibility for everyone working in any capacity in or with any of its housing management teams.

The Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care and Wellbeing commended work of the housing team in taking forward the review of the policies and reflected that they had taken account of recent safeguarding adult reviews and were helping ensure that this learning was held within the organisation.

In response to questions from Cllr Emery, the following information was noted:

-               In relation to having faster response times for vulnerable households with damp and Mold and minor adaptations, it was noted that the attached policy document did not define the time frame, and this was not the point of the policy. It was noted that, more broadly, there was a Damp and Mold policy in place agreed by Cabinet last year and there was a process in place where residents could contact the Council directly and then be passed straight to the repair service. There were categories for the seriousness of the damp and mould and responses according to this with any immediate threats to health resulting in a decant of the family whilst remedial works were completed and less serious works taking place with the family in the home.

-        Councillors were not trained on using ‘consent cards’, and these were only available to staff and contractors and their use was also connected to the specific IT devices in use. It was noted that depending on the team in which they work, staff would be able to pass the information to a manager as a way to identify any concerns about vulnerability or safeguarding.

RESOLVED

1. Toapprove the Vulnerable Council Tenants and Leaseholders Policy at Appendix 1, having had regard to the Equality Impact Assessment at Appendix 3.

2. To approve the Safeguarding Council Tenants and Leaseholders Policy at Appendix 2 having had regard to the Equality Impact Assessment at Appendix 4.

Reasons for decision

The review of existing policies on safeguarding and vulnerable tenants adopted for landlord services by Homes for Haringey concluded that the Council requires entirely new polices in these areas. The newly drafted policies set a new direction that is informed by best practice to underpin better services for its tenants and leaseholders and for their wider households.

The Housing Ombudsman asked the Council in July 2023 to review the vulnerability and safeguarding policies used by its housing management services to ensure they are up to date and relevant. The proposed policies respond in full to the Ombudsman’s recommendations.

The new policies help the Council meet the Social Housing Regulator’s consumer standards, specifically the Tenant Empowerment Standard and the new Safety and Quality Standard.

Alternative options considered

We could continue to rely on the policies adopted by Homes for Haringey in these areas.This option was rejected because those policies do not meet the Council’s needs or those of its tenants and leaseholders; because the new policies assists the Council to meet the Social Housing Regulator’s Tenant Empowerment and Safety and Quality Standards where the existing policies do not; and because the Council has agreed to follow the Ombudsman’s recommendations. Furthermore, the Council committed in its 2024-2029 Housing Strategy to review these policies.