Getting involved. How you can make a difference to where you live.

Transcription

1 Getting involved How you can make a difference to where you live.

2 Make a difference to where you live. We need your involvement to make a difference to the services you and the people in your neighbourhood receive. Whether you re inspired to help run activities in your community, want to get involved in reviewing the way Radian delivers services, or just want to speak up about an issue that you re passionate about, we have lots of ways for you to get involved and have your say. From mystery shopping to surveys, inspecting to focus groups, we need you to tell us what you think. You ll make a big difference to the services you and your neighbours receive! You can choose how much time to give, and there will always be someone available to support you. There are also plenty of opportunities to give your feedback from the comfort of your own home, either online or by post, phone or text. This leaflet explains some of the ways that you can get involved. We ve split them into four categories based on the different reasons you might want to get involved: Having your say Specific issues Your local area Helping to monitor and improve services

3 What s in it for me? As well as helping to improve services, getting involved is your chance to... Make sure you re getting the services you pay for Take positive steps to sort out problems where you live Develop new skills, knowledge and experience that can boost your chances of finding paid work Meet like-minded people and share your skills with others Have fun while keeping your mind and body active. We offer training and support to help residents develop their skills so they can influence services. Involved residents can also get help with travel and childcare expenses. You can also get funding! In addition to the involvement options that we offer, there are three different types of funding available to residents: Kick Start funding is available to Radian residents aged 8-18 who would like to learn and develop new skills. It could give you up to 300 towards activities such as sport, music or dance. The funding can be used to purchase equipment or pay for courses, tuition, coaching or even travel expenses. A Community Grant is money that is available to any community or voluntary group in areas where Radian has homes. Groups can apply for grants of up to 1500 to support work that meets the needs of Radian residents and the wider community. A Life Improvement Grant is available for projects that will improve communal areas and the environment around homes. Grants will be awarded for projects that enhance the environment or improve security.

4 Having your say Do you just want the chance to tell us what you think? We have many different ways that you can give us feedback about a wide range of issues and for your views to influence decisions. They offer you the opportunity to be involved to the degree and level that you choose, including how much time you put in. We run things like focus groups which involve coming to a meeting and telling us what you think about a single issue. Other things like mystery shopping or surveys can be completed at home. We might even ask you to take a look at a document that we re planning to send out to make sure that it makes sense and is easy to read. If you re interested in having your say in any way, just let us know. We ll get in touch to find out what you re interested in and how you d like to get involved.

5 Specific issues Is there something that you are passionate about or affects your everyday life? We have a number of groups that meet regularly to look at how we deal with specific issues and to make sure we keep improving how we do things. These groups are made up of residents, Radian staff and some external agencies and include: Disability Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) Leasehold & Shared Ownership Older people Young people Community safety Design of new homes and developments Our publications such as R Magazine and the website Procurement If you are interested in any of these issues but don t want to come to meetings you can still get involved. Just let us know what your interest is and we will make sure that you have the opportunity to hear about what happens at meetings and share your ideas.

6 Your local area Are you interested in helping to improve the environment in your neighbourhood? Would you like to meet more local people or get involved in a project to help bring your community together? Do you want to help solve problems in your area? Radian supports a number of independent residents groups in areas where we have homes. We can tell you if there is one where you live or help you to start one if there isn t. There might be opportunities to help out with activities or events, or do some volunteering for a local community project. We can help with funding for groups, events or initiatives in the community. You could also get involved in things like estate walkabouts to help us identify and tackle local issues such as community safety, litter, graffiti and parking. If you re interested in getting involved in your local area the Community Development Officer who covers your area will get in touch with you to let you know what s going on.

7 Helping to monitor and improve services Residents who get involved in these activities help us to make decisions about how we deliver services. They take the lead in monitoring and scrutinising our performance and identifying priorities for our work. These activities require a regular commitment of time and specific knowledge, for which training and support is available. The Residents Council works on behalf of all residents and leaseholders to ensure Radian provides excellent customer-focused services and delivers value for money. They independently check our services, challenge delivery and make recommendations for improvements, as well as contributing to our corporate plan. Four Area Panels are the focus of involvement at a local level. They decide what our local priorities should be; these are based on consultation with local residents and aim to improve services locally. They also manage a yearly budget for environmental projects and community activities. We also have a Resident Involvement Review Group who meet with us regularly to help us improve how we involve residents in our work and ensure that we act upon the feedback we receive. If you re interested in involvement at this level we will contact you to discuss your current experience and identify any training or support that will help you to get the most out of it. You may be invited to attend a meeting as an observer to get an idea of what is involved and decide if it is something you would be interested in.

8 Tell us what you re interested in If you would like to get involved in any way, get in touch to tell us what you re interested in. Either: Complete the form online at Call your local Community Involvement team on Complete your details below and return to: Community Involvement, Radian, Collins House, Bishopstoke Rd, Eastleigh SO50 6AD Your contact details Name Address Telephone What you are interested in? (tick as many as apply) Having your say Specific issues (please specify) Disability Community safety LGBT Design of new homes Leasehold/Shared Ownership Our publications Older people Procurement Young people Your local area Helping to monitor and improve services How would you like to get involved? (tick as many as apply) At meetings By post By phone By text message By Online (web chat/forums) Once we receive your details we ll contact you to help find the best option for you.