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

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

1 st 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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