Ways to get involved
There are lots of ways you can get
involved and tell us what you think.
The ways you can get involved have been split
into three categories, individual, local and
strategic.
Each of these has a different level of time commitment indicated by
the number of stars.
INDIVIDUAL: Influence services important to
you
Focus Groups
Small gatherings of residents who meet for only once or
sometimes for a few sessions to discuss a specific service for
example repairs & maintenance. Focus Groups are approximately
two hours long duration and will be organised at times that are
convenient to you.
Surveys/ Questionnaire
We occasionally conduct a range of surveys and
questionnaires to find out what you think about something. You can
influence the decisions we make by taking part over the phone,
online or by post.
Individual feedback
You can influence the way we do things by
telling us what you think at any time. Submit your comment or idea
by letter, email, text, or by personal contact with us. We value
all comments and contributions.
Training for involvement
We provide a range of free courses aimed at developing your
skills to help you influence the way we do things. We also provide
a range of life skills courses, as well as accredited courses which
provide recognised qualifications .
LOCAL: Influence what happens in your local
area
Residents’ associations
Residents’ associations are independent groups
that meet regularly to discuss community events and resolve local
concerns. Residents’ associations can gain our recognition by
having a signed licence which needs to include a commitment to
equal opportunities, a committee elected each year and a bank
account to hold funds. Registered residents’ associations can apply
for annual grants to help with the set up and running costs.
Neighbourhood voices
As an individual you can volunteer to become a
neighbourhood voice, giving your thoughts and opinions on your
local area and issues affecting where you live.
Estate walkabouts
These walkabouts take place regularly on your
estate. By attending you can meet your neighbourhood housing
officer and give feedback on your local environment.
Youth Forum
Youth forums are an opportunity for young
people to have their say on local issues, make changes within their
community and take responsibility for decisions that affect their
lives. Youth forums can be set up in neighbourhoods where young
people have expressed interest.
Resident Area Panels (RAPs)
Resident Area Panels give you the opportunity
to shape the way we do things in your area. There are 15 RAPs
across the country which are open to all residents in the
area.
STRATEGIC: Influence Affinity Sutton
nationally
National Residents’ Council
The National Residents’ Council is a group of residents from
across the regions that monitor and scrutinise our services and
performance. This group receives reports from the RAPs and uses
them to highlight what works well at Affinity Sutton, as well as
what could be improved. The national Residents’ Council submits
reports directly to the Affinity Sutton Board.
Mystery shopping
If you’re interested in becoming a mystery shopper we’ll provide
training to help you to mystery shop our services. This could be
anything from ringing to report a repair to visiting a local
office. You then provide us with your feedback which helps us
improve our services. We offer a reward scheme for completing
mystery shopping.
Service task teams
As a member of a service task team you will have an interest in
a specific area of the service provided by us and you will monitor
and scrutinise the performance in this area and recommend ways to
improve it.
Resident inspectors
Once you have completed our free resident inspector training,
you will be able to inspect our services and make judgement based
on the evidence you have found which highlights what we do well and
what could be improved. Inspection reports will be considered by
the National Residents’ Council and RAPs as part of their scrutiny
role.
Resident Board members
Residents can apply to become members of our Board. The Board
sets strategies and policies which direct our work and have overall
responsibility for making sure that we meet all our legal and
financial obligations. All residents can apply to join the Board
and successful candidates will be selected based on their life
experience and skills.