Neighbourhood Charters & Estate and Neighbourhood Agreements - In house course
How to make a huge change for the better – in what you achieve, and what your residents enjoy
If you only attend one event in the next few months, this should be it. That’s because despite its rather technical title, Neighbourhood Charters & Estate and Neighbourhood Agreements delivers practical results in some critical areas.
Charters and agreements of this type can be used to set out service standards and priorities for action which local people expect from service providers. They also can contain obligations that the community has taken on itself. All of these are essential for effective community engagement and neighbourhood management.
Learning from the experience of developing the National Standards for Community Engagement in Scotland, and as featured in the Community Empowerment White Paper, Neighbourhood Charters are an effective way of helping residents to shape policies, services and places according to their needs. They are also very useful for holding service providers to account.
In areas such as Bolton, York and Barnsley, agreements of this type between service providers and local people have led to an improved environment, better community safety and greater satisfaction with the area as a place to live.
Consider four objectives, all of which I know are important to you:
- Cost effective, resident-friendly services
- Effective tackling of service and community issues
- Easy monitoring by staff and residents
- A controlled approach to neighbourhood management
How do you deliver good housing and neighbourhood services that satisfy your residents? You involve them as much as you can in setting service standards and tackling community issues, then you monitor the results. This calls for a co-ordinated approach.
That is what Neighbourhood Charters and Agreements are. Since estate agreements were introduced by London Borough of Camden in 1991, agreements of this type have proved to be extremely helpful. Many local authorities and housing associations and residents testify to this, including London Borough of Croydon, Hexagon Housing Association and the residents of Norton Grange in Stockton and Foxwood in York.
Neighbourhood Charters are also currently being used as the key exit strategy for many Neighbourhood Management programmes.
We'll cover:
- How multi agency agreements developed in York and what they achieved
- Why estate agreements must sit within a strategic framework
- Where multi-agency agreements sit within the neighbourhood renewal, learning and public services agendas
- The links between estate/neighbourhood agreements and charters and neighbourhood management and what is being attempted on the Kendray estate in Barnsley
Throughout the day, reference will be made to a fascinating case history, from the Foxwood Estate, York which has developed its own neighbourhood agreement. The Foxwood Project was set up to do something practical about rising levels of crime, a drug abuse and the declining reputation of the area.
Residents and key service providers, including the Police, City of York Council and several housing associations, all worked together, with impressive results. Foxwood includes service level agreements on housing, street cleaning, refuse collection, jobs and training, community policing, welfare benefits and services for young people.
Our workshop tells you exactly how to develop multi agency agreements, and how you set up effective neighbourhood management. He’ll take you through:
- What are neighbourhood agreements?
- Where do you start and how do you introduce them?
- What are the pitfalls to avoid?
- What skills and experience will they require?
- Who should you be forming partnerships with?
- How do you agree a common agenda?
- How to get top management involved and committed
- Forming a resident partner
What other delegates say about this course
"Produced clear and understandable practical examples of past and established agreements, including do's and don'ts. Also where to find additional useful information if considered setting up agreements."
Steve Miller, Innovation and Good Practice Manager, Fabrick Housing Group
"It gave me a new outlook on delivering services."
Alistair Cairns, Housing Manager, Dundee City Council
"It gave me an excellent awareness of neighbourhood agreements and how this can improve the local area."
Lesley-Jane Robertson, Customer Services Manager, Fife Council
"Very useful and informative course which outlines the processes to follow to establish neighbourhood agreements and provides the framework to use."
Ken Halley, Locality Manager, Fife Council