Safety and security

Stock condition

Making sure our stock is in a good condition is a great way to make sure residents feel safe and secure in their homes. This year, we’ve reviewed what data is being collected to make sure it’s fit for purpose.

We’ve had an increased focus on damp and mould and looked at how we can collect this data in a holistic way. We’ve trained staff to identify signs of this when visiting or calling residents, helping us stay informed between more formal surveys.

We’re also focusing on making homes future proof. Whereas we previously focused on component upgrades and the general condition, we’re looking at how we can improve the condition of properties further.

To make sure that we stay up to date with the condition of our homes, we’ve increased the frequency of our surveys – carrying them out every three years, instead of every five years.

of our properties have a stock condition survey (we haven’t yet been able to access the remaining 3.3%)

100% of our stock condition survey for 2024/25 was completed

Analogue to digital

Our current warden call systems are analogue, which is being discontinued in the coming year. This year, we began the transition from an analogue to digital system, which sees us moving to a telecare system in our older person properties.

We’ve spoken with providers to find out what products are on the market, selecting a like-for-like product which residents will be familiar with. We’ve also started to install new broadband which is essential to the digital transition and will also help future proof our properties.

A benefit of this will be a newer, more reliable system, which is more accessible. Residents will also be able to have a water-resistant pendant which can be worn as a wrist band or necklace, helping them feel more secure.

Residents with pull cords were consulted to find out how many they needed and where they preferred them to be installed. We then offered four demonstration sessions to help residents feel more confident about the transition and how to use the new equipment once it’s installed. We had around 25 residents attend these sessions and there’ll be more during this year. We're also training staff on how to use the equipment so they’re able to support residents.

CCTV

A big project this year, based off feedback from residents, was around CCTV. CCTV is often something that helps residents feel safer in their homes. It can be a deterrent to anti-social behaviour and provide that peace of mind that if something happens, the police may have some evidence to support an investigation.

This year we’ve been getting quotes for broadband installation to support CCTV. We’ve started with our older persons sites, as these broadband upgrades link to the telecare project, and we’ll then move onto our general needs properties. As this is a service chargeable cost, we’ll be consulting with residents to find out what their opinion is of getting CCTV at their sites. We’ll then work to make sure we have the right CCTV contractors in place for the duration of the project.

Supporting our residents

This year, we’ve implemented our new Domestic Abuse Policy. This was done in collaboration with other agencies which help tackle domestic abuse and provide support in the community. Our teams researched and spoke to various partners to find out what was best practice and, as we operate across three boroughs, it was important that it was fit for purpose across all areas.

With the increase in violence against women and girls, we made sure to consider this in our policy review. From this, our final policy outlines our approach to dealing with domestic abuse against any residents (including men) and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

We were grateful to have two of our residents review the policy for us, providing feedback on timescales and the order of the content. This resulted in us making it clearer that men are also included in this policy, and it isn’t just for women and girls.

To support the implementation of the policy, staff will receive training later this year.