Newydd is the first housing association in Wales to successfully complete TPAS Cymru’s new Tenant Engagement Standards Assessment (TESA) challenge.
The TESA challenge, which took 9 months to complete, involved reviewing Newydd's current position in delivering tenant engagement, identifying opportunities for improvement, ensuring Welsh Government expectations and regulatory standards were met and demonstrating commitment to tenant involvement.
Following TPAS Cymru’s in-depth independent assessment of self-evaluation evidence along with interviews and focus groups with staff and tenants, Newydd were awarded ‘green’ status for each of the 3 priority TESA standards. The criteria for leadership and governance, involvement practice, and openness and accountability were all met.
David Lloyd, Programme Director at TPAS Cymru said, “Newydd has a solid track record in providing effective and meaningful ways for tenants to be involved; this ensures they are in strong position to move forward with the implementation of the new Tenant Influencer Strategy. The culture at Newydd, based on the commitment of the Board, Executive Team, and staff to Tenant Involvement, will be a key part of Newydd’s new approach”.
At the start of the challenge, Newydd had already begun developing a new and essentially people focussed Tenant Influencer Strategy entitled ‘People at the Heart’. Going through the TESA process whilst developing the new strategy ensured that the strategy is fit for purpose, has a robust methodology for the future and enables tenants to co-design solutions for the services they receive.
Jason Wroe, Newydd's Chief Executive said, "Achieving the new TESA challenge on our first attempt, and being the first housing association to do so, is testament to the hard work and passion showed by our tenants and staff. Moving forward, providing tenants with influencing techniques that best suits them will ensure that anyone can get involved, this is vital in improving our services. I am excited to see how our influencers will develop our services for the future."
Newydd’s new menu of influencing opportunities within the strategy offers tenants variety and choice. Options are inclusive, flexible, accessible, and accommodate an individual’s needs, abilities, aspirations, and lifestyle. The overall aim is to allow tenants to get involved at a level and time that best suits them.
