Examples of involvement
We give the people we support a real say in the services they receive. We ask for feedback at every level of the organisation, at regular meetings of staff and clients in projects and at regional forums, which link to the Board.
Locally clients are helping to select the contractors carrying out maintenance in their homes. In 2005, clients joined staff and board members on the national Health and Safety Committee for the first time.
Clients have been involved in helping to review support and anti-social behaviour policies through our Best Value programme. This year we will be reviewing our award winning complaints procedure and our performance in preventing voids and arrears, where we know we could improve.
Getting the right person for the job
We provide training and support to enable our clients to take part in recruiting staff at all levels in Carr-Gomm. Consult Carr-Gomm, our consultancy and training service, now offers advice to other providers in developing this and other opportunities for involvement.
“I’m a shy and quiet person. Being on a job interview panel got round that and has built up my confidence,” says Carr-Gomm client, Mark. Mark joined Adam and Chris to put the interview candidates for two Directors’ posts through their paces. With the support of staff, they set questions and a presentation topic for the candidates. The marks given by these clients influenced the selection process and the individuals appointed.
All three clients from Carr-Gomm’s west region enjoyed taking part in the experience and felt they learned a lot. Chris says: “I now have a different attitude to the way I approach interviews for jobs I want. I now know that sometimes interviewers are just as nervous as you.”
Small steps, big changes
When feedback through Carr-Gomm’s CCQ - complaints, compliments and queries - procedure and from focus groups showed that some clients found it hard to understand their rent statements, the finance team worked with client involvement officers to find a solution.
They held a series of focus groups with clients and redesigned the rent statements according to the clients’ suggestions. Part of the solution was buying colour printers for each regional office to print rent statements in colour, so making them easier to read and to understand.
Carr-Gomm’s north region covers the north west, north east and east midlands. Some clients were finding it difficult to travel to Manchester for the editorial meetings for the north region’s client newsletter and so weren’t able to get involved very easily. The client involvement officers in the north changed the way the newsletter was produced so that local editorial groups from all around the region could contribute. The amount of travelling needed therefore decreased and the number of clients able to get involved increased.
On a mission
We believe in getting clients involved at every level of the organisation – from the board of trustees to the individual house meeting. As part of the recent review of Carr-Gomm’s mission, vision and values, all clients and staff were given a questionnaire to fill in about what they thought about Carr-Gomm. They were asked to describe the values of the organisation and what they think it did well or could do better. Some clients were also invited to focus groups to comment on the draft mission statement.
To see the final version, go to Our mission
Everyone agreed that Carr-Gomm was a friendly but professional organisation, but that our logo didn’t reflect this. From the information given during the review, we worked with a designer to develop a variety of new logo designs. Clients on the board and at client involvement meetings had the chance to comment on the designs and let the designers know their favourite.
The logo you see on this website is the result of Carr-Gomm staff and clients’ views of our organisation.
Involvement begins at home
When St Peter’s Vicarage in London became a Carr-Gomm shared house for Somali women, it was agreed that the name should be changed. The new tenants all suggested names and then voted for their favourite. The project is now called “Som House”.
Clients in another London scheme held meetings to discuss and decide on the colour of the paint, flooring and work surfaces for their house’s new kitchen.
