CHC's One Big Conference 2024

Day 1 - Thursday 4th July

***Draft agenda, subject to change***

09:15am Registration, networking and exhibition viewing

10:30am Introduction to Day One - Sian Lloyd, an experienced journalist and broadcaster, will be chairing our conference over the 2 days. Sian is a familiar face with viewers across the UK from presenting national programmes, including BBC Breakfast, BBC Crimewatch Roadshow and Panorama. She has also reported on some of the key moments in recent history as a senior news correspondent for the BBC network.

10:40am Keynote speaker - Victoria Winckler, Director, Bevan Foundation

Setting the scene for the conference, this session will explore how we can think about inequality in the current economic and political climate, and whether the upcoming General Election could spur real action on inequalities that trickles down to Wales. Victoria will also share her reflections on the current State of Wales and the impact of devolved and non-devolved policies on Welsh communities, pointing to the extensive knowledge and evidence acquired by Bevan Foundation through the years.

11.10am Keynote Talk - David McKinney, Older People's Commissioner for Wales,

Good housing is fundamental to our quality of life as we grow older. How can we ensure that the homes we live in support us to age well, as part of age friendly communities?

Drawing on the experiences of older people and assessing the current policy landscape, David will highlight opportunities for change and how we can work together to ensure we have the homes we need in our ageing society.

11.25am Panel Session: Embracing diverse needs in the design and delivery of new homes

Good housing design creates places that everyone can call home.

As part of this, promoting feelings of safety and inclusion must be considered from the very inception of a development, involving everyone from architects and planners, through to the developers and the communities themselves.

This session will explore how social homes can be designed and delivered in a way that accommodates the different ways in which people experience the built environment.

Confirmed panellists:

• David McKinney - Older People's Commissioner for Wales
• Gemma Clissett, Regional Partnerships Director, Lovell Partnerships
• Nick Cox, RLH Architects
• Alicja Zalesinska, Chief Executive, Tai Pawb
• Jonathan Hughes, Community-led Housing Development Advisor, Cwmpas

11.50am Coffee Break

12.10pm Workshops (Confirmed): A choice of 5 workshops including:

1. Work on housing refugees and asylum seekers - Joy Kent, Founding director of Joy Unltd. (This workshop will be repeated during PM session)

There is a growing number of housing associations involved in meeting the housing and support needs of people seeking sanctuary in Wales and contributing positively to the Welsh Government’s goal of becoming the first Nation of Sanctuary.

Activity has generally been developed within the original dispersal cities of Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and Wrexham but with resettlement being extended last year to cover all local authorities, and with growing demand, there is a now a Wales-wide need to develop appropriate services for this client group.

This workshop will be facilitated by Joy Kent, an independent consultant who is currently working alongside Housing Justice Cymru, Tai Pawb and the Wales Refugee Council to support housing organisations, local authorities and third sector organisations to prevent homelessness for people seeking sanctuary in Wales. The Session will focus on:

• setting out the issue
• detailing some of the responses that are being developed by HAs in Wales and the UK, and;
• outlining the kind of support Joy, Housing Justice Cymru and partners can provide to HAs that are considering how they might contribute to this agenda.

3. A tenant focussed approach to disrepair services - Serena Jones, Coastal Housing Group (This workshop will be repeated during PM session)

Hear how following a ‘systems thinking’ approach to the repairs process has affected overall repair complaints and disrepair claims.

4. Improving mental wellbeing through self employment ventures for tenants - Karen Davies - Founder and Chief Executive, Purple Shoots

Come and find out how the sector can support a diverse range of tenants by supporting journeys through enterprise. We’ll be taking a tour through the different support activities Purple Shoots has been offering to tenants: building capacity, confidence and self-belief to create both social impact and self-employment ventures.

A fun, interactive session exploring innovative approaches for a wide range of tenants and outcomes.

5. The experiences of housing in Wales of people from ethnic minority communities - Ross Thomas, Head of Policy & Public Affairs, Tai Pawb

1pm Lunch

2pm Workshops (Confirmed): a choice of 5 sessions including:

1. Work on housing refugees and asylum seekers - Joy Kent, Founding director of Joy Unltd. (as above)

2. A tenant focussed approach to disrepair services - Serena Jones, Coastal Housing Association

Did you miss out this morning? Another chance to hear how following a ‘systems thinking’ approach to the repairs process has affected overall repair complaints and disrepair claims.

3. Nature and us - delivering for our natural environment now and in the future - Russell De’ath, Senior Advisor, Natural Resources Wales

The warming planet and increasing pollution is driving nature in Wales towards collapse, extreme weather is on the increase, and the demand for the natural resources that support every aspect of our lives is now outstripping our planet’s ability to renew them. Now more than ever we need everyone’s help to minimise our impacts on the environment and create spaces for nature.

During 2022, as part of a national conversation, thousands of people shared their views about the future they wanted to see for Wales' natural environment. Following a long involvement period where we heard from thousands of people, a Citizens’ Assembly came together in the spring of 2023 to produce the Nature and Us Vision for Wales 2050.

The Vision gives all organisations working in Wales a chance to consider how we are working together towards a future where society and nature thrive together.

This interactive workshop will share some of the stories and resources developed as part of the vision, and will give participants the chance to think about the relevance of their own actions.

4. Academi Adra

Academi Adra was established in 2021 by housing association Adra, as a way of creating training & employment opportunities for their tenants and local people. Through partnership working, Academi Adra offers an alternative route to employment, which aims to reduce the barriers faced by those furthest away from the labour market.

Join Elin and Ceri in this workshop to discuss how initiatives such as Academi Adra are assisting individuals to overcome social inequalities and economic exclusion and hear the real-life experiences of those who have taken part in the initiative.

5. Tackling the headwinds to housing supply - how can the sector and WG work together to maximise delivery - Welsh Government

3pm Coffee Break

3.30pm Keynote Talk

4pm Confirmed Keynote Speaker - RT Hon Stuart Lawrence, Campaigner, Media Commentator and former trustee of the Stephen Lawrence Foundation

Stuart will be sharing his own story and his family’s experience of racism and institutional bias. He will be talking about how to tackle the realities of grief and trauma, what he learned on how to remain resilient when times are tough and how to harness the good in yourself and others to create the change you want to see.

His book “Silence is Not An Option: You Can Impact The World For Change”, strives to ensure that the young people of today understand the consequences of their actions and importance of inclusion through preaching tolerance and celebrating difference.

4.45pm Chair's closing reflections, Sian Lloyd

6.00pm Drinks reception, followed by dinner

Day 2 - Friday 5th July

9.00am Registration, networking and exhibition viewing

9.30am Introduction to day two - Sian Lloyd

9.45am Confirmed Keynote Speaker - Amanda Newton, Chief Executive, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing “Respecting the needs of the customer; reimagining the customer experience for an organisation in recovery”

Amanda will be talking about the importance of professional and cultural curiosity in delivering the customer experience and really understanding who lives behind our front doors.

10.30am Workshops (Confirmed) - a choice of 5 workshops including:

1. Mapping inequalities in loneliness - Josh Coles-Riley, Research associate, Wales Centre for Public Policy

A chance to hear about groundbreaking research from the Wales Centre for Public Policy on loneliness inequalities, including:

• How and why loneliness disproportionately affects marginalised groups.

• What the findings mean for housing and support and explore what changes are needed to better tackle loneliness inequalities.

2. Reaching customers in vulnerable circumstances - Johann Van Dyke - Public affairs manager, Smart Energy GB

Learn how Smart Energy GB engages with their customers with a range of individual personal circumstances as well as insight into general energy attitudes in social housing in Wales and what learnings can be taken from the private rented sector.

3. Building affordable homes through community-led housing - Casey Edwards, Programme Manager, Cwmpas

Cwmpas will provide an introduction to community led housing including meaningful engagement with communities, the benefits to the local area, and how housing association's can get involved. Delegates will also hear examples of how some housing association's are already working to deliver this.

4. Building Safety - An expert view on what the new legislation means for HAs? - Hugh James Solicitors

Safety landscape in the UK has been significantly reformed following the tragic events at Grenfell. In this session, Hugh James will outline the key changes and the impact of reforms in England, and the aspects of the Building Safety Act 2022 that are being applied in Wales. We will also explore what we can expect to see in Building Safety (Wales) Bill and what that could mean for housing associations in Wales

11.30am Coffee Break

12:00pm - Keynote speaker - Diversity and Housing? - Dr Gifford Rhamie, founder and Executive Director of Rockstone Consultancy. Responsible for organisational development, diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging.

Gifford’s talk will explore how to move beyond simply tolerating diversity in housing and instead cultivate “conviviality” – the art of living well together. He’ll discuss the challenges that can arise in diverse neighbourhoods, but more importantly, offer practical solutions.

Imagine shared spaces that spark conversation, cultural celebrations that bring neighbours closer, and clear communication channels to address any conflicts. By fostering conviviality, Gifford will argue, we can transform our neighbourhoods into vibrant communities where a sense of belonging thrives.

12:45pm Lunch

1:45pm Tackling the no access problem in the social housing sector, Matt Sharp, CEO, ASCP

Matt will be sharing with us the the fantastic work that ASCP have achieved addressing the challenges of no access for safety checks in social housing, which continues to be an issue for our sector. A Q&A session will follow.

2.15pm Panel Session - Tackling the no access problem - audience discussion

In this session panellists will reflect on the White Paper produced by the ASCP and will provide their personal experiences of managing no access and
maintaining compliance with Welsh regulations

Confirmed Panellists

• Matt Sharp, CEO ASCP

• Gareth Donovan, Property Services Manager, Tai Calon Community Housing

• Hugh James Solicitors

2.45pm Chair reflections and close