Get Involved
Pickering and Ferens Homes is committed to providing excellent quality homes and services which enhance later life and ensuring that we meet your needs and develop in line with your expectations.
By working with our residents and involving you in every aspect of what we do, you are able to influence decisions and take part in what is happening.
There are lots of ways to get involved with the associations various meetings, panels and committees. Some options take up very little time, while others take more time and commitment. Our goal is for everyone to be able to choose an option that works for them.
This page aims to demonstrate exactly what we have to offer and how much of your time and commitment it will involve.
Why get involved?
- Play an active role in improving our services for all residents
- Influence decisions that affect your housing services
- Make your area a better place to live
- Give us your views on the services you receive
- Be part of an interest, improvement or review group
- Gain useful skills
- Take part in training sessions, one-to-one mentoring, volunteering
- Meet new people
- Increase your knowledge of housing services provided
- Attend our annual social events for rewarding our involved customers
Will it cost me anything?
To make sure that our involvement opportunities are accessible to all and do not cost you more than energy and enthusiasm, we will pay any reasonable expenses such as travel costs etc. For any queries please contact the Resident Involvement team (01482) 223 783.
How much time will it take?
Different levels of involvement will take different amounts of time, depending on what you want to do. Involvement can range from a five-minute telephone call to a full day session. It can be a ‘one-off’, or you could get involved on a regular basis. Click on the titles to find out more about each section.
How to get involved
The ways you can get involved are:
The Board of Directors governs PFH and is made up of 12 Members including two resident Members. The Board has overall responsibility for such things as :-
- Setting strategy policy and direction
- Ensuring that PFH is self-sufficient and effective organisation
- Establishing plans of action
- Managing risk;
- Monitoring performance;
- Regulatory compliance.
Its main role if to ensure that PFH is managed properly and achieves its mission to provide high quality housing, services and support for people in need. We currently have 2 resident members on the Board.
Who can get involved? Any resident can apply. You will have to go through an interview process and if there are more applicants than vacancies a resident postal vote will be undertaken. Vacancies are advertised on PFH website and via People First magazine.
Time Commitment There are 5 meetings per year plus 2 away days. Resident Trustees will also need to read papers and take part in training.
The Resident Committee is the main residents group which works closely with PFH to develop our corporate resident involvement and communication strategies. It will also propose policy changes made by the Customer Action Panels and recommend service improvements to PFH. It is an opportunity for residents and staff to work in partnership together on developing the resident involvement offer, influencing improvements to policy that affect residents and monitoring performance against standards as part of co-regulation. The Resident Committee champions resident led initiatives and ensures residents views are made clear.
Who can get involved?
The membership of the group is made up of residents who represent:
- Resident Associations / working groups that are recognised by PFH
- Geographical areas (residents living in areas that are not represented by a Resident A ssociation or working group)
- A representative from each of the Customer Action Panels
Time Commitment Minimum of 4 meetings per year with papers to read beforehand.
The role of the panel is to scrutinise the performance and services being provided by PFH from the perspective of those receiving the service. The role involves looking very closely at our services and then questioning, listening and analysing the information about the services before producing a report of the groups findings. As a result of the Panels investigation a report and improvement plan (if necessary) is presented to the Board of Trustees and made available to residents.
Who can get involved? Up to 12 residents can sit on the Panel and recruitment is through an open selection process. Please note however that to avoid any conflict of interest members of the Board of Trustees and Customer Action Panels are not allowed to sit on the Resident Led Scrutiny Panel.
Time Commitment Meetings usually last for two or three hours and the frequency of the meetings increase during a scrutiny investigation. There will also be additional time commitments for carrying work relating to the scrutiny investigation such as work shadowing, surveying, talking to residents, interviewing. The requirements will depend on the nature of the work involved for each investigation.
Express your interest
If you are a PFH resident and would like to express your interest in getting involved with the association’s various meetings and groups, please complete this form and we will be in touch to advise you on the best way forward.
