PrintThe Resident Involvement and Community Investment team works to encourage and enable all Willow's service users to take part in, comment on and influence Willow Housing and Care services, as well as getting involved in the wider community.
Staff at every level recognise how valuable involvement is and are committed to listening to the views, suggestions and concerns of residents and service users. Formal and informal consultation is facilitated through surveys, house meetings and our quarterly magazine for residents, Willow Matters.
Residents are represented at Board and Services Committee level. Each sheltered and extra care scheme is encouraged to elect a representative to sit on the Tenants and Residents Forum which meets bi-monthly to discuss a range of issues related to their housing and the services they receive, and to which management undertake to respond. From the Forum membership, four residents are elected onto our board as full members.
The role of the team is to:
• bring residents closer to the centre of decision making
• support residents to gain the skills and confidence to enable them to be more meaningfully involved
•provide general help, guidance and advice about the association and the way it works
•encourage residents to get involved in social, educational and recreational activities, offering a programme of events and initiatives to join in and make friends.
Willow provides a diverse programme of activities for residents, including:
• adult learning programmes, such as how to use a computer
• healthy living activities - swimming, keep fit, gardening and dancing
• social events and trips, in conjunction with scheme based staff
• annual conferences for residents
• inter-generational work with local schools
• diversity forum
• Tenants and Residents Forum.
The team work with voluntary and community groups, encourage volunteering and support social work students to work with older people.
