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We caught up with Housing LIN Cymru Steering Group to capture their thoughts on the network

The Housing LIN provides housing, health and social care professionals with the latest policy, practice, research and innovation in housing with care for older and vulnerable people. With thanks to our partners, we have been able to extend our presence and provide dedicated online resources on housing an ageing population in Wales.

In this new Housing LIN blog, we catch up with some of our Housing LIN Cymru Steering Group, chaired by Joanne Kirrane at Melin Homes, to capture their thoughts on the Housing LIN’s presence in Wales and the benefits associated with being a part of the network.

What’s the purpose and benefit of the Housing LIN’s presence in Wales?

It’s important to platform a Welsh perspective on how housing and housing with care services for older people and people with learning disabilities can be delivered in Wales where the regulatory and statutory frameworks are different to England and Scotland. The Housing LIN Cymru showcases high quality, best practice examples, advice and guidance from across the UK that organisations in Wales may like to tailor to the Welsh context. Partnership working is also a key element to delivering positive outcomes for citizens. This is achieved through the Housing LIN by bringing together representatives from across Wales to share experiences, discuss information and legislative changes and work in collaboration to progress workstreams in Wales.

Why do you support the Housing LIN Cymru?

The Housing LIN provides a key network of likeminded individuals working across both the provider and commissioner sectors to come together on a sounding board to showcase examples of services that make a real difference to people’s lives. The quality and provision of a such a forum meant it took very little persuasion to register our interest. At present, members of the Housing LIN in Wales predominantly comprise of representatives from Gwent, including external providers, Local Authority representatives, housing association representatives and individuals from construction agencies. But it is clear, as a force for social change, the network as a whole address a knowledge and support gap around Welsh housing strategies for older people. In future, it is hoped that other representatives from the Powys Regional Partnership Board (RPB) in Wales will also support the network, to allow for open discussion and collaborative opportunities on issues affecting housing in Wales.

What impact has the Network had on you?

The Housing LIN has broadened our horizons around models of service delivery and ways to work collaboratively, as well as provided some opportunities for personal development. Previously, the support provided directly from the Housing LIN’s consultancy has enabled us to liaise with residents through good quality dialogue. Just as valuable, the network has provided a safe space to share challenges amongst peers and partners. Specific workstreams have emerged from discussions, such as a sharing information around community meal provisions and how each organisation aims to address legislative requirements stipulated by Welsh Government. On the COVID-19 front, naturally we had not accomplished as much as we would have hoped due to delayed strategy and budget restrictions but with the Housing LIN’s support, we are now able to receive the guidance and tools we need to implement a housing for older people strategy, while retrofitting our existing schemes. In general, the Housing LIN has helped to set a direction in strategy, and we will most certainly be calling upon the network to help frame our strategy in future.

Why should others join the Network?

The role of the Housing LIN around facilitation, demonstration and partnership enables providers and commissioners to share space and explore opportunities together by looking at examples of practice and shaping future strategy. Involvement now, in our view, is all the more important given the resource challenges facing the sector and so provides all the more reason to share ideas and approaches to meeting the needs of those people we provide services for. The network has an excellent reputation for having a leading voice on specialist housing (for older people and supported accommodation) and is consistently at the forefront of topical debate. Discussions often focus on legislative changes that affect all housing organisations in Wales. Extending the membership beyond Gwent representatives would allow for fruitful discussion about how these legislative changes affect all organisations across Wales, but also gives an opportunity to discuss other issues affecting service provisions. Joining the network will help strengthen our learning capital around service delivery options and ensure that we do not work in isolation.

We are grateful to Joanne Kirrane and Paula Kennedy (Melin Homes), Gary Hortop (Linc Cymru), Alan Brunt (Bron Afon) and Phil Diamond (Gwent Regional Partnership Board) for giving up their time to be interviewed and for their views.

And thanks to all our partners listed below, we have been able to extend our presence and provide dedicated online resources on housing an ageing population in Wales. Through the Housing LIN Cymru website, you can access a range of key documents we have collated on housing for older people in Wales, including information on policy and strategies, capital and revenue funding opportunities, research and market intelligence, good practice and case studies.