ACTION PLAN | BY WHOM | BY WHEN
[month = by month end] | BUDGET IMPLICATIONS | SETTING UP RESOURCES/ COSTS
£000 | ANNUAL RESOURCES/ COSTS
£000 | SAVINGS
£000 |
TARGET 1: Diverse Needs Of Customers Taken Into Account In Service Planning And Provision
|  | | | | | |
Development of corporate approach to addressing the diverse needs of customers including:
· ensuring the Language Line interpretation and translation facility is publicised and arrangements are in place to ensure it is available to all service users
· determining whether to offer the facility to produce documents in large print, on audio tape, in Braille and in different languages and if appropriate making the necessary arrangements to do so | Head of Personnel & Central Services and Head of Communications | December 2003 | There could be implications if a general policy is adopted of providing documents in large print, on audio tape or in Braille.
The annual subscription to Language Line is already dealt with under existing budgets. There is likely to be a further charge for additional training to extend the service corporately. | Not yet known | | 0 |
| Publicising the availability of Language Line and the facility to produce documents in Braille or on audio tape and ensuring housing staff know how to access the services [relevant to all housing services] | All housing service managers | Ongoing | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clarifying the roles of the Mental Health Support Workers and Domestic Violence Outreach Worker and updating referral/liaison arrangements with other staff. [Not relevant to RTB & Service Charges] | Deputy Housing Services Manager & Community Care Officer | Ongoing | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Developing liaison and referral arrangements with social services, health services and other relevant agencies to identify and secure appropriate ongoing support or services for customers with special needs or who are vulnerable. [Not relevant to RTB & Service Charges] | Housing Services Manager & Housing Needs Manager | Ongoing | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
TARGET 2: Comprehensive Health And Safety Measures In Place For Service Users And Staff
| | | | | | |
| Development and publication of more explicit corporate guidance regarding action to be taken by front-line staff (including reception staff) if a customer becomes aggressive | Head of Personnel & Central Services/Safety & Emergency Planning Advisor | December 2003 | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Complete and implement risk assessments for each housing service area and document related procedures | Director of Housing | September 2003 | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ensure there are adequate measures in place to secure the personal safety of housing staff, in particular those whose roles are peripatetic and arranging for all staff to have access to information regarding potentially aggressive customers | Director of Housing | September 2003 | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
TARGET 3: Mechanisms To Ensure The Value For Money And Quality Of Services Procured Externally By The Housing Department Or Provided/Procured On Its Behalf By Other Waverley Departments
| | | | | | |
| Pilot the development of service level agreements between the Housing Department and other Council Departments providing it with services or procuring them on its behalf including agreed quality measures to monitor performance, starting with the IT service | Directors of Housing and Finance, Heads of Housing Management and IT | December 2004 | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ensure there are arrangements in place for the Housing service to monitor performance of directly procured external services | All housing service managers | Ongoing | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TARGET4: Efficient And Consistent Application Of Housing Policies And Procedures | | | | | | |
| Document or update all housing policies and procedures as necessary and make them available on the intranet as a policy/procedure guide, starting with the Rent Arrears Recovery service first as a pilot to assess the resources required | Director of Housing | December 2004 | Depending on the outcome of the pilot additional temporary staff or consultant resources may be required | Not yet known | 0 | 0 |
| Introduce and implement arrangements for the regular review of policies and procedures and updating of the housing policy/procedure guide | Director of Housing | December 2004 | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Provide regular training on housing policies and procedures for new and experienced Members and Tenants’ Panel | Director of Housing | Ongoing | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Housing staff to make maximum use of IT facilities including PCs to be made available in interview rooms and receive any necessary training to enable them to do so | All housing service managers | Ongoing | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Examine the costs/benefits of providing laptops and/or other portable technology for housing staff who spend considerable amounts of time working away from the office. | Head of Housing Management and all housing service managers | July 2004 | Potential cost of laptops or other technology | Not yet known | 0 | Efficiency improvements - not possible to quantify |