On the 19th June 2024, Convene sponsored the National Housing Federation Housing Governance conference. We’d like to thank the NHF, as well as all those in attendance, for an informative and engaging day.
The Housing Governance conference is an annual event for governance professionals to learn and network, and aims to leave attendees ‘confident in delivering good governance’ for their organisations.
The agenda for this year’s conference sought to address the role governance has in the burgeoning and changing regulatory landscape. It looked to discuss how governance teams can help Boards to embed new requirements and regulations in Housing.
The day started with a breakfast briefing about what the competence and conduct standard means for the Housing sector, and how Housing associations can prepare for the mandatory qualifications.
This was followed by a talk on adapting governance arrangements to the new regulatory environment. This discussed how to best support Boards embedding requirements culturally, and the level of scrutiny Boards should have over complaints.
Next was a talk on regulatory inspections and what to expect in practice, which explored how governance professionals can support their organisations through the inspection process. It also outlined good governance and its key success factors, as well as the benefits of such inspections.
There was then a series of breakout sessions, the first of which included a roundtable on building assurance frameworks, a talk on the legislation coming for the Housing sector with the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, and a look at the Better Social Housing Review two years on.
The next breakout sessions looked at the essential guide to getting started with finance for governance professionals, discussed potential merger fatigue and how to deal with a lack of resource within governance teams, and featured a talk on what the Access to Information scheme will mean for Housing associations.
This was followed by a lunch and learn session, which looked at how the adoption of Internet of Things technologies could impact and improve governance in social Housing.
Then, after lunch, there were more breakout sessions. The first set explored equality, diversity and inclusion, and the importance of being ambitious with EDI for governance professionals, as well as the potential support AI could offer governance. There was also a panel on good data governance, which featured Convene’s very own Arturo Dell.
Arturo spoke about how to make data-informed decisions to keep residents safe, and how to leverage home and resident data to address operational risks. He also emphasised the importance of identifying gaps in your data and filling them.
Convene comes in on this topic as both a sponsor and exhibitor of the event. Convene’s Board Portal, and Convene’s reporting tool Convene ESG, both ensure Housing associations are making informed decisions about their information, and work to keep data secure.
Convene ESG allows you to develop your ESG story by streamlining the administrative process of ESG reporting giving you time to focus on bigger goals and future visions. Through data collection, peer comparison, and report generation, you are able to monitor your progress, achieve your targets and exhibit your success.
This aid to data collection means that there are fewer gaps in your information by automating the process, and allowing your organisation to spend less time on menial tasks, and more on establishing the best governance practices possible.
Convene ESG helps you to create a company which values ESG and makes a positive difference to the world whilst ensuring you meet regulatory requirements, industry standards and shareholder expectations.
The next breakout sessions featured a talk on building a career in Housing governance and what the next government could mean for sector governance. There was also a conversation with the Ombudsman which discussed and explored a maladministration case, and the role of governance in the investigation process.
This was followed by a talk on perfecting resident engagement and how governance teams can best support Board and committee members, as well as create communication lines for resident representatives.
The day ended with a final talk on leading with courage through challenging times, which encouraged governance professionals to look forward during times of upheaval and systematic change.
We’d like to again thank the NHF for setting up another interesting and uplifting conference, and for all those in attendance for their engagement in governance discussions.
