Professionalism in the housing sector
Recent tragedies have put housing management under the spotlight. So how can housing organisations ensure they are staffed by dedicated professionals?
PEOPLE & CULTURE
Image: Istock
Niall Sheridan
Non-Executive Committee Member – Asset Management & Maintenance Committee, Northern Ireland Housing Executive, and board member of Clúid Housing and Chartered Institute of Housing (Ireland)
Issue 68 | October 2023
The government’s seminal Housing For All Plan in its response to the housing crisis rightly focused on the objective that everybody should have access to sustainable, good quality housing. This set the tone for a ramping up of supply across all sectors, particularly the social and affordable housing sectors.
However, the Plan, with its emphasis on supply, makes scant reference to how homes should be sustainably and – dare I say – professionally managed and maintained over the long term.
Hot topic
In Great Britain, ‘professionalism’ is currently the hot topic in the housing world. This has been brought about by a perception that many housing organisations have become commercial entities, which have little regard for tenants, are solely interested in sweating their assets, building more for less and not properly investing in their homes.
Tragedies, such as the Grenfell Tower fire, where an entire community was catastrophically let down and 72 people lost their lives, and the death of the toddler, Awaab Ishak, as a result of the failure of his landlord to address damp and mould in his home, are both high-profile examples of housing organisations failing to professionally manage and maintain their homes.
The coroner at Awaab Ishak’s inquest commented that “this should be a defining moment for the housing sector”.
“Housing should be viewed as a ‘vocational’ profession with higher standards in the provision of good quality homes.”
Qualification requirement
In England, the government’s reaction, considered knee-jerk by some, was to make it a mandatory requirement for housing managers and senior executives to obtain Level 4 and Level 5 (foundation degree level) qualifications in housing.
Managers and executives will be expected to have the knowledge and skills to do the job, be properly sighted on the legal requirements on a par with other professions such as teaching, social work, and nursing etc.
In essence, housing should be viewed as a ‘vocational’ profession with higher standards in the provision of good quality homes.
Lessons for Ireland
So what lessons, if any, can we learn in Ireland from this direction of travel in England.
Traditionally, local authority housing departments have been staffed by people who ‘transition’ through them as they rotate through the various council departments throughout their careers.
As a result, council housing departments, by and large, do not tend to be staffed by vocational housing professionals. Approved Housing Bodies (AHB), with their sole focus on the provision of social and affordable homes, have greater scope for attracting, recruiting and retaining staff with an interest in pursuing housing as a career.
Therefore, the challenge facing the sector in Ireland is how to successfully embed professionalism to ensure organisations have staff who are passionate about their work, have principles and values that align with the core purpose of the organisation and are committed to career-long learning and development.
“Approved Housing Bodies have greater scope for attracting, recruiting and retaining staff with an interest in pursuing housing as a career.”
Professional standards
In response to the challenge, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has developed a set of professional standards built on seven characteristics (see box) focusing on professional development needs and how staff contribute to the professionalism of their organisation and the wider sector. They are relevant to everyone who works in housing whatever their role or specialism.
As a starting point, councils and AHBs should consider using the standards to take stock and carry out staff and board skills audits to identify development needs.
The Ireland board of the Chartered Institute of Housing, which is representative of all sectors, is fully committed to embedding professionalism through growing the membership of the Institute and promoting good practice. It aims to be a force for change across the housing sector and to play a key role in creating a future in which everyone has a decent, secure and high-quality place to call home.
The CIH has developed a set of professional standards based on the following seven characteristics:
- Integrity
- Inclusive
- Ethical
- Knowledgeable
- Skilled
- Advocate
- Leadership
