Training for Tenants. FREE training courses. Having your say doing your bit. Helping you to make a difference in your community.

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1 FREE training courses to make a difference in your community. Training for Tenants Having your say doing your bit. Arranged by the Tenant Participation Unit

2 Introduction Welcome to our brochure on tenant training We are keen to ensure that tenants are given the opportunity to be well informed in tenant participation and in the wider housing issues that affect your home and environment. To help you with this we have arranged an extensive selection of FREE training courses available to every tenant and leaseholder of Southampton City Council. How these courses can help you By giving you new skills that help you get the most out of being a tenant of Southampton City Council. By helping you improve your personal skills and meeting your individual goals. How these courses can help the council By giving you the opportunity to develop these skills we can work together to improve council services and your community. The, symbol next to each of the courses gives a brief description of some of the new skills and information you gain by attending the course. Most of these courses are suitable for everyone, from complete beginners to those who want to brush up on their skills, improve their confidence, learn new techniques and pick up new ideas. 2

3 Contents Training courses Page no. Group work and committee skills 4-5 Effective meetings 4 Introduction to chairing skills 4 Advanced chairing skills 4 Minute taking 5 Basic treasurer training 5 Increasing skills and knowledge 6-7 Recognising differences in people 6 Tackling neighbourhood disputes through prevention & intervention 6 Digital photography 6 Managing your money 7 Emergency first aid 7 Food hygiene certificate 7 Page no. Improving your estate 8-9 Mystery shopping 8 Finding your way around the council 8 So you want to be a Tenant Inspector? 8 Grant training 9 Edible estates tour 9 Recycling visit 9 Getting your message out Publicising your group and events 10 How to design a questionnaire 10 Using Facebook to help promote your group 11 Presentation skills training 11 Public speaking training 11 Running your own training course! 11 Our training commitments More information 14 Choose your course 15 3

4 Group work and committee skills We have created a selection of training courses to help Tenant & Resident Associations and other community groups achieve the most in their area. These cover a wide range of topics from getting the best out of meetings to training for individual committee positions. These courses are also suitable for individuals who are keen to join a group and would like to find out more information. Effective meetings (2 hour session) An introduction to running a meeting, making it a success and achieving your meeting s aim. Improve confidence; learn new skills; hold better meetings. More empowered and focused community groups. Introduction to chairing skills (2 hour session) Examines the role of the chairperson in a meeting and gives some simple hints and tips about how to chair a meeting. Improve confidence; run more successful meetings. More effective meetings; everybody at meetings has a chance to have their say. Advanced chairing skills (2½ hour session) For experienced chairpersons looking in more detail at how good chairing can make a more effective meeting and how to deal with challenging and difficult situations. Improve confidence; learn techniques to deal with tricky meetings. Everybody at meetings has a chance to have their say. 4

5 Very useful and it gives me the confidence to take minutes at larger open meetings. Training feedback Minute taking (2 hour session) An introduction to taking minutes, what to include/exclude and lots of practical examples and hints. Write clear and concise minutes of meetings; career development benefits. Aims and outcomes of meetings are clearly recorded. Basic treasurer training (2 hour session) This course goes through the fundamentals of basic accounting to help treasurers of Tenant Associations and other community groups create simple and accurate accounts. Understand the basics of accounting; career development benefits. Ensures any council monies are correctly accounted for. 5

6 Increasing skills and knowledge Here is a selection of training courses designed to help you improve your skills and knowledge on various subjects. Some of these may even help you to increase your income! Recognising differences in people (2 hour session) This course will help tenants develop an understanding of issues around diversity and will help give a better understanding of people from different backgrounds. Understanding your community; help with interview skills. Making sure no tenants or residents are discriminated against. Tackling neighbour disputes through prevention & early intervention (1½ hour session) The course will look at how the council tackles neighbour disputes and anti-social behaviour through its independent assessment service (run by NFS Mediation). It also looks at how neighbour disputes can be avoided by being a good neighbour. Understanding the techniques and tools for dealing with ASB. Address ASB issues and improve communication. Digital photography (all day course) This session will talk through the basics of taking photos with digital cameras, looking at framing shots, lighting and transferring photos to computers. Please bring your own digital camera to this session. Learn new skills, take better photos. Your photos could appear in Tenants Link, presentations and displays. 6

7 Managing your money (2 hour session) This course looks at basic budgeting, reducing debt and making the most of the money you have. Maximising your income, managing your money and dealing with debt. Reduce debt and helping share money advice with other tenants. Emergency first aid (full day course) Nationally Recognised Qualification Would you know what to do in an emergency? This course, recognised by the Health and Safety Executive, will go through what to do in an emergency at work or at home with family and friends. Who knows it may save somebody s life? Giving you increased confidence in an emergency situation. Giving tenants new skills to help the community. Food hygiene certificate (full day course) Nationally Recognised Qualification Whether you bake cakes for a community fun day, run coffee mornings, or a host of other activities it is important to know about Food Hygiene. Everyone who passes this course will receive a Food Hygiene Certificate awarded by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. to prepare food in a kitchen with confidence. Giving tenants new skills to help the community. 7

8 Improving your estate As residents who live on our estates you are in the best place to know what needs to happen to improve your neighbourhood and bring the community together. Here is a list of training courses designed to help you progress issues, inspire you to improve your area and increase community spirit. Mystery shopping training (3 hour course) This training will give you the skills to shop the councils service by ringing up or visiting the council and noting how well they respond to your enquiries. There is no actual shopping involved! Better understanding of the council, develop telephone skills. Improving the service we deliver to tenants. Finding your way around the council (2 hour session) The council is a large organisation that provides many services. This training session looks at the different sections of the council and which departments deal with different issues. Better understanding of the different departments within the council. Ensuring you contact the right council department first time. So you want to be a Tenant Inspector? (2 hour session) We have some very keen and successful Tenant Inspectors who have looked closely at a number of different areas of Housing Services. This course will give you the necessary background training if you would like to join the Tenant Inspector scheme. Develop team working skills; monitor the council s performance. Give you the skills to become a Tenant Inspector. 8

9 Grant training (full day course) This training course explains how formal community groups can apply for external money for projects, including equipment, social events and other activities. Obtain money to improve your area. Tenants working together with the council to improve the quality of the estate. Edible estates tour (full day trip) Growing your own food is all the rage at the moment. This trip will look at some very successful community growing programmes in London to inspire you to start some community growing in your area. Give ideas about what can be achieved on your estate. Tenants become more involved in the Decent Neighbourhood project. Recycling visit (full day trip) You will see what happens to your rubbish after it is collected. This will improve your understanding of recycling and encourage you to promote more recycling where you live. Improve understanding on what can and can t be recycled. Increased recycling and reduced rubbish. 9

10 Getting your message out These are a selection of training courses designed to help groups and individuals publicise the work they do out on the estate. Whether it s creating posters and newsletters for events on your estate, or using the power of the internet to connect with members of the community, there will be a course for you. Publicising your group and events (3 hour session) This session looks at what makes an eye-catching and effective poster; things to think about when creating a community newsletter, and how to write and present a press release. Encourage more people to come to your events. Make sure communities are better informed and more involved in events. The trainer explains everything and they didn t use jargon. They make things very interesting and try to involve everyone present. Training feedback How to design a questionnaire (2 hour session) The training session will look at how to create an effective questionnaire and make sure you ask the right questions. Design a questionnaire that will give you the information you want. Questionnaire results will help improve the council s service to you. 10

11 Using Facebook to help promote your group (2 hour session) Facebook is becoming a really important way that people (especially younger people) communicate with each other and is a great tool to help spread your message. This course introduces the basics of using Facebook and shows simple hints and tips to encourage more people to get involved. Learn how to set up and make the most of a Facebook group. Ensure residents are better informed. Presentation skills training (2 hour session) When talking at meetings, conferences, training sessions and other events it is really important to get your message across in an interesting and engaging way. This course will look at some dos and don ts when presenting information and different ways to help get your message across. Deliver the perfect presentation; improve job interview skills. Tenants are more involved in our conferences by giving presentations. Public speaking training (full day session) The training day combines props and practical exercises to boost your public speaking skills, confidence and self esteem. By the end of the day the participants will be better presenters and more confident public speakers. Giving you confidence to speak to a group of people; improve job skills Tenants are more involved in our conferences by giving presentations. Running your own training course! (2 hour session) Everyone learns new information and skills in different ways. This course looks at different ways you can share information and make training sessions interactive, engaging, useful and fun. Devise, prepare and run a training course; improve job skills. Run and assist with training courses for other tenants. 11

12 Tenant Involvement - Training Commitments Our commitment to you: We will confirm if you have a place within 15 working days of receiving your training request We will confirm in writing, the location, course times and other relevant details, 7-14 days before the start of the course We will send you a text or telephone reminder a few days before the start of the course We will provide any equipment or materials necessary to complete the course We will hold courses in suitable and accessible venues We will provide refreshments where appropriate We will request your permission before we take any photographs during the course We will place you on a waiting list for a space if the course is fully booked Our courses are free to you, but we will advise you how much each training place costs the Council to run. Your commitment to us: Arrive at the venue on time for the start of the course Behave in a polite and appropriate manner and adhere to our Code of Conduct for tenant involvement activities Let us know of any requirements you may have including dietary, mobility, translations, transport or travel expenses and child or dependent care Complete the enrolment form and course evaluation form If you are unable to attend, let us know at least 48 hours before the course starts. If you intended to attend but then find you are unable to, due to circumstances beyond your control, please contact us before the course starts. This so that we can offer your place to another customer. Please call the Tenant Participation Unit on

13 What happens if you fail to attend a training course? We reserve the right to refuse bookings on future courses for any customer who fails to let us know that they will be unable to attend a course. Any customer who fails to attend two courses or more than two sessions of a multi-week course without notifying us will not be eligible to book on any future courses for a maximum 12 month period. On completion of the course we will: Issue you with a Certificate of Attendance Ask you for feedback on how you found the course Contact you within 3-6 months after the course to see how much the course has helped you How many applicants do we need to run a course? Before we can run a course we will need a minimum of 8 applicants signed up 10 days before the course. Without this number the course may be cancelled. If insufficient learners turn up on the day then the trainer reserves to right to cancel the course. We reserve the right to make any amendments to the course timetable and content or to cancel a course due to circumstances beyond our control. The courses are informative, pitched right, interesting and humerous. Training feedback 13

14 More information All these training courses are available free of charge to tenants and leaseholders of Southampton City Council and members of Tenants and Residents Associations that are supported by the Tenant Participation Unit. If you would like to attend a course, all we ask of you is that you share with us how your new found skills and knowledge have made a difference to you and the community. Spaces at these courses may be available to other residents for a small fee. Please contact the Tenant Participation Unit (TPU) for more details (contact information on the page opposite). Where will these courses take place? The majority of these courses will take place at the Tenants Resource Centre in the Civic Centre. This is conveniently placed in the heart of the City Centre five minutes walk from the Central Train Station and very close to many local bus routes. You don t appear to be running the right training course for me If you have an idea for a training course you would like to see us run to make a difference in your community then the TPU will be pleased to hear from you. Would you like to run your own training course? If you have a skill or knowledge you would be willing to share with others to benefit the community then please let the TPU know. Would you like to help us plan your training? We have a tenants group called the Southampton Training and Resources Team (START) who help us review, plan and evaluate our training courses. This group meets every three months. If you would like to get involved then please contact the TPU. 14

15 Choose your course Group work and committee skills Effective meetings Introduction to chairing skills Advanced chairing skills Minute taking Basic treasurer training Increasing skills and knowledge Recognising differences in people Tackling neighbour disputes Digital photography Managing your money Emergency first aid Food hygiene certificate Improving your Estate Mystery shopping Finding your way around the council So you want to be a Tenant Inspector? Grant training Edible estates tour Recycling visit Getting your message out Publicising your group and events How to design a questionnaire Using Facebook to help promote your group Presentation skills training Public speaking training Running your own training course! Please tick the course(s) you would like to attend, write your name and contact details below and return this form to the TPU (details below). Name: Address: Telephone: Please return in an envelope to: Tenant Participation Unit, Southampton City Council, Ground Floor, West Wing, Civic Centre, Southampton SO14 7LY Tel: tenant.participation@southampton.gov.uk

16 This written information is available on request in other formats or languages. Please contact for help. Any information you provide on this form will be held by Southampton City Council (SCC) strictly in accordance with the Data Protection Act SCC s Data Protection Officer is Mark Heath, Solicitor to the council. The information you have provided will be used for the sole purpose of keeping you informed about some of the opportunities available to engage with the council to comment on its services. Your information may be shared with other council departments but not with any other parties unless we are required to do so by law. If you have any questions relating to the use of your data, please telephone the Tenant Involvement Team directly on Version 3 Designed, printed & produced by Southampton City Council