Background

This strategy was developed following a comprehensive research and engagement exercise, which we carried out with our members and stakeholders in early 2017.

We would like to thank all contributors for their invaluable views and opinions which formed the basis for this document, setting the direction for Tai Pawb for the forthcoming 4 years.

The near future is unprecedented in terms of the challenging social, economic and political context for our operation but also hugely exciting with brand new services such as the QED Award and renewed staff structure.

These four years will also be markedly different to us in terms of moving beyond working within the policy frameworks on the Equality Act and Human Rights legislation. We will increasingly engage with devolved legislation and structures such as the Well-being of Future Generations Act, Public Service Boards, relevant commissions and commissioners and last but not least the Welsh Government objectives and aspirations of 'Prosperity for All'.

We look forward to working with the Welsh Government, our members, stakeholders and communities to inspire Wales to be a fairer place to live.

We are a membership organisation, with members from the housing, community, equality and other related sectors in Wales.

Our members provide homes for over 200,000 diverse people in Wales, many of whom are from traditionally marginalised and minority communities.

We are a valued partner and work proactively with our members and the wider housing sector providing sector leadership and raising the bar on equality, diversity and human rights issues whilst recognising the wider role that housing has to play in advancing equality, reducing disadvantage, tackling poverty and promoting health and well-being.

We are the primary driver in the promotion of equality, diversity and social justice in housing in Wales and are recognised nationally for our objective expertise and thought leadership in this area.

We influence the development and implementation of policy which impacts on how fairly housing is delivered in Wales with a view to reduce prejudice, disadvantage and poverty related to housing and ensure equal housing outcomes for all.

We are proactive, propositional and focus on practical solutions.

What We Do

We promote equality and social justice in housing

We work positively and constructively to advance equality and reduce prejudice, discrimination and marginalisation related to housing.

Our Purpose

To inspire Wales to be a fairer place to live

What Drives Us

Belief in social justice - we believe that all people have the right to access good quality homes in safe and cohesive communities.

Passion for equality and diversity – we believe that what we do is more than a job. We are passionate about changing people’s lives for the better, especially those that are marginalised.

Commitment to inspire change – we interact with people in a way that leaves them feeling equipped, empowered, motivated and supported to do things differently.

Focus on solutions – when challenging ourselves and others to recognise problems we strive to be constructive and seek practical solutions. We focus on positive and proactive action.

Our members - we work collaboratively with our members, listening, supporting and challenging them to ensure equality and diversity is central to the work they do.

By 2021, by focusing on our objectives and priorities, we will have made a significant contribution to making Wales a fairer place to live. As a result of our impact within the scope of the above priority areas:

• Equality and diversity will be integrated into national policy, leading to an advancement in rights and greater fairness for all tenants
• Equality and diversity will be better embedded into our members’ strategies and operations, maximising their positive impact on diverse and disadvantaged communities
• Tai Pawb will be considered a proactive and innovative partner of choice and leader by the sector and other stakeholders

We will measure and publically report the impact of this strategy annually, with quarterly reports provided to our board. Wherever possible, we will also highlight our impacts throughout the year via our regular communication channels.

Our measures will consist of indicators showing the impact of our outputs, actions or sets of actions under each priority.

On a national policy level, we will consider the extent to which our feedback and advice have been taken into consideration by the Welsh Government or other key stakeholders.

On a practice level, we will consider whether our support and advice have been adopted by housing providers and other members, linking it to impacts on tenants wherever possible.

We will also use engagement and surveys to gauge staff, board and stakeholder feedback and views on our impacts.

Resources and Risk

Our capacity to meet our commitments will need to be supported by careful financial planning and monitoring of our capacity. While our renewed structure will better enable us to deliver on our priorities, we also understand that we need to put other measures in place to ensure longer term sustainability and prevent risk. This strategy will be supported by:

• A 4 year business plan identifying our focus in terms of income retention and generation in terms of diversification, market penetration, market and product development underpinned by commercial viability of our activities
• A review of membership fees and benefits focused on value for money, member retention
• Our plans to increase membership and reach of our services
• A reviewed and more developed risk management system and risk register
• Proactively maximising our staff and financial capacity by utilising each activity to fulfil as many aspects of our roles and objectives as possible
• Proactively supporting our team to work flexibly and dynamically across our portfolio

Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and Prosperity for All

This section explains how the objectives detailed in the Tai Pawb strategic plan are aligned and contribute to the seven well-being goals for Wales. The importance of illustrating the synergy between our objectives and this legislation and demonstrating the part we can play in assisting Welsh Government with ‘Prosperity for All – the national strategy (2017)’ is business critical for Tai Pawb, which is partly funded by the Welsh Government.

We are not only committed but also excited by the prospect of informing and influencing the implementation of the new devolved policy and legislative drivers for equality.

The purpose of the Act is to facilitate improved decision making by public bodies in respect of the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales. Five key ways of working have been introduced to ensure public bodies work together to take account of the long-term, work to prevent problems occurring or getting worse, take an integrated and collaborative approach, and consider and involve people. We will continue embracing these ways of working and focus on embedding them into how we plan, deliver, monitor and assess our work.

Under the Act, listed public sector bodies must assess how their own well-being objectives address seven well-being goals to make Wales a prosperous, resilient, healthier, more equal and globally responsible country with cohesive communities, a vibrant culture and a thriving Welsh language. Together, the seven well-being goals and five ways of working provided by the Act are designed to support and deliver a public service that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Welsh Government in ‘Prosperity for All – the national strategy (2017)’ also sets out 4 areas where it believed it could make the biggest difference to the lives of the people of Wales in pursuit of the national goals, now and in the future. The aim is to create a Wales that is: prosperous and secure; healthy and active; ambitious and learning; and united and connected.

The majority of Tai Pawb’s objectives are aligned to the objectives of 'Prosperity for All', including measures aimed at: improving mental health, alleviating socio-economic inequality, combating hate crime, facilitating independent living through accessible housing registers, developing accessible homes matching people’s needs and reducing homelessness and improving the private rented sector via our Open Doors project. Our operational plans over the next 4 years will demonstrate in more detail how 'Prosperity for All' is reflected in our outputs and impacts.

Tai Pawb is a company registered in England and Wales (5282554) and a charity registered with the Charity Commission (1110078).

If you would like to know more about Tai Pawb, and our Strategic Plan, please get in touch:

• info@taipawb.org
• 029 2053 7630
• @TaiPawb