Virtual College and the Housing Ombudsman Service introduce free comprehensive dispute resolution training initiative
The Housing Ombudsman Service has announced a new training initiative, launched in conjunction with Virtual College - one of the UK’s leading e-learning providers - to offer free dispute resolution training to landlords across England.
The e-learning is a self-administered online programme and is designed to help landlords quickly resolve disputes with tenants, which enables them to deal with issues positively, proactively and at a local level. The programme also aims to communicate the core principles of effective dispute management, and will help individuals and organisations benefit from the best practice developed across the rented housing sector.
The training covers culture, process, and behavior, and is structured around the three guiding principles of be fair, put it right, and learn from outcomes. Other specific areas covered in the training include effective governance practices, empowered staff, openness and accountability, and fair treatment.
When asked about the initiative, Paul James Neville, Head of Sector Development at the Housing Ombudsman Service, commented: “This initiative has been designed to offer the most up-to-date and expert learning advice at the click of a button. The programme is based on the Housing Ombudsman Service’s extensive experience gained from dealing with thousands of cases, as well as from wide consultation with the sector. When used, these dispute resolution principles create better relationships with tenants, save resources, and are more likely to deliver a successful outcome at an early stage.”
“The Housing Ombudsman e-Learning courses on effective complaint handling, processing and learning from complaints will challenge even the best performing social housing landlords to review how they manage complaints”, said Kevin Young, Community Participation Manager at Slough Borough Council.
He continued: “Empowering every single member of staff to take ownership - from agreeing the complaint handling process to resolving complaints efficiently and effectively themselves - is the way forward for the best performing landlords. The training will challenge current processes and thinking, potentially leading participants to review the status quo to ensure complaints handling and resolution is something that is integral to their organisation and not something it just reacts to when things go wrong”
Registration for the free training is available at drp.virtual-college.co.uk.
For further information, please contact:
Hayley Rutter, Virtual College:
T: 01943 885085 E: [email protected]