Why EDI Training Matters for Involved Customers
Residents play a vital role in helping social housing providers deliver better services. From scrutinising performance and influencing decision-making to providing valuable insight into the lived experiences of communities, involved customers help ensure that housing services remain responsive, accountable and focused on what matters most to residents.
Having spent many years working within the social housing sector, our Directors understand first-hand the value that involved residents bring. Strong customer panels, scrutiny groups and resident forums can provide challenge, support improvement and help shape services that better reflect the needs of diverse communities.
However, effective resident involvement doesn’t happen by accident and it’s not simply about encouraging participation. It requires organisations to create environments where people from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives feel able to participate, contribute and influence decisions.
The challenges often faced by housing providers are:
- How to get a wider range of residents involved to reflect the diversity of the communities served
- How to create environments where people stay involved rather than disengage, where different perspectives can be shared respectfully, constructively and inclusively, particularly when conversations become difficult or opinions differ.
Effective Equality/Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) training can provide the solution to these challenges and that is why EDI training for involved customers is so important.
Through our long-standing partnership with Tpas, we design and deliver training that equips tenants, residents and housing professionals with the knowledge, skills and confidence to foster inclusive engagement and strengthen resident involvement.
Most recently, we delivered our popular EDI for Involved Customers workshop, an interactive session that explores the principles of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and their practical application within resident engagement.
The workshop combines reflection, discussion and practical activities to help participants explore:
- The meaning and importance of Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- How barriers to participation can be identified and removed
- Why diverse perspectives and lived experiences improve decision-making
- The role of inclusive behaviours in building trust, respect and belonging
Importantly, the session focuses on how inclusion helps organisations not only attract diverse voices into resident involvement structures, but also retain them. Participants consider how everyday behaviours, language and interactions can create environments where people feel valued, heard and able to contribute confidently.
The workshop also provides practical tools and techniques for:
- Using inclusive and respectful language
- Having constructive conversations and positively challenging others
- Recognising and addressing assumptions and unconscious bias
- Creating welcoming spaces where everyone feels they belong
Through collaborative discussions and real-life scenarios, participants identify practical actions they can take to strengthen inclusion within resident panels, scrutiny groups and wider communities.
We’re always delighted to receive positive feedback, but the comments following this latest session were particularly meaningful:
“Thank you both again for a really engaging and refreshing workshop. I must admit that I’ve attended quite a few of these sessions over the years and I was not expecting a vast amount yesterday afternoon. However, I have to say that you and Lucy are superb trainers. The format of the workshop worked really well and the whole tone was lively and fresh.
Your session left me with lots to think about, especially in terms of taking the place of someone else and trying to understand their motivations, fears and even anger. Diplomacy is something which has served me well over the years and you both helped me to understand how I can refresh and refuel my own responses to, and understanding of, this fascinating and complex subject.
Beyond that, it will empower and inspire me to be an evangelist for good practice regarding EDI with the members of the panel which I’ve just joined. Thanks again for all your hard work and skill. It is greatly appreciated.”
For us, this feedback captures exactly why this work matters. EDI training is not simply about understanding terminology or meeting expectations. It’s about helping people work together more effectively, valuing different experiences, and creating resident involvement structures that are representative, inclusive and capable of driving meaningful change.
When involved customers feel respected, included and confident to contribute, everyone benefits: residents, housing providers and the communities they serve.
If your organisation would like to support residents and colleagues in developing their understanding of EDI and inclusive engagement, you can explore the training available through Tpas or contact us to discuss bespoke workshops tailored to your residents and teams.
