Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Involved

Why get involved?

We want to know what you think about the services we provide. We want to do things better and you are the best people to tell us how we can improve things. We believe that the more involved you are, the more satisfied you will be with the services you receive from us.

The government is also challenging Councils to become more accountable to our customers. It’s part of the drive to increase local democracy, modernise local government and improve services.

Community involvement is a vital part of this process. It gives you more of a say – as an individual or through a tenants and residents association. It means you can take part in local decisions about how your estate is run, and gives you the chance to have input into wider policy changes that affect all tenants and residents.

How much time will I have to give?

It's entirely up to you, some give a couple of hours a month to help their association run smoothly others may give more, some may come along to meetings and pass information onto their neighbours and some members may spend a significant amount of their time getting involved and helping others to do the same, the amount of involvement is really up to you. Involvement at any level will be appreciated by your community and we welcome and support everyone who has something to contribute.

How to get involved

How you get involved is up to you. We offer a range of opportunities for participation which include:

Tenants & Residents Associations
Local Forums
Reader Panel
Sheltered Forums
Area Panels
Area Forums
Annual Conference
Dudley Federation of Tenants & Residents Associaiton
Dudley Residents Leaseholders Association
Focus & Review Groups
Consumer Panels
Estate Walkabouts
Questionnaires & Telephone Surveys
Reading and submitting articles to Home Affairs
Sending us your suggestions

Oval & Tudor Tenants & Residents Association

How to start a Tenants & Residents Association

If you are interested in starting a Tenants and Residents Association in your area the Participation Development Team will help and assist you to do this. By coming together communities can really improve area's.

The Participation Development Team will give you all the help you need to get a group up and running. We’ll tell you how to –

Raise interest among people in your neighbourhood
Identify your group’s aims and objectives.
Hold a first public meeting to recruit members.
Apply for cash grants.
Set up regular meetings with local housing staff to discuss local spending priorities.
Assist you with contact details for Guest Speakers.

The team also:

Offers a large selection of training courses
Offers the group the opportunity to have their own web-page through Dudley MBC
Consistantly supports you to ensure your group is active and encourages membership from the wider community.

Training Available

In Partnership with Dudley Federation of Tenants and Residents Associations the Team also offers the following training courses:

Treasurer Training (1 & 2)
Drama Based Diversity Training (External Trainers)
Running a TRA including Chairing Skills, Effective Note Taking, Working Together as a Team.
First Aid (Basic)
Letters That Get Results
Finding the Funds
Fire Safety Training ( see the picture of delegates)
Introduction to Marketing & Media
Effective Minute Taking
Basic Computer Skills
Food Hygine
Successful Newsletters
Organising Successful Events

We also arrange for external trainers to attend if demand is great enough. We working in partnership with community agencies that also offer training to community members. If you want further information relating to what training is available please contact the Participation Development Team on 01384 815168 or email the Participation Development Team.

How much time will I have to give?

This table will give you some idea of the projects you can get involved with and how much time each one will take:

Project	Time Needed
Attending free training sessions	2 - 3 hours each session
Attend open day at an area office	1 hour
Attending meetings (groups, panels, forums etc)	1 - 2 hours per meeting
Attending consultation events	1 - 6 hours per event
Attend the Annual Tenans conference	4 - 6 hours annually
Telephone surveys	5 10 minutes (4 per year)
Email or postal surveys	10 - 15 minutes
Make a suggestion	5 - 10 minutes
Set up or join a Tenants & Residents Association	1 - 10 hours per week/month
Join an area panel	2 - 4 hours every 8 weeks
Take part in an Estate walkabout	1 - 2 hours every 12 weeks
Set up a focus/action group for a one-off issue	1 - 5 hours per month

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