Get involved
At Atrium, we are committed to involving and empowering our tenants in how we run our service. We listen to the feedback we receive and use it to help shape our services.We are committed to working with customers and other stakeholders to improve our homes, services and the local community.
There are many ways you can get involved:
Join a Tenant & Resident Association
A traditional and very effective way to get involved is via a Tenant & Resident Group. There may be one operating in your area already, but if there isn’t and you’d like to start one then we can help. We have a small grants system which can help meet basic administration costs, cover the cost of room hire etc in the initial stages. We can also offer input from some of our staff team to try to make organisations more formal as they gather momentum.
If you are interested in making a difference in your local area then get in touch. If enough people get together you have a group and a group tends to have much more influence that individuals.
Join our Armchair Panel
At Atrium we're always keen to hear your views to help us to improve our services to you. However, we understand that attending conferences and external meetings can be impractical for some people. So now, to make it easier, we’ve created ‘Your Voice Panel’ - a platform where you can give us your input predominantly from your own home.
“The Panel will make sure people aren’t missing out on the opportunity to have their say because they’re unable to attend regular events,” says Atrium’s Director of Operations Joyce McCroskie. “At the time of signing up to join the Panel, members can indicate which topics or areas they're keen to influence. They will be invited to provide input on these matters in a variety of ways, including surveys, telephone interviews, reviewing documentation and very occasionally attending focus groups. “
Join our Tenant Scrutiny Group
The Scrutiny Group plays an important role in ensuring that tenants' views are heard regularly on the aspects of our services that matter to them. The Scrutiny Panel was established following a series of focus groups in 2016/17, with the aim of giving tenants greater influence over Atrium’s activities. Supported by the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) the Group has met regularly and has already made its mark.
The group sets out areas of interest on an annual basis and then works with Atrium staff to review key elements of the service. The Group chose to first look at the standard of our houses - particularly those being let. Working with Atrium staff, the Group visited some empty properties and then made their recommendations for changes to our ‘Minimum Lettable Standard’, which takes into account things such as the decorative condition and cleanliness of a property.
We responded and made the changes. Since then the Group has been helping with our “Fit for 21st Century Living” Standard.
The Group is now considering its next priority areas and you’re invited to get involved.
Join our Governing Body
Board Members establish Atrium’s overall organisational strategy and objectives, and also monitor our performance. So it’s important we’ve got a good mix of skills and experience on our Board at any one time, to match our business needs.
Currently, we’re very fortunate to have people from different backgrounds on our Board, who can contribute across a wide range of areas. However, we’re really keen to attract more new Members who have had experience of our services as customers, and who are themselves committed to service excellence and continuous improvement.
Interested? Here are a few more things you might want to know:
Will I get paid for being a Board Member?
No, a Board position is voluntary, but we can offer you reasonable expenses to help you attend Board meetings or cover childcare costs.
How much time is involved?
The Board meets roughly once a month (in the evenings at our office in Shortlees) which Members are expected to attend. In total, Members will spend around four or five hours a month on Board business.
Will I receive any training?
Yes, there’s a full induction for new Members, plus further training and support, depending on your individual requirements.
How do I find out more?
For an informal chat about the role, please contact Shannon Watson on 01563 528816
Join our Company
Membership of Atrium Homes is open to all its tenants and residents at no cost.
Members have a real say in the running of Atrium including:
- Access to Atrium’s annual report
- The right to attend and vote at general meetings
- The right to nominate other members to stand for election to the Board and
- The right to join the Board
Take part in Satisfaction Surveys
We welcome all and any feedback on our service, to help us learn and improve. We carry out regular satisfaction surveys on our repairs, maintenance, improvements ,allocations and adaptations as well as carrying out a comprehensive customer satisfaction survey every 3 years.
If you’re interested in Getting Involved in any of the areas identified, please contact Shannon Watson on 01563 528 816 for some further information or get in touch via our contact page.
