Scottish Borders Housing Association (SBHA) has been awarded Investors in People accreditation as held an awards ceremony to recognise the hard work of its staff.

Following a staff survey, a cross-departmental team including all grades of staff was set up to look at where the association could learn from best practice. This Employee Strategy Group helped to successfully guide the association to receiving the Investors in People accreditation earlier this year.

The group also benefitted tenants by providing another means by which tenants’ voices can be heard. A member of the group, who works for SBHA as a mason, suggested the Tenant Satisfaction Forms were changed to include a space for tenants to nominate staff for the Stars Awards; resulting in a whopping 245 nominations from tenants.

The volume of the nominations was quite a task for the judging panel – Ray Licence, chair of SBHA and Angela Sulo, chair of Scottish Borders Tenants Organisation.

The overall Stars Awards winners were The Rutherford Square Team – a project related to the tenant engagement, and site logistics for a two phased re-furbishment of amenity housing for frail elderly in Kelso.

Helen Bulman, housing officer who led the development, said: “The project was very complex and sensitive both in terms of the contract and supporting very frail elderly through their moves into decant accommodation and back into their new homes. Working together and maximising our range of skills our team did a great job, including the families and carers, keeping the Tenants and their families involved using newsletters; ‘Choices’ events to decide on new kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and decoration; cream teas; and raffles. I’m pleased we won this award, but it was a team effort.”