What is a Service Improvement or Scrutiny Group?

A service improvement or scrutiny group allows tenants an opportunity to examine and challenge their landlord’s performance and decision making, with a view of improving the quality and standard of services delivered by their landlord. Through scrutiny, tenants can make a substantial contribution towards the assessment of their landlord’s performance.

Ultimately, the purpose of tenant scrutiny is to improve organisational performance because:

• it provides a valuable reality check about the quality of services;
• it ensures tenants’ experiences are routinely considered alongside other forms of performance data;
• it provides a mechanism to ensure that landlords are delivering the services tenants want, which means they can tailor their services to reflect local needs and priorities; and
• tenants can be powerful advocates for efficiency and improving Value for Money

(Guide to Successful Tenant Participation, Scottish Government, 2019)

As part of our commitment to listen to customers’ views and improve our services, we re-assessed our approach to tenant-led scrutiny and formed our Service Improvement Group in June 2023.

The main objectives of Riverside Scotland’s Service Improvement Group are:

• Involve customers in the scrutiny of Riverside Scotland’s services, the decisions we make and how we can work together on the issues that matter most to our customers across our estates and neighbourhoods.
• Work in partnership with Riverside Scotland to meet its aim of Transforming Lives and Revitalising Neighbourhoods.
• Identify any areas of improvement and look at ways we can deliver better services for customers of Riverside Scotland.
• To assess and improve performance against the Scottish Social Housing Charter outcomes.

The Service Improvement Group will:

• Act independently in the interests of Riverside Scotland tenants and take an objective view of Riverside Scotland’s performance against service standards and the Scottish Social Housing Charter outcomes.
• Assess value for money.
• Gather and consider evidence from a wide range of sources to inform any recommendations that are made, to ensure recommendations are evidence based.
• Make recommendations on how Riverside Scotland can improve services and discuss the related implications on resources and budgets.
• Act in a constructive manner, also recognising areas of good performance.
• Consider the services delivered by Riverside Scotland, report when services fall below an acceptable standard and highlight when service exceeds the expectations of customers.
• Record and evidence the impact of the Service Improvement Group’s work, demonstrating any changes that are implemented.
• Raise the profile of the group and promote opportunities for tenants to get involved in the scrutiny of Riverside Scotland’s services.

In 2024 our Service Improvement Group was shortlisted for The Tenants Information Service Scotland Excellence in Scrutiny Danny Mullen award which recognises housing organisations, and their tenant scrutiny groups, who have demonstrated excellence in working collaboratively to achieve an exceptional standard of scrutiny that has made a real difference to the lives of tenants, delivery of housing services, and improvement of satisfaction levels.