Don’t miss the All-Ireland Summit 2025

There’s just over a month to go until the All-Ireland Summit 2025 — have you picked out which talks you’re going to attend yet? We’ve packed the programme full of experts, professionals, and industry leaders; this is your opportunity to learn and grow as a housing professional. If you’ll be attending the event in Northern Ireland, be sure to make the most of it by familiarising yourself with some of the topics below and view the full programme here.

The All-Ireland Summit is a CIH member-only housing event. To read more about membership options, visit our membership page.

Supporting tenants

We know that supporting tenants is a top priority for housing professionals, so some of the day’s sessions will focus on how to advocate for and work collaboratively with different groups of people:
Scheduled after the headline session (information to be released soon!), the ‘Migration and housing: Challenging misconceptions’ talk will give you invaluable insight into challenging misinformation and prejudice. Rising migration levels are a polarising discussion point in both the media and local communities, so you’ll be given advice on how to ease the tension this can sometimes cause. It’s important that communities are a safe and supportive space and, with the practical tools shared in this session, you’ll be able to build a welcoming environment for all.

Another important issue covered in our Ireland event is how to support victims of domestic abuse. The breakout session, ‘Domestic abuse: Your role as a housing provider’ will allow for deeper discussion about taking meaningful action to create change. Speakers Emalyn Turkington (Women’s Aid), Gail Barnes (Housing Rights), and Stephanie Morphew (CIH) will share real examples of collaborations that led to positive outcomes, hopefully inspiring your own ideas.

Older people are another group who sometimes need extra support rom the housing sector. The breakout session, ‘Health and housing: A spotlight on older people’s housing’ focuses on how Ireland is adapting to look after its ageing population. Learn from Kathleen Cottier of Fold Housing, who will cover a cross-sector approach to improving life for older residents using Clanmil’s dementia scheme as a shining example.

Finally, if the last three sessions listed aren’t in your particular niche, the breakout session, ‘Tenant engagement: The right thing to do, the smart thing to do’ covers how best to engage with all tenants. Expanding your skillset to support tenants is an important part of this housing conference and this group session will boost your knowledge of the Supporting Communities Accreditation, as well as how to form relationships with openness and trust.

Your development as a housing professional

Housing professionals are people with busy schedules full of meaningful work, and we recognise the stress that this can sometimes bring. These two sessions will look at taking care of yourself and achieving your full potential in your current role:

The breakout session, ‘The future of housing and professionalism with CIH Futures’ will delve into maintaining professionalism while dealing with the everyday challenges of working in the housing sector. With the Competence and Conduct Standard coming into effect in England in 2026, it’s important that we discuss maintaining professional standards in Ireland too. If you’re interested in reading more about CIH Futures, visit their dedicated page here.

You’ll only be able to be your best self at work if you look after yourself behind the scenes. The last session of the day, ‘In conversation: Mental resilience in housing’ will offer realistic solutions to building resilience in yourself and your colleagues. Julie Haydon (CIH’s upcoming president) and Alex Bunting (Inspire) will talk about dealing with the increasing pressure of being a housing professional — this is your chance to make a positive change for yourself.

New developments in the housing sector

As both Ireland’s housing landscape and technology constantly change and evolve, it can be hard to keep up. The sessions below explain some complex topics of innovation in the housing sector and summarise what we can learn from other countries:

The breakout session ‘Use of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in housing’ will see Chris Curran of the North and East Housing Association discuss new digital tools that are positively impacting the sector. AI is a topic that many people have strong opinions on, and this is your chance to share your thoughts with other professionals.

Another session that will go through the ins and outs of an extremely relevant but often misunderstood topic is the breakout group, ‘Carbon literacy: Making sustainability accessible for all’. You’ll hear first-hand stories from housing providers on how they build organisation-wide sustainability practices, and you’ll break down key sustainability jargon and discuss it.

Finally, the after-lunch session ‘What the isle of Ireland can learn from the Canadian housing sector’ will delve into how Canada approaches housing innovation. Despite being nearly 3,000 kilometres apart, knowledge and insight from Canada will be invaluable at this event, giving you practical takeaways on policy, partnership and innovation.

As you can see, there truly is a session for everyone at this year’s All-Ireland Summit and, if all of these insightful talks can’t interest you, there will also be the opportunity to network with, and learn from, other housing professionals. If bettering yourself as a housing professional is important to you, make sure to use your CIH membership and book your ticket to this event in Ireland today!