Why we can’t lose sight of our own sector’s professional development

Three months on from Scotland's Housing Festival, CIH Scotland director Gillian McLees reflects on sector activity, the new government and CIH Scotland's call for a new Charter outcome focused on learning and development.

In March, Scotland's housing sector came together at our annual Housing Festival – and it felt like a moment of real impact as we edged towards the election.

We launched our Leadership and Culture report, hosted a hustings that brought political parties face to face with housing professionals, while sharing the latest sector insight at the CPD accredited event. Conversations continued at the Scottish Parliament and then at our joint hustings event with Homes for Scotland, Homeless Network Scotland and Shelter Scotland, which we hosted weeks ahead of the election. There was a real sense that housing was being taken seriously, and that the arguments we have been making on behalf of our members were landing. 

Three months on, Scotland has a new government. The SNP's return to power offers both continuity and a fresh start, and we welcome the opportunity to work constructively with both returning and new MSPs on the challenges that remain.

Those challenges are significant; Scotland's housing emergency did not pause for the election. Thousands of households remain in temporary accommodation, while social and affordable housing supply is under continued pressure. We know our members feel this every day in the work they do, and so our priority, and the priority of this new government, must be to address the housing emergency with urgency and coordinated action.

It’s in that context that we reflect on what we have been asking for – not only for those in housing need, but also what we need as a profession to deliver the homes needed.

As a sector we advocate effectively to raise the political awareness of housing and the positive impact of social and affordable homes across Scotland, but we don’t always advocate, or even highlight, for our own professionalism. Our recent Leadership and Culture report draws on the experiences of housing professionals across Scotland. The findings were significant. Over three quarters of respondents believe leadership qualifications are important yet learning and development budgets are often the first to be cut when finances tighten. The people delivering housing services – managing homes, supporting tenants, navigating an increasingly complex regulatory environment – are doing so under growing pressure, and too often without the professional development they need and deserve.

Our research makes a clear recommendation: a new Charter outcome that requires all housing providers to have a learning and development strategy covering the whole workforce. This would include leadership development, succession planning and CPD, creating a consistent framework while allowing flexibility for local needs.

The impact of this would be transformative. It would provide greater transparency and assurance to tenants and communities about the skills and competence of those managing their homes. It would help organisations attract and retain talent. It would embed a culture where workplace learning and development is not a “nice to have”, but integral to how we operate as a sector.

The previous Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Mairi McAllan, indicated her support for embedding CPD within the Charter. We now look to Cabinet Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville to take that forward. The Charter review itself is due this year, with timescales expected to be announced this summer, and we will be engaging actively when this comes.

Looking ahead, we are under no illusions about the scale of what the new government faces. Rebuilding housing supply, reducing homelessness, supporting the transition to net zero homes – these are generational challenges that will require sustained political will and investment. And CIH Scotland will continue to advocate on all of these fronts on behalf of our members.

But we also know that the sector cannot run without the people who turn policy into practice. Housing professionals are at the heart of Scotland's response to the housing emergency. Supporting them – investing in their development, valuing their expertise, building the leadership pipeline the sector needs – is a necessary part of building a housing system that works for everyone in Scotland.

So, as ARC responses across Scotland are submitted and communications teams prepare to publish their results in October, we have to ask why aren’t we highlighting our own professionalism as a sector? Tenants and residents across Scotland should know the skill and professionalism of their landlord, and our pride, as a sector, in being professional.