What's on at the Housing Community Summit?

CIH’s flagship housing conference in collaboration with the National Housing Federation is returning this September. If you’re an NHF or CIH member, take advantage of your free Community Access Pass that gets you into over 35 sessions full of networking, collaboration and learning from others. This is perfect for housing professionals who are looking for practical insights and solutions to implement in their day job, or who have an interest in a broad range of topics across the sector.  

If you need a higher level of strategic insight when you attend housing events, the Full Summit Pass (paid) gives you access to additional sessions, designed to bring together chief executives, board members, and senior leaders. You’ll discuss the most pressing issues facing the sector and hear from thought leaders and politicians on the latest big-picture developments. 

Keep reading to see what's on in the different session steams...

What agenda streams are included with your Community Access Pass?

Housing in conversation 

The interactive Housing in conversation sessions are a chance for you to join discussions focussed on what matters most to you. If your main aim is to better support residents, sessions like Hoarding in social housing: Supporting tenants and Anti-social behaviour (ASB) – how can we improve our response? will be ones you don’t want to miss. If you’re looking for the latest updates in tech, the sessions Using AI as a housing practitioner and How are we utilising technology to improve services? will be right up your street, and you’ll have the chance to share the wins and pitfalls of digital innovation with other likeminded professionals. If you’re regularly looking to the future of housing, you might want to join the Collaborative discussion on effective Section 106 delivery, and you should look through the full programme for all the invaluable Housing in conversation sessions running. 

Professionalism, skills and career development 

With the competence and conduct regulatory requirements incoming in England and driving debate across the sector on professionalism, you’ll want to attend some sessions in this agenda stream. The sessions Competence and conduct: Upskilling the sector and How to navigate and grow your career in housing will delve into how professionalism and good practice benefit both housing organisations and their employees. We’ve also got sessions covering how to navigate local government reorganisation, insights from recent surveys of UK housing professionals, and you can hear from CIH president Julie Haydon on her Rooted in Resilience campaign as she champions the mental health of housing professionals.  

Learning from practice 

Delving into the biggest issues facing the sector today is an essential part of any housing event. The Learning from practice agenda stream covers topics like prioritising resident wellbeing and safety, supporting those in social housing, and innovative ways of working for housing practitioners. Those who are particularly concerned with resident safety will benefit from the launch of the Grenfell Tower Toolkit, as well sessions like How to respond effectively and quickly to hazards that cover the adjustments that need to be made in the wake of Awaab’s Law. Challenging social housing stigma and Cost of living: Supporting residents are just some of the sessions chaired by members of the CIH policy team and are well-worth attending for anyone working in a front-facing role. For those who deal with bigger-picture planning in their day job, the Practitioner focused advice for working effectively with other sectors and End-to-end resident-led scrutiny sessions would also be a great fit. 

What agenda streams are included with your Full Access Pass? 

Purchasing a Full Access Pass to the Housing Community Summit will allow you access to all the Community Access Pass session streams, plus a wide range of exclusive sessions, dedicated to sharing top-level insight and connecting influential voices in the housing sector. It’s the perfect way to make the most out of our Liverpool conference as a senior housing professional. 

You’ll be able to listen to Kirsty Wark chair sessions like A fragmented political landscape and Rebuilding connection and cohesion in a fragmented Britain from the main stage, featuring top voices from UK politics and housing. A formidable and respected force in journalism, Wark will get to the bottom of the issues that most concern you as a housing professional. You’ll also get the chance to listen to the ministerial address, and to hear from Steve Rotheram, Mayor of Liverpool; Jonathan Walters, chief executive at the Regulator of Social Housing; and Shahi Islam, the director of affordable housing at Homes England. 

Below are the additional session streams available to you as a Full Access Pass holder. 

Strategic leadership 

Overseeing your organisation’s direction and future is an unpredictable task, and this agenda stream will help you plan ahead in our changeable political landscape. The future of the sector in an era of disruption will offer essential insights into dealing with the various challenges facing the housing sector, while Climate resilience: Preparing homes, communities and systems for the next wave of risk will delve into the details of a more specific challenge: global warming. Other sessions in this stream focus on housing development, devolution, new regulations, and much more.

Community impact 

People are at the heart of housing, and sessions like Building places that work: Unlocking homes, community and infrastructure and Supporting an ageing population: Rethinking homes, services and leadership will offer insights into supporting tenants and residents from all backgrounds. Other topics include homelessness prevention, the landlord as a social anchor, and more. 

Planning and delivery 

It’s time to turn your well-planned strategies into action. In this session stream, you’ll hear industry insights from the National Housing Federation, the Chartered Institute of Building, and a member of the cabinet, so be sure to factor these into your conference plans! Sessions such as Delivering warm, compliant, and future-proof homes and The skills gap threatening the future of housing will look ahead and help you push towards a brighter housing future. 

Policy and regulation 

There’s always a new piece of incoming regulation that housing professionals need to adhere to. To ensure the safety of tenants, residents, and employees, it’s essential that your organisation stays up to date. A standout session will be In conversation with the new Housing Ombudsman, which will shed light on the expectations being placed on the sector in the upcoming year. 

The next decade 

The most exclusive of our session streams, The next decade offers the opportunity for closed-door conversations between CEOs and chairs. There’s limited availability, so register to be involved in top-level discussions around topics such as Governance and regulation in a redefined operating environment, Skills and leadership for a new era, and more. 

It wouldn’t be a CIH event without the opportunity to network – don’t forget that you’ll have regular breaks to connect with other professionals and explore the array of organisations exhibiting. We’ve not been able to fit all the Housing Community Summit sessions in one article – visit the website for a full list of programming, and book your ticket while places last.