At this year's Housing Community Summit in Liverpool, I chaired a session called How to Respond Effectively and Quickly to Hazards, with John Wickenden, research manager at Housemark, and Branwen Evans, group director of public policy at Places for People. Afterwards, I reflected on potential gaps between Awaab's Law as a policy and the reality of sector delivery. I felt John set the scene well by sharing useful insights from a recent survey on how prepared providers feel, noting that around one in five feel unprepared as we head into phase two.

Branwen built on this with some practical context: the complexity of landlords' differing systems and departments means things can get 'lost', but she was clear this is no longer an excuse. Branwen expanded further on an approach Places for People have adopted: "don't walk by", with each member of staff who interacts with a resident having a responsibility to flag hazards, regardless of where they work. This resonated with me because, despite the key role of data and IT systems as we approach Phase 2 in Awaab's Law, an organisation's culture, competence, and resident-led approach matter just as much.

Especially if, as a sector, we move towards that more collective approach, we need to understand how we ensure hazards are not missed. Branwen talked about how we can ensure problems are actually seen, the importance of cross-team communication so a flagged issue doesn't disappear, and training, like Places for People's Thriver Academy, that is built around real customer scenarios rather than generic modules.

Industry guidance

This is something that the recent damp and mould guide CIH and CIOB have just published tries to address. The guide brought together a wide range of practical case studies and included insight from Professor John Edwards on professionalism and competence, and diagnosis and inspection. For me, whilst we were working on the guide, it really stood out that it isn't always helpful to separate technical skills and cultural change. What struck me is how key staff competency is and that technical and technological approaches need to work alongside an organisational culture that empowers its staff to act proactively.

As we move into the second phase of Awaab's Law later this year, the widening of hazards in scope does raise concerns about how providers are set up to work across asset management, repairs and housing. I felt that this was a strong theme across different sessions at the summit; people are working towards stronger culture and processes, not just clearer rules. If an operative can see another hazard while conducting a different repair, or a housing officer comes across an issue outside of their usual remit, they need to know not just what to do next, but are reassured that they are supported in implementing the solution. This is why there are several case studies within the guide, so we can be clear about what some of this actually looks like in practice.

When you look at those case studies as a set, you can see recurring themes. Two that spring to mind are communication and empathy being central to an effective hazard response and building in checks for damp and mould into more routine repairs which helped to identify issues sooner. In essence, very resident-first, person-centred approaches.

Culture shifts

Challenges remain as we widen the scope of hazards. This was echoed in sessions at the summit. However, many providers are approaching this not just as a regulatory piece, but as how organisations can shift in the ways in which they work. For example: whether a housing officer feels as responsible for spotting damp as a repairs surveyor does, how we co-design solutions with and for residents and whether boards are asking the right questions about culture, not just compliance rates.

This comes back to our starting point for the guide: that compliance must sit alongside the right culture and that the resident voice is one of the clearest safety mechanisms we have for catching any issues before they become something worse.

Phase two will test how far the sector has really moved on this. The summit showed real progress since last year and demonstrated that the sector knows exactly what still needs to change. The guide won't do that work for us, but I hope it gives professionals across housing and building a practical foundation to build on.