We asked the members across four TAAGs what they think. Here is a snapshot of what we found.
We asked the members across four TAAGs what they think. Here is a snapshot of what we found.
At Justlife we seek to address the issues of Temporary Accommodation, nationally as well as locally. One of the ways we do this is by helping to set up Temporary Accommodation Action Groups - or TAAGs - in local areas where the issues around Temporary Accommodation are particularly prevalent. Our drive to set up TAAGs is supported by our research which shows that the establishment of multi-agency collaborative groups can be an effective way to find action-focused solutions and create strong, collaborative working practises to affect positive change. This is particularly productive around Temporary Accommodation, a very unregulated field, occupied by multiple stakeholders who often don’t have well established lines of communication.
It provides a valuable space for people working on the same issues to come together, to share information, to identify opportunities for collaboration and, ultimately, to enhance the work we all do to improve residents' experiences of TA
Hackney TAAG member
Justlife has supported four TAAGs for some time, in Manchester, Brighton, Hackney and East Sussex, and we have seen for ourselves how these forums are bringing about positive change for people in Temporary Accommodation. But rather than just rely on our own evidence, we thought it was time to find out what the members of the TAAGs think. In November 2021 we conducted a survey about the effectiveness of the TAAGs with the members who attend these forums, comprising Local Authority, private landlords, charities, researchers, Councillors and people with lived experience of living in TA.
We deliberately kept the survey brief, to ensure we had some feedback, yet broad enough for people to give reflective answers. The questions were:
I feel that the TAAG has been a really important forum for sharing learning and shining a light on the issues in TA. We have been able to have greater influence to achieve change as a group, particularly through building support for the TA Charter.
Brighton TAAG member
The answers were overwhelmingly positive across all four TAAGs. It is clear that the TAAGs are valued as a helpful platform across the board by housing providers, charities and Local Authority alike, which suggests that these are truly collaborative partnerships. The TAAGs are seen as crucial in improving standards in TA as well as giving participants an opportunity to learn and share with a relevant audience, which in turn has made some participants feel more confident in their own roles.
It has clearly improved building quality (via investment seen by a number of providers) and greatly improved liaison between landlords and services.
In summary, some of the themes that emerged from the survey included:
There were also some valid suggestions for ways we could make the TAAGs even more effective, which we will consider in collaboration with each of the groups. These included how we involve more people with lived experience, and how we make sure all the agencies who need to be there know about it and show up. There was also some great individual feedback, reflecting participants’ experiences and views on their involvement and the impact they’ve seen.
A real benefit of the TAAG is the work I was able to do with Fulfilling Lives on training TA providers on safeguarding and professional boundaries for TA providers who accommodate single people with multiple and complex needs. This would definitely have helped improve the TA experience.
East Sussex TAAG member
We encourage anyone interested in exploring the possibilities of setting up a TAAG to get in touch with us via alex.procter@justlife.org.uk. The full evaluation will be shared on our website and through our networks when it is complete. In the meantime, you can check our research which underpins the work of the TAAGs here.
