The report contains recommendations on areas for further development, including:

• providing information and advice in an appropriate range of formats and languages and ensuring that all residents have the same opportunities to express their views through Association surveys;
• making it easier for residents to access and make use of the Association's service standards and customer pledge;
• evaluating the impact and effectiveness of the Association's debt prevention services and ensuring that existing tenants are kept aware of the availability of services;
• developing a robust system to ensure that vulnerable residents are identified; and
• ensuring that the work of the Association is routinely evaluated.

The report also includes examples of good practice at the Association, which can be applied across the Welsh housing sector. These include the Association's Cardiff Young Builders Project (in partnership with the Young Builders Trust) which provides young people with a training programme, self-contained housing with support and the opportunity to secure permanent employment and accommodation when they have completed the programme. The Association has also worked with its residents to produce a “Welcome Home Pack” which provides attractive, user friendly information on how to get involved in the work of the Association. Other examples of good practice include the Association's approach to dealing with anti-social behaviour, their management of statutory servicing and involving their residents in developing the programme of work to achieve the Welsh Housing Quality Standard.

Jeremy Colman, Auditor General for Wales, said today:

“My report shows that overall Cardiff Community Housing Association is providing a good service to its tenants. And with continued development of the areas I have highlighted, such as routinely evaluating performance, the Association should be able to further improve the quality of its services. I have also identified a number of examples of good practice, which should be of interest and relevance to other public housing organisations in Wales.”

Notes to Editors:

• The inspection of Cardiff Community Housing Association took place in January 2006. The Association manages over 2,000 properties, more than half of which are in Splott and Adamsdown.
• The Association was established in 1976 as the result of the merger of Adamsdown and the Moors Housing Associations, and is a Registered Social Landlord. It is managed by a board of fifteen, including five tenant members.
• The Welsh Assembly Government has appointed the Wales Audit Office to carry out the inspection of housing associations in Wales. Inspection is carried out under the Local Government Act 1998, as amended by the Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004
• The specific questions about each aspect the inspection covers are set out in the latest version of the Assembly Regulatory Code for Housing Associations in Wales. This can be found by clicking on the following link: http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/housingandcommunity/housing/publications/regulatorycodehas;
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• The Wales Audit Office is independent of government and is responsible for the annual audit of some £19 billion of annual public expenditure.
• The Wales Audit Office was created in April 2005 through the Public Audit (Wales) Act, 2004, which expanded the functions of the Auditor General for Wales and enabled the transfer of staffs from the Audit Commission in Wales and National Audit Office in Wales to his employment.

Ends

For more information please contact Rachel Moss on 029 2026 2675 or email rachel.moss@wao.gov.uk