Retained Services

Practical support on tap, designed for social housing

The Social Housing Advisory Service exists to make high-quality transformation support affordable and accessible, especially for small and medium housing associations who often miss out on the “big consultancy” advice available to larger providers.

Our retained service is a simple way to have a trusted, experienced transformation partner on your side all year round, without paying day-rate consultancy fees every time you need help.

Why we offer a retained model

Most housing associations do not need a full-time Director of Transformation or a permanent external consultancy. What they do need is:

  • Someone they can call when a problem lands that is bigger than a single team.
  • A sounding board for the Chief Executive, Board, or senior leaders on difficult choices.
  • Support to shape and stress-test strategies, programmes and service changes.
  • A way to build internal improvement skills without sending everyone on expensive generic courses.

The retained model gives you all of that in a controlled, predictable way.

Instead of one big project and then we disappear, you get steady, ongoing support that flexes as your priorities change.

How the retainer works

You pay a simple annual subscription, based on the number of homes you manage. In return, your organisation receives a bundle of support that you can draw on across the year.

Every retained client gets:

1. Impact360™ Online Training for All Staff

Give everyone access to a common, practical improvement language.

  • All staff can access Impact360 Levels 1 and 2 (Foundation and Applied) as standard under the retainer.
  • Levels 3, 4 and 5 (Strategic, Master and Grand Architect) are available at discounted rates for retained clients.

This means you build broad capability across the organisation, while developing a smaller group of advanced practitioners at a lower cost.

2. Professional Advice and Support Hours

Dedicated hours each month to use however you need.

  • Teams or phone calls to work through live issues.
  • Help to scope or reset projects and programmes.
  • Input on process redesign, operating models, risk and governance.
  • Support to prepare for key meetings, away days or Board sessions.

3. Strategy and Value for Money Session

Once a year, we sit down with you to look at the bigger picture.

  • How your strategy lines up with regulatory expectations and sector trends.
  • Where your change capacity and budget are really going.
  • How to link improvement work and projects more clearly to value for money and resident outcomes.

4. Discounted Access to Additional Support

Retained clients receive reduced rates on all other services, including:

  • Project and programme assurance
  • Regulatory and Law readiness
  • Process excellence and service redesign
  • Leadership and culture for change workshops
  • Advanced Impact360 Architect / Practitioner training (Levels 3–5)

Why it works so well for smaller associations

For smaller and medium-sized providers, the retained model is often more powerful than a one-off project.

  • Affordable and predictable
    Because the fee is based on homes managed, it is proportionate and easy to budget for. You know the annual cost upfront.
  • Board-level expertise without the salary
    You get access to senior transformation, strategy and improvement expertise when you need it, without having to create a permanent senior post.
  • Build, not outsource
    The focus is always on building your internal capability – through Impact360 training, coaching and practical support – not keeping you dependent on external help.
  • Flexible as your world changes
    If your priorities move during the year (for example, new regulation, a merger discussion, or a service issue), we move with you. The relationship is with your organisation, not just one project.
  • Grounded in housing
    All support is shaped around social housing realities: regulation, tenant voice, damp and mould, VfM, mergers, repairs, service charges, customer experience and governance.

What you actually gain

By the end of the first year on the retainer, most clients find they have:

  • A clearer, more honest view of their risks and priorities.
  • Staff who are more confident talking about and acting on improvement.
  • Stronger grip on projects and programmes, with fewer surprises.
  • Better conversations at Board and Executive level about strategy, VfM and change.
  • A trusted partner who understands their organisation and can help them think, not just deliver.

Interested?

If you would like to explore the retained offer, we can:

  • Talk through your current challenges and priorities.
  • Estimate the likely annual fee based on your stock size.
  • Shape a package that fits your capacity and stage of maturity.

The aim is simple: to give you ongoing, senior-level support at a cost that makes sense for social housing, so you can focus on what matters most – safe homes, good services, and confident teams.