A campaign to encourage our colleagues to raise safeguarding concerns and keep customers safe has won a prestigious award at the country’s biggest housing awards.

Our #Don’tDoNothing safeguarding campaign was the winner of the Campaign of the Year at this year’s online UK Housing Awards, seeing off competition from nine other housing associations. The internal campaign encouraging colleagues to be aware of safeguarding issues and to raise concerns. It just a short space of time, it resulted in a 21% increase in safeguarding incidents being reported, enabling us to pick up concerns that otherwise may have been missed.

Locality manager Amanda Robbins said: “I was so excited when we won. The whole reason we wake up in the morning is to see our customers thrive and this award is a true reflection of the work that we do with them every day. My passion has always been around the customer experience and this award is really reflective of the work we do to keep our customers safe.

“Everybody has a responsibility to make sure we don’t #Don’tDoNothing and making sure we are keeping our customers and colleagues safe. It’s what our strategy is all about. Safeguarding work can be tough, so what an achievement this is for everyone who has been involved in a safeguarding case to see their efforts and hard work recognised. This award is a real collective effort.”

Trainer Kelly Joynes added: “When they announced we’d won and said it was an unanimous decision that was just an incredible feeling. It was a real validation for the importance of the safeguarding campaign and we can use this to continue to raise awareness in Bromford. Most importantly it was recognition for all those colleagues who have ever made a call about a safeguarding concern. This isn’t about three of four people, this is an achievement for the whole organisation.”

Director of customer experience Carl Sauterau added: “I’m really proud of the team and everyone that’s played a role in the campaign and it’s fantastic to see that the hard work, thoughts and efforts that colleagues have put in has been recognised in our sector. But we can’t rest on our laurels; safeguarding is always an issue and it’s a reminder of the role that each of us play in safeguarding our customers.”