Where do we go from here?

As the impact of the spending review starts to become clearer, the social housing sector is realising that major changes will have to be confronted. Whether we like the changes or not, we have to acept that they will happen and we must all devise methods which enable organisations and individuals to cope. Changes to tenancy terms, changes to housing benefits, changes to regulation - all will require steady negotiation and effective leadership in order to maintain service levels and standards of customer satisfaction. Equally important is the issue of learning and skills development. Technical and generic skills development is crucial at a time like this; some people will need skills of change management, others will need to learn how to engage with their service users in a more meaningful way, whilst others may need skills around negotiation and communication in order to provide a more effective and efficient service with less resources. The challenges are there - with the right skills, knowledge and leadership we can meet them.