SFHA Annual Conference 2025

At One Voice: Celebrating fifty years of bringing Scotland’s housing associations together

Senior leaders and staff will come together to network, learn and discuss challenges and opportunities past and present. The conference will also feature content from those of our members who are themselves celebrating a significant anniversary. If you’re in social housing this conference is a vital event in your calendar and we look forward to welcoming you to Glasgow

As we face challenges such as affordability and demand, sustainability and net zero targets, and tighter regulations, the future of housing will require innovation, collaboration, and bold action. Together, we’ll explore how Scotland’s housing associations can continue to lead the way in building a fairer, greener, and more inclusive future for everyone.

Join us for an exciting opportunity to look back at the difference our housing associations and co-operatives have made in the last half century, as well as a look towards where we need to go next

Kirsty Wark is one of the UK’s trailblazing female news journalists. She presented BBC’s Newsnight for 30 years, stepping down after the 2024 General Election. Her long career on Newsnight has seen her holding politicians and public figures to account with her formidable interviewing skills. She made her reputation as a journalist and producer on BBC Scotland, memorably reporting from the scene of the Lockerbie bombing, before joining BBC 2’s arts strand The Late Show as a presenter, moving on to Newsnight in 1993.

Kirsty continued to span both arts and news/current affairs, hosting The Review Show for over a decade, as well as a range of BBC Arts series and documentaries. Over the years she has had memorable encounters with everyone from Margaret Thatcher to Madonna, Harold Pinter to Pete Doherty, Damian Hirst to George Clooney and the likes of Toni Morrison, Donna Tartt and Philip Roth. Kirsty hosts Radio 4’s long-running flagship series The Reunion, and regularly presents of Start the Week. She continues to present arts programmes on TV and Radio, cultural history series such as The Women Who Changed Modern Scotland and Panorama specials.

Kirsty has won several major awards for her work including BAFTA Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting, Journalist of the Year and Best Television Presenter. In 2024 she was honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the RTS Journalism Awards.

Why attend?   

The conference is an opportunity to: 

Gain insight into the future of housing
Hear from industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators about the key challenges and opportunities facing Scotland’s housing sector.
Be part of meaningful discussions and participate in engaging sessions
Share your thoughts and contribute to shaping the future of social housing.
Celebrate 50 years of iImpact
Network with peers and experts
Exchange ideas and build partnerships that will help drive progress in the sector.
Gain practical insights that you can take back to your own organisation.

Date & venue

The conference will take place on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 June 2025 at The Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow.

The purpose-built Radisson Blu offers a superb location in central Glasgow. Within walking distance of Glasgow Central Station and with Queen Street Station close by the hotel offers easy access by road, rail, or air.

Is the conference for you?

The conference is an important date in the diary of housing professionals across Scotland will be beneficial for professionals across the housing sector and beyond, at all levels.

NextGen Leaders Award

As part of SFHA’s 50th anniversary celebrations, we’re looking to the future of Scotland’s social housing. So, we want to celebrate the young people making a difference to your organisations and give them a platform to go even further. 

If you’ve got a young colleague you believe should be celebrated, we’d love you to get in touch.

To nominate, please set out in no more than 400 words why the person you are nominating is a rising star of social housing in Scotland. Nominees must be under 30 on 12 July 2025 and work in an SFHA member organisation. 

Entries must be in by midnight on April 30. Winners will be announced as part of SFHA’s annual conference in June (with a free place), where they’ll be able to network and learn from current and future leaders. You can send nominations to features@sfha.co.uk

Sustainability

Our vision for future SFHA events is to produce them to the highest quality while ensuring that they are sustainable and reduce our carbon footprint, where possible. Read our full sustainability policy here

Costs & how to book

Delegate rates start at £348 for SFHA members and £396 for non members.

Book two places and bring a colleague for free! *  

We’re offering a group discount: buy two of the same ticket type and another colleague can attend for free.

*Tickets must all be the same type and booked at the same time to receive the deal, excludes residential tickets*

The discount will be automatically calculated on checkout. 

To book your place, use the buy tickets button.

Conference Programme

Day 1

Day 2

09:00

Registration and networking

Registration will take place in the hotel foyer and tea, coffee and breakfast rolls will be available in the exhibition.

10:00

Conference Welcome

Douglas Mackie, SFHA Chair will open the conference

10:10

Chief Executive’s Address

Sally Thomas will give her opening address

11:00

Keynote speaker: Kirsty Wark

Refreshments and networking

From 12:15

Breakout sessions Block A

A1 Update to ARC indicators

In this interactive session, delegates will be given the opportunity to ask the SHR directly about any issues they are encountering in collecting data and clarify any points that they might have on the new indicators.

A2 Looking to the future: what do young people want from our social homes?

Join a panel of young social tenants as they discuss and debate the future of social housing in Scotland. As part of this, we’ll be launching exclusive results of our work with YouGov that explored young people’s attitudes, experiences and thoughts on social homes. What will the next 50 years look like?

A3 Transitioning from gas: If not now, when?

To meet the national 2045 net-zero target, we must start the transition from gas to a clean heating system without delay. This session will explore potential approaches and options available.

A4 Being Resilient Through Change

As a leader, you're not only expected to adapt to change - you’re also responsible for guiding others through it. In times of uncertainty and disruption, resilience becomes one of the most critical leadership traits. During this hour, we’ll explore what resilience really means in a leadership context, how to strengthen it in yourself, and how to model it for your teams. This session will equip you with practical strategies to stay grounded, focused, and effective - no matter what changes come your way.

A5 Cuts or reform? Labour’s welfare reform proposals and the impacts on Scottish social security

Join our speakers as we explore how changes to disability and sickness benefits south of the border will impact on devolved disability benefits in Scotland - and the potential knock-on impact on Scottish social housing tenants.

13:10 50 minute lunch and networking

14:00

Keynote Address: by the First Minister, John Swinney MSP

networking break

From 15:30

Breakout sessions Block B

B1 Tenant Participation at a National Level

Tenants Together is a national network of tenants committed to empowering the tenants of today and tomorrow, ensuring their voices are heard and influence decisions within the Scottish social housing sector.

This session explains how we work and why it is important we have your support to get tenants involved.

B2 How Do We Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethically?

As AI becomes a key part of business and decision-making, ethical considerations are essential. In this session our panel will explore the risks and challenges of AI, from bias and accountability to transparency and trust. Join us for an engaging discussion on balancing AI’s potential with ethical best practices.

B3 Holyrood elections 2026: what do we know and how can you get involved

At our last annual conference before polling day, this session will look at what we might expect in terms of issues and polling for the election, and with the prospect of a large turnover of local MSP representatives how SFHA members can engage in the election themselves to build the constructive relationships they need. We'll be joined by Political analyst Professor Sir John Curtice.

B4 Driving Digital – Board Member Guidance Launch & Leadership Insights

Join us for the launch of our brand-new digital guidance document tailored for board members, designed to support confident, informed decision-making in an increasingly digital world. We’ll be joined by a senior executive who will share practical insights on securing digital buy-in at board level — helping to bridge the gap between ambition and action. This session will explore the board’s role in shaping and supporting strategic digital transformation

B5 Identifying and Addressing Domestic Abuse: Practical Tools for Housing Staff

This session is an essential opportunity for housing professionals to build their understanding of domestic abuse, improve their practices, and gain valuable tools, including the Self-Reflection Toolkit, to support their work in this vital area.

19:15

Drinks Reception

sponsored by Thistle

20:00

Conference Dinner and Entertainment

During the evening we’ll be announcing the winners of the SFHA's NextGen Leaders award to celebrate the young people in Scotland’s housing associations and co-operatives. As part of SFHA’s 50th anniversary celebrations, we’re looking to the future of Scotland’s social housing. So, we want to celebrate the young people making a difference to your organisations and give them a platform to go even further.

8:45

Day Delegate Registration with Refreshments

Tea, coffee and pastries will be available in the exhibtion

9:30

Celebrating our Past

In this session, we’ll hear from past and present CEOs as they share pivotal moments from SFHA’s history and the sector’s incredible journey over the past 50 years

30 minute networking break

11:00

Looking to the future:What Will the Next 50 Years Bring?

As we look ahead to the next half-century, the landscape of social housing is set to transform dramatically. Advances in technology, evolving tenant expectations, and shifting economic and environmental priorities will redefine how social housing is designed, delivered, and managed.

Join our panel as we explore key trends shaping the future, including

The role of smart technologies
How will digital tools enhance tenant engagement and service delivery?
What innovations will make homes more adaptable to changing demographics?

From 11:55

Breakout Sessions – Block C

C1 50 years of supporting Scotland’s housing associations: The story of SFHA

Join us to look back over 50 years of SFHA and many of our members. We’ll explore our timeline, key points in social housing in Scotland’s history and the impact of housing associations and co-operatives over the past half century.

C2 Get Governance – GBM Induction Guidance

This is a crucial aspect of the journey for any new GBM as they try to settle into what can be a daunting new role. The practical guidance outlines the key components that should be included in any GBM induction, and provides a template to help carry out induction training.

C3 Lessons from South of the border

Learn whether Labour’s plans to fixing the housing crisis in England, with the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, hold any lessons for us here in Scotland

C4 New approaches to retrofit funding

The scale of the retrofit challenge is immense, requiring significant investment in both energy efficiency and clean heat technologies. This session will explore recent proposals by the Green Heat Finance Taskforce and Scottish Futures Trust to enhance existing Scottish Government support and develop new investment models to deliver social housing retrofit.

C5 Neuropsychology of change

As leaders, navigating change is part of the job, whether organisational, strategic, or cultural. But understanding how change affects the brain can be a game-changer. In this session, we’ll explore what happens neurologically when people face change, why resistance is a natural response, and how you can lead more effectively by working with, rather than against, the brain’s wiring. This session will give you practical insights and tools to lead change with greater empathy, clarity, and impact.

60 minute lunch and networking

13:45

Breakout Sessions – Block D

D1 Bringing Generations Together: Creating a Unified Workplace

This session aims to explore generational differences and how they shape workplace behaviour and encourage greater collaboration with colleagues from different generations and explore how this can drive innovation and sustainable success.

D2 Sponsors session

Join our sponsors - more information to follow

D3 Homes fit for the future

Housing to 2040 acknowledges that homes need to be accessible and adaptable to support people at all stages of life, but do we have the strategy, policy and regulations to ensure that our homes will be fit for the future?

D4 AI in Practice – Real-World Pilots from Social Work and Housing

Discover how AI is being applied in real-world settings across the public and third sectors. In this session, Social Work Scotland will present their "Magic Notes" pilot — exploring how voice-to-text AI can free up practitioner time. We'll also hear from Hanover Housing Association about their innovative AI pilot aimed at reducing the burden of digesting lengthy and complex documents. This is a chance to learn from live projects and reflect on what meaningful, responsible AI implementation looks like in practice

D5 Update on UK economic policy

Join our speakers as we explore the latest UK economic trends and developments - from financial markets to public spending and welfare reform - and their impact on the Scottish social housing sector.

14:40

Closing panel: Spotlighting Success: Housing at Scotland’s Heart

We are excited to recognise the incredible journeys of our member organisations. Over the last five decades, they’ve made a lasting impact on tenants and communities, shaping lives in meaningful ways. We’ve invited some of them to share their most memorable moments and reflect on the difference they continue to make every day

15:30

Chief Executive’s Round Up and close

Sally Thomas will close this years conference