The Foundations Home Improvement Agency Awards 2009 were launched in November.

The HIA Awards provide national recognition of the commitment, vision and innovation embodied by the  sector and provides home improvement agencies, local authorities, housing associations and health commissioners with the opportunity to showcase their achievements.

The categories of the Home Improvement Agency awards 2009 are:

• Agency of the year

• Outstanding contribution by an individual

• Excellence in delivering major adaptations

• Excellence in providing support and advice

• Excellence in delivering handyperson services

• Excellence in engaging with health and care

• Best approach to commissioning HIA services

The awards are open for entry from until 15 December 2009.

For the category criteria, guidance notes and to apply, please visit the events page of the website.

Previous winners have benefited from the national and local publicity and prestige that winning a HIA Award has generated, and award winners have brought their local MPs and commissioners along to the awards ceremony. In addition many awards have been presented by MPs and sector leaders, which last year included Fiona MacTaggart MP, Beverley Hughes MP, Paul Rowen MP, Theresa May MP and Kerry McCarthy MP.

Last year's ceremony was hosted by Sir George Young and took place in the presence of Baroness Andrews, CLG Minister at the time, who marked the occasion by announcing the publication of the minor repair and adaptation 'handyperson' grant allocations (part A) for 2009/2010.

We are once again grateful to Stannah Stairlifts for sponsoring the awards.

The judging panel for this year's awards will be Kurt Horder (Communities and Local Government), Amy Swan (National Housing Federation), Dr Carl Petrokofsky (Specialist in Public Health, DH, Government Office South East) and Steve Malone (Director of Foundations).