Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2016-17
Introduction
Every year we report on progress against former Cestria’s Equality and Diversity Strategy and former Isos’ Single Equality Scheme. The report presents the main annual equality and diversity updates for 2016/17 for the two legacy organisations, key achievements are highlighted and our aims for the future. Former Derwentside Homes has previously not reported equality and diversity progress internally and have incorporated all equality and diversity information within tenant publications. Moving forward this information will be included in a single Karbon Diversity and Inclusion report from 2017/18 onwards.
Cestria Key Achievements
At Cestria our vision is to:
Contribute towards eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, advancing equality of opportunity between people and fostering good relations between people in wider communities'.
In 2016/17 we successfully completed the following points on the Strategy action plan:
- Achieve a Health Accreditation
- Review Internal Recruitment Process
- Considered flexible working for Trade
The Equality and Diversity group at Cestria, made up of a team member from each department, met 10 times during 2016/17 and a number of projects were carried out such as LGBT History Month.
Other achievements are:
- Awarded 11th in Top 100 Equality Index nationally by National Centre for Diversity
- Maintained Equality Standard Gold
- Continued to deliver great outcomes from our ‘Online Owls’ project which helps and supports people to be digitally engaged
- Trade operatives continue to meet the individual needs of tenants for example identifying priority needs, installing adaptations and interacting with customers using a flexible approach and emotional intelligence via a range of channels
- Customer Services Team organised a series of Equality and Diversity events to celebrate Customer Services Week
Isos Key Achievements
Isosworked in 2013 with residents and staff to develop the following six aims that make up the Isos Single Equality Scheme (SES) and progress against each aim is detailed below:
Aim 1: To understand the diverse make up of our tenants and service users
Aim 2: To ensure that our involvement strategy reaches out to all groups
Aim 3: To further develop how we communicate with our diverse communities
Aim 4: To understand the diverse make up of our staff group and Board
Aim 5: To ensure that all staff, managers, directors and board members are trained and confident in embedding diversity issues into everything that Isos does
Aim 6: To embed an Equality Impact Assessment process into decision making at Isos
This year we have used the revised household information form to ensure we are collecting relevant information which we can use to identify the needs of our customers, monitor trends and identify underrepresented groups gaining knowledge of our customers we can use the information to ensure we meet their needs, how the organisation impacts on different groups we work with and identifies any groups who do not have a voice.
We carried out over 1,000 large and small adaptations to make living arrangements easier for our customers. These range from installing lever taps to level access showers.
Isos completed an innovative Extra Care Scheme at Weavers Court aimed at providing homes for people over 55. The scheme offers many facilities such as a shop, hair salon and a schedule of activities throughout the day and evenings and also has a restaurant open to the public that encourages inclusion in the community. The scheme empowers customers to make choices, share experiences within the community and also enjoy independence in their own private space.
We continued our Silver Talk befriending service and expanded our Wise Owls volunteering project to further reduce loneliness amongst older residents and continued to support a large range of vulnerable groups such as young people via our supported housing services.
In the Future…
Following our transition from three organisations to Karbon Homes, we have both exciting and challenging opportunities ahead to build upon previous good equality and diversity practices and arrangements. We have firm knowledge, understanding and good practice from across the legacy organisations which forms a solid foundation on which to build upon. This will be invaluable as Karbon works towards gaining the ‘Leaders in Diversity’ accreditation and continues to progress to become a ‘Master in Diversity’.
As part of the Futures Programme, plans for 2017/18 include the following activities:
- Karbon will complete a self-assessment to identify areas for improvement that will inform a new equality, diversity and inclusion strategy and policy. Strategy to be in place for April 2018.
- A Karbon equalities analysis framework will be developed ready for 2018/19 reporting
- We will continue to roll out equality, diversity and inclusion training to all staff and managers including unconscious bias. This will also include a small number of staff at Greengates who did not complete online training in 2016
- The former Cestria Equality and Diversity Project group will review its membership and will support Karbon’s progression using their invaluable experience in gaining Leaders in Diversity accreditation
- Launch the Karbon Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) and Allies Network
- Organisation Development will be reporting on the Gender Pay Gap, consider all equality and diversity requirements throughout the Futures Project and will advise on Employment Law update scheduled for November 2017
- Introduce a transitioning policy, help sheets and guidance for staff to raise awareness of gender identity issues
- Continue to take part, in partnership with the Housing Diversity Network, in the staff mentoring programme. We have had 4 staff mentors and 4 staff mentees participate and plan to offer this opportunity to 6 mentees in 2017
- And provide Dementia Friend training to staff and now have Dementia Champions who can deliver training in-house