Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

Current State

We have traditionally focused on ensuring compliance with legislation and regulation. In 2022, we agreed a new Corporate Strategy and this included a set of key values (or ROAR values). Specifically germane to this strategy are the values of Respect and One Estuary. Respect includes a commitment to transparency and inclusiveness and One Estuary is about working together to change our customers lives for the better and this must include a commitment to respecting both the diversity of our colleagues and our local communities. We recognise that our customers likely face a number of different challenges which may include poverty, discrimination, social exclusion and other disadvantage and, that as a Community Benefit Society with a social purpose, we have a key role in tackling this.

We conduct basic equality analysis on key policies and decisions; but the approach taken is not consistent and is often not based on accurate/ complete data. We have promoted training related to LGBTQ+ to our colleagues and this was very well received; however we do not have a consistent approach to training and raising awareness regarding EDI, in a broader sense. We have recently reviewed our suite of People policies relating to EDI and these policies represent a key pillar of improving our approach to EDI. We have also been reviewing our approach to customer and community engagement and are working with TPAS to ensure continued accreditation.

We have started to collect profile information regarding Board and Committee Members and this will help us to ensure that our governance structures are sufficiently diverse to mitigate the risk of ‘group think’ and also, as far as possible, reflect the diversity of the communities that we serve.

Our Vision

Our vison is to promote a culture within Estuary that values the diversity of all our people (colleagues, partners, customer and other stakeholders) and ensures that our customers receive a great experience, and our colleagues feel supported to be themselves.

This means we aim:

to foster diversity (in the broadest sense) in order to ensure our decisions, policies and practices not only comply with the law but provide optimal benefit to all of our customers and communities. This obviously means that we will continue to comply with law and ensure we do not discriminate based on the Protected characteristics (in both or service provision and employment practices). Crucially, however we will embrace diversity in a wider sense (including diversity in thinking, educational background and life experience)
to be an inclusive employer, where everybody feels safe and supported to be themselves at work
to have a great understanding of the communities that we serve, so that
- we can make sure our services are provided in a way which allow for equal access; but also can be adapted to meet the specific needs of individuals.
- by working with our partners, we play a key role in supporting our local communities in tackling poverty, social exclusion and disadvantage

To do this we will:

Promote our equality, diversity and inclusion aims with our staff, Board, customers, partners and other stakeholders. And in our published documentation, on our website and in all other activities and responsibilities.
Comply with all legal and regulatory requirements which apply to the Equality Act’s protected characteristics (see definitions in our EDI Policy) and any regulations by the Regulator of Social Housing.
Ensure that staff are aware of their responsibility in implementing our EDI policy and strategy and offer training to improve understanding.
Ensure that the Board, and the Executive Team are accountable for the embedding of our approach to equality, diversity and inclusion and for monitoring our performance.
Take all reasonable steps to ensure our partners, suppliers and groups connected to us are actively committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion principles.
Actively encourage customers and staff to engage with us in shaping the organisation and its services.
Ensure that colleagues comply with our policies on hate crime and harassment, promoting community cohesion in our neighbourhoods.
Ensure that our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion is plainly communicated in all policies and procedures and clearly evident in our practices. This includes ensuring our partners, suppliers or contractors share our values and commitment to fostering an inclusive service which values diversity.

Objectives

This Strategy has the following key objectives, and each objective will be supported by actions outlined in our action plan. The key objectives are:

Objective 1:
Champion equality and diversity through our leadership and governance structures.
Objective 2:
Promote and embrace equality, diversity and inclusion within our employment and staffing practices.
Objective 3:
Embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in all areas and create a positive culture where the working environment is free from all discrimination.
Objective 4:
Promote fairness, equality, diversity and inclusion in all of our housing strategies and ensure customers are respected, their voices are heard and the diverse needs of the communities we serve are addressed.
Objective 5:
Tackle poverty, disadvantage and enable inclusion.
Objective 6:
Monitor the performance of Suppliers, Contractors and Consultants.