Equality, diversity and inclusion

Our EDI statement of intent

Waythrough is committed to being an organisation that is representative of the communities we serve and the regions we’re based in. We recognise that building a more diverse and inclusive workforce will allow us to reach and engage people who can benefit from our services.

We also recognise that society is not yet equal. The quality of people’s experience of employment, education, health, care and justice still varies far too much depending on their background. This needs to change. Being part of that change means having honest, sometimes difficult, conversations about our own culture and practices. It also means turning those conversations into visible actions.

As a charity committed to reducing deprivation and exclusion and to improving people’s wellbeing, we are also committed to addressing the needs of those facing multiple disadvantages who typically experience the worst health outcomes because of their experiences.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are the building blocks for improved service delivery, improved staff performance and improved workplace satisfaction, creating an environment where everyone thrives. Waythrough is committed to real cultural change, and we strongly believe that by putting EDI at the heart of everything we do, we will deliver impactful services.

Our vision is that EDI is everybody’s business and at the core of our culture. At Waythrough, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are the foundations of our vision, where everyone understands how they strengthen what we do.

When we value diversity, a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, lived experiences and ways of working, our creative capacity and organisational potential are limitless.

The EDI strategy sits alongside our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy. Together they set the direction and focus for Waythrough. This work also closely aligns with our Working Together strategy and our ambitions to collaborate visibly and meaningfully with the people who use our services, and to guide Waythrough’s vision with lived experience.

We acknowledge that although we have made progress towards our commitment to EDI, we also need to do more.

Our approach will enable us to achieve a more equitable, diverse and inclusive workforce by ensuring EDI is reflected in our values and embedded in our practices and individual behaviours when delivering services. We will drive change within our organisation and beyond, whilst always ensuring that the people who use our services can access and engage and remain at the heart of our thinking and decision making.

The responsibility for EDI will continue to lie with all members of staff and volunteers, especially Humankind’s leaders. Embedding EDI into our policies, practices, procedures and behaviours throughout Waythrough ensures that we will keep making progress towards EDI excellence in all that we do.

The objectives in the strategy will enable Waythrough to drive forward workplace cultural change aligned to our People Strategy which includes the approach to culture, to build a truly inclusive culture where people see themselves represented, feel they can do their best work, meet their career aspirations, and better support people to meet their goals.

Objectives

1. Leadership

Waythrough will embed a safe environment in which our leaders drive a culture where everyone thrives through feeling welcome, valued, and included.

2. Representation

We will reflect and represent the communities where we work, engaging in ways that are inclusive.

3. Responsibility and confidence

Equality, diversity, and inclusion is everyone’s business; everyone at Waythrough is responsible for contributing to the development of their knowledge and confidence around it.

4. Data

We will be transparent with our data to show our performance against our equality, diversity and inclusion targets, which will measure, evaluate and drive our success.

5. Decision making and planning

Decision making and planning for our service delivery will be viewed and made through the lens of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Measuring success

We will use data to measure our EDI progress on staff recruitment, retention and development. Our data will also show if people with specific protected characteristics are more or less likely to reach their support goals or treatment outcomes. We can then put targeted action in place to reduce those inequalities.

Our surveys of employees and people who use our services will include EDI indicators, providing a baseline measurement and a better understanding of experiences, which will tell us if people feel that we are making progress.

Feedback loops via EDI champions and staff networks will provide us with qualitative feedback on progress made.

Further information

We’re always looking at ways to improve what we do and how we do it, for more information please contact EDI@waythrough.org.uk

Just like life, this statement of intent will change!