Equality and
Diversity
Strategy
Diversity is a strategic
resource to be embraced
rather than a problem to be
solved.
Mike Corfield
1.0
Purpose
1.1
1.2
2.0
The purpose of this strategy is to provide the framework by which the Trust can
transform its approach to Equality and Diversity. In particular the strategy
provides:

A compelling case for Equality and Diversity.

A framework for the actions needed in the short and long term

An overview of the current position;
o In Trafford
o For Customers

A vision of where this strategy is designed to take the Trust.

Sets out the high level route map to make the change.
The strategy is the starting point of a process involving customers and
stakeholders that will develop a long term action and outcome plan for 20142016.
Principles
The following principles will underpin the Trust’s commitment to equality and
diversity
 The Trust will promote equality and diversity in employment and access
to services which provide people with the support they need.
 The Trust will actively engage and empower the full diverse range of
customers to contribute to decisions about the delivery of services to
ensure these meet their requirements.
 The Trust will support and enable all its employees to achieve their full
potential and fulfil their duties in a fair, reasonable and flexible manner.
 The Trust will recognise the need to provide high quality services which
meet individual and community needs
 The Trust will ensure customers are offered services appropriate to
their needs and will refer customers requiring specialist support to
service providers with particular expertise in this area, where these
exist
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 The Trust is committed to improving support services and becoming a
leading performer in all areas of equality and diversity.
 We are committed to ensuring that equality and diversity is a
fundamental principle in all policies and procedures. We will ensure,
that through a time table of review, policies and procedures are
Equality Analysed and effectively promoted.
 The Trust is committed to ensuring that the board, staff, contractors,
customers and visitors understand and follow the standards of
behaviour that are necessary for the proper management of equality
and diversity.
3.0
Customer Impact Statement
3.1
This is a strategy that is in essence all about customer impacts, and equitable
treatment for all. It is underpinned by those elements of social justice that
require that people receive a ‘fair share’ and that everyone abides by rules that
value everyone’s voice, are honest and open, consistent and neutral. As such it
aims to impact all customers and all our staff; it aims to provide inclusive
services and a workplace where diversity is valued as a strategic resource
rather than a problem to be solved.
3.2
At its heart the strategy is about equality of access, fairness in distribution of
our resources, equity in the way the Trust behaves in order that unlawful
discrimination is eliminated, equality of opportunity is advanced and good
relations are fostered between all customers.
3.3
Understanding our customers, who they are, what is important to them,
anticipating differential impacts of decisions and monitoring outcomes are
central to the way in which this strategy is designed to have a huge impact on
the lives of our customers.
4.0
Case for Equality and Diversity - why this matters for the Trust
4.1
2
There are compelling reasons for the Trust to go beyond the minimum
Regulatory and Legal Standards. Perhaps the most significant reason is the
explicit link between a clear commitment to equality and the Trust’s purpose.
Without harnessing all the strength our diverse customer base brings how can
our purpose be fulfilled? Without a range of staff representing a complete
view of the communities in which we work, how can we begin to unpick and
respond to the challenges our vision sets out? This strategy will help underpin
much of the work the trust will do to bring the purpose and vision statements
to life.
We are a force for good, driven by social justice, inspiring
people and neighbourhoods to be the best they can be.
A force for good cannot be credible if it is blind to the diverse needs and
contributions of its customers, social justice is ingrained within the concepts of
fair play and equal access, and finally our purpose speaks of inspiring people
and neighbourhoods, not certain people and some neighbourhoods.
4.2
Our Operating Context – Whilst Trafford is an affluent borough this can mask
the fact that some areas exhibit significant levels of deprivation. When
population characteristics for Trafford are compared to the profile evident in
Trust properties, it is apparent there are some marked differences especially in
terms of:


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
Age.
Gender.
Affluence.
Disability.
These differences and the potential inequalities they give rise to, remain a key
issue for the Trust.
4.3
Decision making is improved1 - Inclusive employment of the strength of all the
community, harnesses benefits from a wider pool of people and is therefore
more likely to be representative of the ambitions and experiences of our
customers.
In addition, through accurate monitoring of customer impacts, the governance
of the organisation will be better able to exercise improved strategic decision
making and be better able to judge between the merits of competing priorities.
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4.4
Recruitment and retention2 - An organisation that embraces equality and
diversity can be seen as an employer of choice, and in addition to this, staff
engagement is improved as contributions are valued across the business,
irrespective of background or characteristics of the members of staff and this in
turn leads to loyalty and enhanced contribution to the Trust’s objectives.
4.5
A competitive edge3 - A diverse workforce will be more likely to recognise the
requirements and opportunities presented by our entire customer base.
Additionally that diverse customer base will be more likely to be engaged in
developing services and solutions.
4.6
Standing for something - The new purpose and vision statements mean that
the Trust visibly stands for something and that our stakeholders and partners
will have increased expectations of our behaviours and commitment to action.
The type of partners likely to be attracted to the Trust’s purpose and vision
statements will expect a strong and strategic commitment to Equality and
Diversity. The Trust’s reputation can only be enhanced if such partners and
stakeholders see and feel the effects of a Trust that is inclusive and is
passionate about eliminating discrimination and disadvantage.
4.7
Tailored services and solutions – as differentiated services and customer
intimacy become ever more important across leading service industries, it
would be inconceivable that the Trust could deliver its services in such a
differentiated and personalised way without real customer knowledge, real
customer engagement and a determination to configure services around this
detailed customer information. Accurate profiling of customer characteristics
and making consistent and intelligent use of this information is an essential
step towards this flexible customer-centric method of service delivery.
4.8
Legal and Regulatory Compliance – the last element of why this matters is the
management of risk by compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
4.9
In summary the case for equality and diversity has three elements to it, and
these are represented below:
The Moral Case - it's what we
stand for.
Legal and Regulatory - we
are required to do this.
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The Business Case - its good
for our business.
5.0
The Strategy
The aim of the strategy is to transform the Trust’s approach to Equality and
Diversity and respond positively to context in which it operates.
5.1
Equality and Diversity is driven from the top.
The Board will have a commitment to a refreshed Equality and Diversity
Strategy and provide the visible leadership required. This will be demonstrated
by:


5.2
Modelling the principles that inform the strategy in their own
behaviour.
Demonstrating they have taken ‘due regard’ to equality in their decision
making by:
o Actively considering matters of equality and diversity when
formulating strategy and making strategic choices.
o Monitoring impacts of Board decisions and strategies.
An Alliance of Partners and Customers
The central change envisioned in this strategy is the development of much
closer working relationships with a network of organisations, both statutory
and third sector, both local and regional, both large and small and consisting of
our customers and professional workers. Carrying out impact assessments,
setting equality targets, interpreting profiling information, sharing intelligence
and co-producing solutions will all benefit from an ‘alliance’ of organisations
operating together.
It is not proposed that this ‘group’ has a formal constitution or creates a
bureaucracy to be maintained but rather an alliance of organisations that share
a commitment to equality and diversity and can work in partnership to help
the Trust and each other.
This will open the Trust to a much wider set of perspectives, will allow the
Trust to benefit from the insight of experts in their field and ensure the
authentic customer voice is heard with clarity and power. Such a partnership
will also have a range of other benefits for the Trust not least in terms of
increasing our understanding of Social Return on Investment. In a time when a
number of our partners are experiencing budget pressures the Trust will
develop a clear ‘offer’ in order that partners understand the joint benefits such
an approach brings.
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It has often been the case that housing organisations have attached the label
‘hard to reach’ to customer groups who do not to engage in traditional
mechanisms of consultation. The young, the disabled, people from minority
ethnic groups, those from a range of religions and different sexual orientations,
have all from time to time been labelled hard to reach. This strategy concedes
that the social landlord is not always the best route to customer engagement
and that there is a myriad network of organisations better placed to engage
with a variety of our customer groups than the Trust.
This is not the same as the Trust abrogating its responsibility or ‘outsourcing its
conscience’ but rather an acknowledgement that what we have does not work
for everyone and that partnership working between an alliance of
organisations would yield benefits far in excess of the reach of a single
organisation.
The development of an alliance will allow the Trust to commission specific
pieces of work and consultation, will allow all partners to access the
intelligence and insight that each holds and give the best chance that
meaningful engagement with all groups could be achieved. Working as part of
such an alliance would accelerate learning through knowledge transfer, will
build confidence between all involved and lead to associated opportunities
that closer working brings.
It is therefore our intention to make use of the power inherent in our new
purpose and vision statements to recruit an informal alliance of organisations
to work alongside the Trust to transform our approach to equality and diversity
by:
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

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Involving a wide group of customers and partners to ensure the Trust
develops services that meet the needs and aspirations of local
communities.
Helping the Trust to assess existing need and needs in emerging
communities.
Jointly working on equality assessments where appropriate.
Ensuring that the most appropriate organisation takes the lead for
customer engagement amongst groups of customers where that
organisation has specialist knowledge or insight.
Bringing constructive challenge to establishing outcome measures and
equality assessments.
Ensuring our involvement and engagement processes enables all
customer groups to be fairly represented.


Helping the Trust to monitor the diversity of all consultation groups and
where there is under-representation develop a drive for diversity or
undertake ‘one off’ minority consultation meetings.
Sharing knowledge and intelligence across the partners.
In addition the Trust will extend its commitment to equality and diversity
through the supply chain and as such:


5.3
The Trust is committed to supporting and promoting equality and
diversity with all suppliers, contractors and partners and will review this
commitment annually.
The Trust expects all contractors/suppliers to work within a
commitment to equality and diversity. The Trust will have a code of
conduct, which they will be required to comply with.
Equality and Diversity informs our business planning – prioritisation.
Difficult decisions will be made in line with our strategic priorities and available
resources. The Trust will therefore have a clear timetable of strategies, policies
and services each to be equality assessed. Priorities can be set with the
involvement of our alliance of partners and by meaningful engagement with
our customers to validate the Trust’s thinking and contribute to priority
setting.

The Trust will establish a timetable to carry out equality assessments.
Equality and Diversity informs our business planning – equality assessment.
The Trust will have a well-developed methodology for carrying out equality
assessments; these will be conducted by well-trained managers and staff, in
collaboration with our partner organisations and customers. Such analysis will
show how equality and diversity informs our business objectives and will be
transparent, monitored, reported and acted upon.

The Trust will assess key strategies as required by the timetable.
Equality and Diversity informs our business planning – monitor and reporting.
The Trust will, as a matter of routine, monitor the impacts of its policies and
the effects of the services it provides across all its different customer groups.
The outcomes of this monitoring will be shared and explored with partner
organisations and customers to make sense of the data and turn it into
intelligence and insight. The Board will be involved in the production of
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meaningful reports on customer impacts to enable it to make strategic choices
in the prioritisation of resources and endeavour.


5.4
An annual report will be taken to the Board that reports on progress.
Where relevant reports to the Board will include comprehensive
equality analysis.
We know who our customers are.
The Trust will hold profiling information of its tenants and their families, make
routine use of this data when planning and delivering services and use the
profile data to predict future impacts of changes to policy and procedure and
to report on outcomes in a meaningful and insightful way. Our staff and
customers will understand how profiling can improve our organisation and we
will share successes in using this information to drive service improvements.


The Trust will continue to capture relevant profiling data on all
members of our customer’s household.
The Trust will develop reports to make sense of profiling data so this
can inform our operations and strategies.
5.5 Equality and Diversity shapes our organisational culture.
The Trust will recruit to its staff teams in a fair and open manner that is
informed by equality and diversity matters and diversity will be represented at
all levels of the organisation. The Trust will clearly display its commitment
through its use of language, imagery and information that will be
representative of our diverse communities. The Trust will not tolerate
discriminatory attitudes or practice from its staff, partners, contractors,
suppliers, customers or from individuals in the communities we work in and are
involved in.
Employment


We will assist staff in balancing the needs of home and work through
the development of fair and flexible terms and conditions.
Wherever practical we will endeavour to meet the needs of those
employees, who may have particular cultural/religious needs.
For example: to observe prayer times or during fasting.

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Managers will give sympathetic consideration to employees requesting
either the accumulation of annual leave or unpaid leave in order to visit

relatives’ abroad or to go on a pilgrimage (subject to the delivery of the
service).
Managers will not unreasonably refuse requests for annual leave that
employees may require in order to observe their religious holidays or
festivals.
Harassment, Victimisation & Discrimination
We are committed to ensuring that the workplace is free from harassment,
victimisation and discrimination by ensuring that all members of staff are fully
aware of their rights, responsibilities and expectations with regard to equality
and diversity. It will be made clear to all staff that direct or indirect
discrimination, victimisation and instances of harassment or abuse, which are
in contravention of policies and/or the law will be dealt with under the
disciplinary procedure.
Recruitment & Selection Policy


5.6
We are committed to ensuring equality and diversity for all candidates
and have a Recruitment & Selection Policy, which sets down the
processes and standards required for all recruitment
All applicants will be selected against objective, non-discriminatory
criteria in the form of Rising Star frameworks. All members of selection
panels must have attended a Recruitment and Selection Course.
Equality and Diversity will be supported through staff training, development
and engagement.
Staff will be given the support to obtain the skills to give services that are fair
and equal and recognise the diversity of our customers. Staff will be engaged
and have the opportunity to influence the delivery of fair and accessible
services.
•
•
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We will aim to ensure that all employees are supported in developing
the skills and abilities they require to carry out their role in the
organisation.
We will ensure that appropriate training is in place for staff to achieve
the delivery of this strategy.
5.7
Communication and Access to information
We will recognise that access to information is essential in achieving equality
and diversity. We will do everything in our power to make all communication
fully accessible to all customers and communities we work with. Including
developing an equality and diversity communications process which sets out
guidelines on the:
•
•
•
Provision of translated material
Provision of information in alternative formats
Diversity of image in all publications and communication
5.8 Outcomes/Outcome Reporting.
The Trust will have a range of outcome measures that have been co-produced
with customers and partner organisations, are evidence based, prioritised for
action and are designed to contribute to the Trust’s purpose. Performance
against these measures will be regularly reported to the Board.
5.9 Measures.
The Trust will develop a full suite of measures during the formulation of the
action plan to measure progress in implementing this strategy, whilst yet to be
fully developed such measures will include:
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6.0
Percentage of the total customer based profiled.
Number of changes advanced as a result of equality assessment.
Recruitment of partners to work alongside.
Number of partners and suppliers singed up to the Trust’s ‘Code of
Conduct’.
Route Map – Next Steps
This document set out the strategic direction and envisages large scale
engagement with a range of partners and customers to develop a detailed
action plan to deliver the strategy. A high level route map is set out below to
give an overview of actions that will follow from the adoption of this strategy.
When
December 2013
December 2013 - January 2014
January 2014 - March 2014
January 2014 – March 2014
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Recommendations from HQN Health Check
New strategy adopted
Identify partners to work with
Undertake a co-productional approach to the
development of a detailed long term action plan.
Develop a streamlined methodology of Equality
Analysis to be used in the delivery of the Action
plan and strategy
March 2014
April 2014
April 2014 – May 2014
7.0
Give training and support to QIP to strengthen
the scrutiny function with regards to E and D
matters
Formally launch, strategy, Partnership and long
term action plan in a variety of formats and at a
variety of events.
Deliver targeted staff training
Deliver manager training
Monitoring and Review
Annual reviews of this strategy will take place and the Board will be involved in
monitoring the delivery of the action plan.
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References
1
Charter Institute of Housing - How to undertake equality analysis.
2
The Business Case for Equality and Diversity - A survey of the academic literature” (2013)Governments Equality Office.
3
The Business Case for Diversity and Equality” (2004)-Dept. Trade and Industry/Business Innovation
and Skills
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