Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Our progress so far

An important step was to carry out an internal survey to identify who makes up our staff team and Board. It showed that we are performing well in some areas, particularly in terms of age and gender, but it was clear that we have a long way to go to ensure we truly reflect the population of Wales and the communities we work with.

The survey results have helped inform our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan for 2023-23. Although this plan has been developed by a working group of staff members and trustees, it is owned by all of us.

So far, we have taken the following actions:

• We have encouraged staff to use gender pronouns in their email signatures, online profiles and ID cards. We hope this provides a clear signal that we respect the gender identities of everyone we work with.
• We have established a youth board, giving young people from across Wales the opportunity to inform our work.
• We have provided diversity and inclusion training to all staff. Delivered by an external consultant, this session gave everyone the opportunity to listen, learn and have an open discussion about how we can bring about change.
• We have changed the way we write our job descriptions and now accept CVs – the first steps in making our recruitment processes fairer and more inclusive.
• We have redesigned projects to be as inclusive as possible. With Local Places for Nature, for example, we have removed potential barriers to groups getting involved, ensuring nobody has to worry about their experience, skills or physical ability.
• We have been working with the Alzheimer’s Society with the aim of becoming a Dementia Friendly organisation, to ensure we offer a welcoming and accessible space for people affected by dementia.
• We have introduced an EDI session in our quarterly staff meetings to keep the whole team up to date on our progress and next steps.
• We have asked every staff member and trustee to adopt an EDI objective, recognising that we all have a role to play in ensuring that individuals feel valued, are treated fairly and without discrimination.
• We no longer require staff to take mandatory leave over the Christmas period; our team are allowed to choose when they use this allocation.
• We are a Disability Confident Committed employer, helping us recruit, retain and make a difference to disabled people.
• We have introduced a series of regular online training sessions for our staff, enabling them to learn from experts and each other. These sessions explore a range of topics, from dementia and autism awareness to LGBTQ+ allyship and the social model of disability.