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Equality & DiversityE & D Strategy
Equality & Diversity Strategy
Contents:
2. HMS Strategy Vision Statement
3. The Background Developing the Strategy
7. Equalities Standards for Local Government Framework
9. Consultation and Engagement
10. Implementation The Future
1. Introduction
Equality and Diversity is a source of opportunity in employment and meeting the needs of H & F Homes, service users and wider stakeholders. This strategy will demonstrate how the company proposes to achieve its implementation. In addition to fulfilling its statutory requirements H & F Homes is responsible for promoting equality of opportunity in all its activities, is committed to developing an organisational culture which values its staff and service users and the contribution each individual can make to its development.
The aim of the strategy is to underpin these core commitments by providing a robust framework for continuous improvement of service provisions. It identifies ways we aim to improve resident's quality of life and opportunities. It also briefly introduces other associated documents, systems and structures established since the introduction of the strategy in November 2004 to monitor our performance, both in eliminating discrimination and producing best practice.
Social Housing providers such as H & F Homes have both a service delivery responsibility and a moral obligation to respond to the diverse communities in the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and to reflect this in the organisational culture. We must ensure that our policies and practices achieve this. This revised strategy has been designed to take a broader view while building on our previous experiences. In practice this means focusing beyond the traditional ideology of 'hard to reach' or 'disadvantaged groups'. It recognises that H & F Homes has to proactively find innovative methods of engaging with specific sections of the community.
H & F Homes also recognises the need to value each individual in their own right, regardless of whether or not they belong to any particular section of society. Its objective is to ensure staff are able to participate fully and contribute their best in the work of the company and no one feels excluded from being able to do so.
Diversity fuels group dynamics and helps create an environment where teams and individuals can perform to their full potential. 'One size fits all' approach will not reach the diversity potential of our customers and staff. It is not simply about ethnicity, gender, disability, sexuality, faith or age, it is about open mindedness, embracing nonconformity and creating balanced teams, respect for individuals of all types will inspire loyalty in both employees and customers.
Recognition of diversity makes good business sense. Every level of the organisation holds responsibility not just Human Resources or Housing Management.
This document outlines H & F Homes vision for equality and diversity over the next three years. This strategy is designed to set out the overall framework for equality and diversity. It also aims to build an environment in which everyone has an equal chance to live and work free from discrimination, harassment and prejudice.
H & F Homes aims for its Equality and Diversity work to be recognised by internal and external stakeholders as 'Exemplary'.
H & F Homes Position Statement
Over the past two years H & F Homes has been proactively driving the Equalities and Diversity agenda forward. It has created an internal and external scrutiny process, enhanced its internal procedures and processes in relation to the Local Governments Equalities Standards Framework which includes the Equality Impact Assessment Process and continues to robustly improve mainstreaming throughout the organisation. Obtaining a critical perspective of the Equalities and Diversity work H & F Homes is implementing, it continues its partnership working and engagement with the Equalities Champions Group which consists of representatives from the Voluntary and Community Sector, Residentsand Council and H & F Homes staff.
Even though H & F Homes has substantially improved its direction and delivery of Equalities and Diversity issues, it still has various areas that require improvement. They are;
- To conduct Diversity Resident Profiling to enable H & F Homes have a clearer understanding of their service users needs and tailor service accordingly.
- To ensure that Equality Performance Indicators are agreed to provide a benchmarking tool for success
- To drive the agenda forward to ensure that all staff take ownership of the agenda and its implementation
- To ensure that monitoring mechanisms are robust and consistent.
All of the above are currently being addressed through the implementation of H & F Homes Equalities Action Plan (which is available on request and accompanies this document) and H & F Homes aims to achieve level 3 of the Local Governments Equalities Standard Framework which will assist in meeting the gaps outlined above.
2. H & F Homes Strategy Vision Statement
H & F Homes is committed to ensuring and promoting equality of opportunity for all. We are therefore opposed to discrimination on any grounds, including race, religion/faith, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability or any other unjustifiable criteria.We are committed to developing an organisational culture which values people from all sections of society and the contribution which eachindividual can make. In all our offices we wish to see a workforce which reflects the local population and the communities with which we deliver services too. We therefore seek to encourage, the recruitment, promotion, retention, career development of people from as wide a range as possible, race and ethnicity, culture, religion and social backgrounds. H & F Homes will ensure that recruitment, selection and promotion are on merit, on the basis of the person specification and equality of opportunity for all applicants and staff.
We believe that every member of staff is entitled to be treated with openness, integrity and respect and that discrimination and disadvantage should be eliminated in all aspects of our management and employment practices. Staff should adopt a professional manner, treating everyone fairly and consistently, whilst valuing the different contributions individuals can make.
H & F Homes aims to ensure that the services we deliver are efficient, value for money and do not discriminate against any section of the community, by developing frameworks and processes to eliminate any negative adverse impact. We will apply these principles in carrying out our statutory and corporate responsibilities. We will also ensure that external contractors and suppliers carrying out work on behalf of H & F Homes are committed to Equality and Diversity and Equality of Opportunity.
3. The Background Developing the Strategy
In 2004, the Human Resources (HR) Sub Committee asked officers to develop an Equality and Diversity Strategy for H & F Homes. On the 15th November, the H & F Board agreed the draft document including recommendations by the Human Resources Sub Committee.
Progress to Date:
The Chief Executive convened an Equalities Action Team (EAT) comprising of Executive Team members, Human Resources Services, Trade Unions and was advised by Professor Richard Tomlins of De Montford University, who is a leading practitioner in the field. Professor Tomlins also trained staff on the company's Racial Harassment Procedures. The EAT is now being convened and progressed by the Equalities and Diversity Manager and chaired by the Chief Executive. The Human Resources Sub Committee has now been re-named as the Human Resources and Equalities Committee (HREC).
The EAT has met continuously and the following actions has been agreed;
A) To develop and re-view an overarching strategy on Equality and Diversity for H & F Homes. (Complete Review in progress)
B) To take the current H & F Homes Equality Action Plan ( plan agreed 2004 currently being reviewed) and prioritise the HR actions in its first year to promote engagement and ownership within the company
The priorities were;
- Providing mandatory diversity training for all staff Completed
- Developing Positive Action measures to enhance recruitment and development opportunities for all groups. On-Going
- Producing a regular report showing statistics, trends and actions with regard to work monitoring On-Going
- Providing mandatory recruitment training for managers - Completed
- Monitoring H & F Homes Training Plan quarterly and showing relative take-up On-Going
- Providing follow-up disability awareness training for all staff Completed and new cycle of training for front line staff in progress
- Publicising the results of H & F Homes office/Disability Discrimination Act, compliance audit and action plan On-Going and being implemented with the introduction of Repairs Ordering Centres and the relocation of identified Area Offices.
The Equalities Action Plan (EAP) has been publicised to all staff via 'Road Shows' throughout the company, with Board members. members of EAT and the Chief Executive attended to answer questions and listen to staff views and concerns. Since the appointment of the Equalities and Diversity Manager the additional priorities are;
- The introduction of mandatory Equality Impact Assessment Training for managers
- The development of a robust scrutiny framework
- The introduction of a staff Equality and Diversity newsletter
- The introduction H & F Homes Translation and Interpretation Card Scheme
The EAP will be monitored regularly by the ET, ECG and HREC to ensure that slippage does not occur. The Human Resource Sub Committee also approved the creation of an external challenge group, made up of local groups, voluntary agencies, board members, H & F Homes staff and customers, to champion the strategy.
The group formed is known as the Equalities Champions Group and includes all of the above members including residents and is proactive in raising Equality and Diversity issues in relation to H & F Homes policy development.
The Sub Committee also made recommendations;
i) To 'reduces management costs' from HMS strategic objective 'to continually increase efficiency and reduce management costs' in relation to equality and diversity work.
ii) The formation of an ECG and Board members invited to be an active member of the group.
iii) That the HR Sub Committee (now known as HREC) has custody and responsibility for the strategy and ensuring that this and the action plan are monitored and implementation.
4. Associated Documents
This strategy is not to be used in isolation of other associated HMS documents including policies and other local government agenda's that assist in implementing its objectives.
a) H & F Homes Positive Engagement Strategy
H & F Homes has taken proactive measures to move away from the traditional less accepted term ' Hard to Reach' to ensure that it does not exclude or offend groups by renaming the document the 'Positive Engagement Strategy' (PES).
This document sets out the barriers H & F Homes face when engaging with residents, individuals, groups and communities. It also sets out structures and initiatives that have been implemented to tackle the challenges and provide solutions to address issues within the borough.
A copy of the document is available on request from the Equalities and Diversity Manager Nivene.powell@lbhf.gov.uk
b) HMS Vulnerability Definitions
The Vulnerability Definitions has been adopted by H & F Homes to ensure that we meet the needs of those who face specific challenges in day to day life. Examples of categories listed in the document are:
- Ex Offenders
- Mental Health service users
- Drug abuse service users
- Low Income families
- Lone parents and other
(This is not an exhaustive list and other vulnerability categories are included in the document)
Vulnerable residents require tailored services which include joint partnerships with Voluntary and Community Sector organisations within the borough.
A copy of the document is available on request from the Equalities and Diversity Manager Nivene.powell@lbhf.gov.uk
c) H & F Homes Communication Strategy
This document has provided staff with a clear process of how to communicate effectively with a diverse range of service users. It lists in detail the various methods and tools that are accessible, the purpose of communicating meaningfully with residents and other stakeholders and it also outlines the barriers to engaging positively which, with the correct solutions, in turn assist in providing good quality service provisions and Value for Money (VFM).
A copy of the document is available on request from the Equalities and Diversity Manager Nivene.powell@lbhf.gov.uk
A number of the documents mentioned will be useful in delivering our Decent Homes Programme and other programmes. Projects and initiatives undertaken by H & F Homes.
d) Respect Standard for Housing Management
The Respect Standard for Housing Management is aimed at Social Landlords and is a voluntary standard which the government wants as many landlords to sign- up to.
The standard establishes an outline of the components which together deliver an effective response to Anti Social Behaviour (ASB), improve housing service provisions for H & F Homes residents, particularly those in the most disadvantaged communities and help create a culture of respect.
The standard provides recognition for those delivering good services, while providing a benchmark to aim towards for landlords who are striving to improve.
H & F Homes aspires to the commitments outlined in the Respect Guidance and aims to sign-up to the standard.
(A copy of the Respect Standard for Housing Management is available on the Department of Local Government website at
www.communites.gov.uk/antisocialbehaviour
e) Hammersmith and Fulham Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Housing Strategy
The Council's BME Housing Strategy has been developed recognising the need to address specific housing and social issues in relation to BME households and communities. The strategy identifies particular housing and service issues that disproportionately affect BME groups and secondly sets out how those issues will be addressed.
A copy of the strategy can be obtained by e-mailing to Arleen.brown@lbhf.gov.uk
There are other associated documents available that have not been mentioned; therefore this is not an exhaustive list. H & F Homes aims to embed Equality and Diversity in all its service areas and provide a diverse organisational culture; however policies and strategies only form part of that process.
5. Responsibilities
- H & F Homes Board
H & F Homes recognises that within its organisation all board members, staff, contractors/suppliers, residents and resident representatives have a vital role to play in challenging and eliminating inequalities. The board is accountable for the implementation of the equalities and diversity agenda of the organisation.
The board has responsibility to serve the whole community equally. Equality of opportunity needs to be a core objective of the organisation and therefore the Board in promoting good governance should ensure:
1. Their own memberships reflects the community they represent
2. Recruitment to the Board, committee or advisory structures are fair and transparent and positive action principles are followed where
there is under representation
3. That training for Board members on equality issues is provided and taken up
4. That employment and recruitment policies and procedures for staff are fair and open and positive action principles are followed where
there is under representation
5. That training for all staff members on equality is proved and attendance is monitored
Regular reports are received on effectiveness of equality policies including monitoring and analysis of information on employment, services
of H & F Homes, the use of contractors and recruitment to the governance structure.
- Equalities Action Team (EAT)
The Equalities Action Team (EAT) is an internal sub committee that consists of H & F Homes and council staff, trade unions, Executive Team members and is chaired by the Chief Executive.
The team assists in monitoring the equality action plan in addressing both employment and service delivery issues pertaining to equality and diversity.
- Human Resources and Equalities Committee (HREC)
HREC is responsible for the actual implementation and monitoring of the EAP and provides scrutiny mechanisms that have been formulated through the Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) process. It also discusses issues and implementation of action plans relating to service delivery and employment.
All EIA's are consulted on and approved by this sub committee and presented to the board for formal approval. - Executive Team
The executive team consists of senior management across the organisation. Equalities updates are discussed on a weekly basis and reports are provided on the progress of action plans, EIA's and the wider equality and diversity issues that have an impact on staff, service users and the organisation as a whole. - H & F Homes Workforce
All H & F Homes staff are employed or contracted to carry out functions on behalf of H & F Homes and have responsibility and accountability for mainstreaming the Equalities and Diversity agenda.
H & F Homes are currently developing a staff advisory board as a forum for staff to discuss and constructively challenge various diversity issues and provide solutions to any gaps that may be identified.
6. Relevant Legislation
- Equal Pay Act 1970
- Sex Discrimination Act 1975
- Race Relations Act 1976
- Race Relations (Amendment Act) 2000
- Race Relations Act (Amendment) Act Regulations 2003
- Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006
- Disability Discrimination Act 1995
- Disability Discrimination Act 2005
- The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003
- The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003
- The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006
- Civil Partnership Act 2004
- Equality Act 2006
- Anti Social Behaviour Act 2003
- Code of Practices and Frameworks
- The Audit Commissions Key Lines of Enquiry
- Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) Code of Practice for Racial Equality in Housing
- Code of Practice in Rented Housing
- Code of Practice The elimination of discrimination in the field of Employment against Disabled persons or persons who have a duality
- Code of Practice Rights of access, goods, facilities, services and premises
- Code of Practice Access to goods, facilities and services : Regulatory Impact Assessments
- Code of Practice on Sex Discrimination
- Code of Practice on Equal Pay
- Code of Practice for the elimination of racial discrimination and the promotion of Equality of Opportunity in Employment
- Best Value Performance Indicators
7. Equalities Standards for Local Government (ESLG)
The Equality Standard was developed as a framework to address equality for gender, race and disability, however it has recently incorporated other equality strands namely sexual orientation, age and faith. H & F Homes has included the additional strands into all aspects of its work.
By working through the robust framework of 5 levels, H & F Homes aims to identify disadvantaged associated with the six equality strands as mentioned in previous sections of this document. The framework will assist H & F Homes to set targets to eliminate the barriers that create disadvantage.
The proposed targets set for achieving the appropriate levels required have been based on setting realistic manageable deadlines. Equality Standards Achievement Levels H & F Homes proposed Deadlines:
- Level 3 September 2007
- Level 4 September 2009
- Level 5 September 2011
The levels above cover all aspects of policy-making, service delivery and employment. It will take time, resources and commitment to develop systems, therefore it is important that progress through each level is monitored and audited in a way that measures the achievement of each level. When H & F Homes achieves level 5, it will have developed the capacity to engage continuously and effectively with management and improvement of equality and will be able to demonstrate significant outcomes for equality improvement across the company.
8. Monitoring Adverse Impact Equality Impact Assessments (EIA)
H & F Homes carries out Equality Impact Assessments (EIA) on its key service areas, working with the council where required. EIA's are required by the Equality Standard and are designed to mainstream equality issues into all levels of our policies, service planning and performance management. H & F Homes has gone beyond the standard requirement to conduct EIA's' around race, gender, disability and is including age, sexual orientation and faith.
H & F Homes is using EIA's extensively to assess whether any of our activities have an adverse impact on particular communities, individuals and to identify gaps in service provisions. An action plan is produced, identifying actions and plans for reducing inequality and meeting the needs of all its residents and other stakeholders. We have developed a 2 year timetable of assessments that are due to take place including those that are in progress. We have also developed a scrutiny framework to ensure that there is continuous engagement with various internal and external stakeholders.
- The Star Chamber Panel
This panel consists of external statutory and voluntary organisation from across London. It provides critical perspective on high impact EIA's and is a valuable tool for networking, sharing good practice and challenging H & F Homes on policies, procedures, practices and projects that have an impact on communities in Hammersmith and Fulham.
- Equalities Champions Group (ECG)
The ECG provides the same valuable input, however representation is mainly of voluntary and community organisations including residents. Most of the organisations that attend this forum have hands on experience of how services are delivered to them, if they meet their needs or not and how we could improve them to ensure they are efficient, and value for money. This group will input into the assessments of medium and high EIA's.
- H & F Homes internal EIA Challenge Panel
This panel comprises of H & F Homes staff across the organisation and meets when required to assess low impact assessments. This process assists staff in enhancing their knowledge of equality issues and provides the opportunity of learning how important this processis to not only our residents and wider service users but also staff. The strategy will be reviewed following a 3 year cycle to ensure that new developments such as changes in legislation or demographics pertaining to the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham will be taken into consideration when drafting the reviewed document.
9. Consultation and Engagement
H & F Homes is continuously aiming to improve its consultation structures both internally and externally. The proposal to create a Staff Equality Advisory Board and the continuous support and development of the Equalities Champions Group demonstrates that H & F Homes is committed to meaningful engagement and consultation. We are aware that certain groups are under-representative in tenant associations, borough forums and other sub committees. We need toinvolve and listen to all our residents if we are to tackle inequality and social exclusion. We will therefore continue to prioritise work to encourage involvement through the Respect Standard for Housing Management, Decent Homes Programme, Hammersmith and Fulham Federation of Tenant and Residents Association (HAFFTRA) and Communtiy Development from traditionally under-represented groups.H & F Homes also works in partnership with the Community Interpreting and Translation Advocacy Service (CITAS) to ensure that those residents whose spoken language is not English can participate in our structures in a fair and equal way.
We will actively continue to develop policies and services through discussions and involvement with residents and other stakeholders and plan to set out actions in this area through existing areas of work including identifying additional resources that may be required. There are a number of consultation mechanisms in place both centrally and at local area levels. They range from the following; Leaseholders Panel, Decent Homes Materials Panel including the Decants Homes Residents Consultation Group, Equalities Champions Group and various other committees. H & F Homes aims to build on this process to ensure that a diverse range of service users and stakeholders have access to participation and engagement.
10. Implementation The Future
The implementation of this strategy will be carried out through the Equalities Action Plan and associated plans such as EIA's and other documents.
The EAP is an appendix of this strategy and will be monitored by the indicated structures already outlined within H & F Homes. One of the fundamental elements of knowing who your customers are is through detailed tenants and residents profiling. H & F Homes currently has information stored relating to specific equality categories, however we are proactively seeking to carry out a major profiling exercise of all our residents including leaseholder to ensure that the services we provided are meeting their needs. A part of this process is customer satisfaction and through our Improvement Task Force a programme of customer feedback mechanisms will be agreed and fed into the overall process.
Equalities and Diversity is an integral part of H & F Homes Business Planning and the Integrated Services Improvement Plan (ISIP), therefore it is vital that the agenda is mainstreamed throughout the organisation, with leadership and commitment at all levels.
11. Conclusion
H & F Homes aspire to excellence in the delivery of this Equality and Diversity Strategy in partnership with residents and other service users. This will be measured by the views of customers and staff in its performance as a service provider and employer.
12. Abbreviations
Abbreviations Meaning:
ASB - Anti Social Behaviour
BME - Black and Minority Ethnic
CITAS - Community Interpreting and Translation Advocacy Service
CRE - Commission for Racial Equality
EAP - Equalities Action Plan
ECG - Equalities Champions Group
EAT - Equalities Action Team
ESLG - Equalities Standard for Local Government
ET - Executive Team
HFBMEN - Hammersmith and Fulham Black and Minority Ethnic Network
HAFFTRA - Hammersmith and Fulham Federation of Tenants and Residents Association
HR - Human Resources
HREC - Human Resources and Equalities Committee
PES - Positive Engagement Strategy
VFM - Value for Money
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