Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Update

Led by our ED&I Lead Officer, we are continuing to make good progress with our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) strategy. Our Task Group met last week and discussed a number of key developments:

Awareness sessions and drop-ins
Recent events such as the Neurodiversity drop-in and the Hearing Loss Awareness Session have provided valuable spaces for discussion, learning and understanding. These sessions allow staff to share experiences, gain insights and foster a more informed and empathetic environment.

Community Links
We are developing relationships and greater connections with religious communities and other local authorities. These connections will allow us to better support the needs of our staff, children, young people and families by increasing collaboration and ensuring inclusivity across different protected characteristics.

Anti-Racism and Anti-Discriminatory Practice
A dedicated working group has been established that will develop a framework to support to anti-discriminatory practice across the Trust. This will give a greater focus on identifying barriers and challenging inequities.

Coaching and Mentoring Programme
This programme is being developed to support the development of inclusive and structured guidance for development opportunities for our staff. The launch of this programme will be in July and more information will be provided nearer the time.

Data Analysis
There is now a more refined and clearer analysis of our data which includes staff, children and foster carers. We will be using this data to inform specific actions in areas where it’s clear we need to improve.  

All of this work is driven by our ED&I Ambassadors. Thank you to everyone who is engaged in this work, the contributions are making a real difference to the way we work with each other and our children and families.