Focus: Inclusion

Inclusion has continued to progress this year and we are pleased to be able to share some of the improvements that have been made as a consequence of the continued work of the team as well as the plans we have in the pipeline.

We completed our second equal opportunities review in 2023, and, for the first time, this has included analysis on the demographic of our service users and recruitment procedures. Since the last review in 2021, we have partially achieved targets to increase diversity of the team, updated policies and procedures in regard to equal opportunities for staff, and set up our first service user group (the Chiltern Insights Group). Based on the data we have collected this year, we have set new targets and strategies to further increase diversity of the team and the senior leadership team to better represent the communities we serve. We will also continue providing EDI training for our team and inclusive training programmes for AHPs so that awareness and positive change can be made for all in regard to inclusive practice.

As part of our strategy to become led by our service users, the Chiltern Insights Group was launched in September. Participants are adults who are currently or have previously used our services, and so far, they have been consulted on two organisational projects. Our Insights Group Facilitator, Sabina, coordinates the group, ensuring communication between the group and the Chiltern team, and promoting accountability so that we act on their advice and make progress. This group is still in the early stages of development but it has shown a positive impact on our work already and will help us to deliver effective and inclusive services. It is hoped that this is the start to building further initiatives, such as service user groups for our children and young people, and updating policies and procedures to ensure that the views of our service users inform everything we do as an organisation.

The next priority will be to update our policies and procedures and to measure our social impact through an integrated approach across environmental, social and corporate governance factors. This will help us to become a more purposely responsible organisation with consideration and cooperation between all of these issues, and make sure that marginalised people will further benefit from these changes at a systemic level.