Swan Equality Scheme | 2018-2022

swan

Swan Equality and Diversity

Swan Housing Association

Equality Scheme 2018-2022

Our vision is to deliver a truly inclusive customer service offer that improves lives as well as an employment offer which meets good practice.

Equality & Diversity Swan Housing Association

Contents Page 05.

Foreword by Chair and Chief Executive

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Who are we?

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Our mission

Our vision and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion Our values

Our Equality and Diversity Policy Statement

Making our vision a reality and delivering more: Objectives and outcomes Consultation and feedback What we will achieve

Equality Scheme 2018-2022 objectives Monitoring and accountability Appendix 1: Action Plan

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Foreword by Chair and Chief Executive Welcome to Swan’s Equality Scheme 20182022. By publishing this scheme we are proud to demonstrate our continuing commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

At Swan we believe that Equality and Diversity should be embedded within all aspects of the business, and this belief is a continuous thread that runs all the way from our Board to our customer facing employees delivering on the ground.

We are delighted that, as a result of our commitment and achievements, the Housing Diversity Network have awarded us their Diversity Network Accreditation for excellence in equality and diversity with 5 distinctions for good practice: • Diverse leadership with high awareness and demonstrable commitment to equality and diversity from the Board, Executive and senior managers, with a proactive approach to emerging issues; • Board diversity;

• Inclusive and positive organisational culture, where staff are engaged and feel supported and valued;

We are also delighted to have been recognised as one of the Top 100 Not for Profit companies to work for in the UK by the Sunday Times, achieved Investors in People Gold accreditation and retained our Customer Service Excellence accreditation.

With equality, diversity and inclusion there is always more that can be done and we are committed to doing just that. We know from experience that by working in close partnership with our employees, residents and stakeholders we can combine our skills, resources and energy to create a greater impact, make a bigger difference and deliver our social purpose.

This Scheme will, alongside our People Strategy and other strategies, guide our strategic approach over the next four years and ensure that we continue to promote equality, diversity and inclusion through everything we do.

On behalf of the Board and the Executive Team, we thank all residents, employees and partners who have helped us to achieve so much already and who will be helping us to deliver even more.

• Diversity Days, for bringing together staff and tenants, the range of topics covered, relevance and usefulness for staff in their dayto-day roles;

• Community development approach and range of creative activities and projects to deliver good outcomes for vulnerable groups.

Valerie Owen OBE, Chair, Swan Housing Association

John Synnuck, Chief Executive Swan Housing Association

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Equality & Diversity Swan Housing Association

Our mission is to deliver effective services, enterprising solutions and exemplary homes and communities. We are clear that our continued commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion is critical to achieving this mission.

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Who are we?

We provide general needs housing services, services to our leaseholders, NHS keyworker accommodation, supported housing and care.

We also offer new build houses and apartments for sale in developments across East London and Essex and manage properties on behalf of other housing providers. We invest in our communities and carry out large-scale regeneration activities to develop sustainable communities.

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Equality & Diversity Swan Housing Association

Our vision and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion Our vision is to deliver a truly inclusive customer service offer that improves lives as well as an employment offer which meets good practice.

As set out in Swan’s Corporate Strategy, we have exciting growth plans and a desire to be a leader in regenerating communities. Our ambition is not just to grow our business but also to tell our story and increase our work with partners to maximise the difference we can make so we can achieve our mission.

We have a long history of bringing about inclusive regeneration and are working with partners including the Greater London Authority and Homes England on a number of key projects including projects with London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Basildon Borough Council and the London Borough of Redbridge. Our commercial activities have delivered over ÂŁ55m of gift aid to date which has been reinvested in our services and in providing new affordable housing. By 2027, we want to have an additional 10,000 homes and generate ÂŁ250m of gift aid to reinvest in services and affordable housing.

Our ongoing commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion will enable us to deliver our Social Purpose by being a successful, innovative and growing housing organisation that continues to put our diverse residents and customers at the heart of everything we do.

Our four values (right) will be used to recruit, retain, develop and reward our people so they live our values every day and use them to guide their work. We are passionate about customer service and having the best people to deliver it is crucial. We want to have engaged employees who are well trained, appropriately rewarded and feel they can take decisions to deliver great services for us, our customers and our partners. Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion will help us to recruit and retain the best people and to ensure that they are trained to meet the needs of our diverse range of residents and customers.

I am innovative

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By living our four values, we will promote equality, diversity and inclusion through everything we do.

I am enterprising

I want to make a difference

I believe in our social purpose

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Equality & Diversity Swan Housing Association

Our Equality and Diversity Policy Statement We value diversity and we are committed to promoting equality, diversity, community cohesion and inclusion including social, digital and financial inclusion.

We welcome the requirements placed upon us to comply with various legal and regulatory requirements that relate to equality, diversity and inclusion and aim to do more. Through our activities as an employer, a landlord, a service provider, a partner and in procurement we seek to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation and advance equality of opportunity, foster good relations, tackle prejudice and promote understanding.

We will work with our residents, customers and partners with the aim of improving equality, diversity and inclusion outcomes for everyone regardless of: age; disability; gender identity; gender expression; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy, maternity and paternity; race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation.

For further detail around how we will deliver this please refer to our Equality and Diversity Policy.

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Equality & Diversity Swan Housing Association

Making our vision a reality and delivering more: Objectives and outcomes Consultation and feedback

As set out in our Equality and Diversity Policy Statement we are committed to working with residents, customers, partners and employees to tackle the equality, diversity and inclusion issues that matter to them and to achieving shared objectives.

Before writing this Equality Scheme we invited Swan residents and employees to tell us about the equality, diversity and inclusion issues that matter most to them. We wanted to ensure that our Scheme and Action Plan were based on real priorities, rather than simply consulting on a document that had already been written.

We sought feedback from Swan residents through ‘The Communicator’ (our newsletter for residents), our website, Facebook, the Essex and London Resident Consultative Committees (RCCs) and consultation at SwanFest 2017 – our annual residents day. We sought feedback from Swan employees through CygNET (our intranet), our Diversity Action Forum (DAF), our Employee Representative Committee (ERC), SwanProud (our LGBT+ Employee Network) and through our Housing Diversity Manager’s other engagement with colleagues including through the roll out of refresher equality and diversity training.

The main feedback received from both residents and employees was that we should keep doing what we are doing including delivering, and involving residents in, our annual Diversity Day. The following suggestions were also made:

• The London RCC asked us to consider whether there is anything more we can do to help safeguard older residents who may be targeted through scams.

• The Essex RCC asked if we could help them get more involved with work to raise awareness of and tackle hate crime in the wider community; (An initial Hate Crime Ambassadors training session was delivered in October 2017 to address this request).

• Some of our employees have indicated that they would welcome the opportunity to attend further equality and diversity training including cultural awareness training.

These requests have been addressed or will be addressed through the implementation of the Equality Scheme 2018-2022 action plan.

What we will achieve

Success in the delivery of this strategy will provide us with a continued ability to have strong Equality and Diversity delivery, to continue to enhance the lives of our customers, to build a strong workforce and to be innovative and aspirational in our delivery.

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Equality Scheme 2018-2022 objectives

This Equality Scheme focuses on achieving the following 5 key objectives over the four year period 2018-2022. A Strategic Action Plan that shows how these objectives relate to the four strategic themes of our Corporate Strategy (customer, commercial, innovation, growth) and how we will achieve them is set out at Appendix 1. Additional actions that will help to achieve the objectives may be added to the action plan during the life of the Scheme.

Develop our workforce to deliver our values and embed these in all that we do

• Develop a culture of inclusivity where our staff and residents thrive, by delivering a programme of training and events that help to raise awareness and knowledge around equality and diversity • Utilise our Diversity Action Forum to add value and further embed Equality and Diversity into all roles

In order to achieve our objectives we plan to:

Support our customers to ensure equality outcomes in times of change

• Continue to ensure that we create an environment that is transparent and strives to deliver against external best practice

• Provide training and support for our customers in relation to digital

Promote Diversity in Leadership

• Understand our customers and their needs and adapt our services to meet those needs

Be innovative, aspirational and meet best practice

• Tackle the matters that are important to our customers such as social isolation and fuel poverty

• Understand where our strengths lie and help others by sharing our knowledge and expertise

• Identify where we have areas of improvement and develop ways forward to address these

Measure equality outcomes and publish what we do

• Ensure that we can evidence the impact that we have by reporting and publishing our Annual Report and summary of our Equality Analysis results

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Equality & Diversity Swan Housing Association

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Monitoring and Accountability

Our overall approach to equality, diversity and inclusion is led and overseen by the Executive Team, the Operations Committee and the Board to ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion is fully embedded across the organisation.

Responsibility for ensuring that the Equality Scheme Action Plan is completed rests with the lead officers as set out in the action plan and their teams.

This Scheme and performance against the Action Plan will be regularly monitored by the Executive Team and scrutinised by the Operations Committee and the Board.

In addition, an annual equality and diversity report will be produced and published on our website to show outcomes and progress.

Equality & Diversity Swan Housing Association

Commercial / Innovation

3

Make a difference

Make a difference

Commercial / Innovation

2

Make a difference

Commercial / Innovation

1

Corporate Strategy objectives and values

Promote Diversity in Leadership

Promote Diversity in Leadership

Promote Diversity in Leadership

Equality Scheme objective

Develop and deliver a training programme for Board, Committees and Executive Team to support the promotion of Diversity in Leadership

Meet the 10 Chartered Institute of Housing Leading Diversity by 2020 challenges.

Publish Swan’s gender pay gap data annually in line with legislative requirements, along with appropriate narrative as well as details about the actions that are being taken to reduce or eliminate the gender pay gap

Action / Target

Programme developed, delivered and promoted

Challenges met, implemented and embedded across the organisation

Swan’s gender pay gap is reduced year on year

Expected Outcome

Board and Executive Team

Executive Team

Executive Team

Lead

Appendix 1 Swan Housing Association Equality Scheme 2018-22 Action Plan

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March 2019

March 2020

April 2018 and annually

Target date

Customer

6

Make a difference/ Social purpose

Make a difference/ Social purpose

Customer / Commercial / Innovation

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Innovative/ Make a difference/ Social purpose

Customer / Commercial

Corporate Strategy objectives and values

Be innovative, aspirational and meet best practice

Be innovative, aspirational and meet best practice

Be innovative, aspirational and meet best practice

Equality Scheme objective

Equality & Diversity Swan Housing Association

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Use the DAHA (Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance) online toolkit to assess Swan’s current response to domestic abuse and identify opportunities to do more

Use the Stonewall Workplace Index to assess our progress on LGBT equality and identify opportunities to do more. Develop a workplan if gaps are identified

Retain our Housing Diversity Network Accreditation by seeking re-accreditation and look to increase the areas in which we obtain distinctions

Action / Target

Swan’s current response to domestic abuse is assessed and opportunities to do more are identified

Assessment completed. Any areas for improvement identified and developed into a workplan

Diversity Network Accreditation retained

Expected Outcome

Assistant Director, Neighbourhood Services

Executive Director Operations

Executive Director Operations

Lead

March 2019

September 2018

June 2019

Target date

Equality & Diversity Swan Housing Association

Commercial / Customer

9

Make a difference/ Social purpose

Make a difference

Commercial / Customer / Innovation

8

Make a difference/ Social purpose

Customer / Commercial

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Corporate Strategy objectives and values

Measure equality outcomes and publish what we do

Measure equality outcomes and publish what we do

Be innovative, aspirational and meet best practice

Equality Scheme objective

Produce an Annual Equality report

Develop an equality analysis programme and undertake equality analysis of all key service areas undergoing change. Publish a summary of the results annually

Retain our Disability Confident Employer Status and become a Disability Confident leader

Action / Target

Provides an overview of Swan’s performance in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion

Executive Director Operations

Relevant Head of Service / Manager and Housing Diversity Manager

All potentially negative equality impacts are identified and addressed

Annual report published.

Head of Human Resources

Lead

Swan becomes a Disability Confident leader and employs more disabled people

Expected Outcome

Appendix 1 Swan Housing Association Equality Scheme 2018-22 Action Plan

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September 2018 and then Annually

Annually: Timetable for equality analysis to be agreed each April

October 2019

Target date

Customer / Commercial / Innovation

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Make a difference/ Social purpose

Make a difference/ Social purpose

Customer / Commercial / Growth

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Make a difference/ Social purpose

Commercial / Customer / Innovation

Corporate Strategy objectives and values

Develop our workforce to deliver our values and embed these in all that we do

Develop our workforce to deliver our values and embed these in all that we do

Develop our workforce to deliver our values and embed these in all that we do

Equality Scheme objective

Equality & Diversity Swan Housing Association

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Agree an action plan for project work to be undertaken by the Diversity Action Forum

Provide employees with opportunities to engage directly with our customer base in a voluntary capacity, to enable them to build closer links to our customers

All new employees and involved residents to be provided with equality, diversity and inclusion and cultural awareness training as part of their induction programme.

Action / Target

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion issues that matter most to residents, customers and employees identified and tackled. Annual work plan delivered and outcomes measured

Increased employee and customer satisfaction

All Swan employees and involved residents are adequately trained. All new employees attend and 100% attendance maintained

Expected Outcome

Executive Director Operations

Head of Resident Involvement and Community Development

Executive Team

Lead

Annually: Action plan to be agreed

by May and actions to be completed by the following March

Annually

Ongoing

Target date

Equality & Diversity Swan Housing Association

Customer / Innovation

15

Make a difference/ Social purpose

Make a difference

Customer / Innovation

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Innovative/ Make a difference/ Social purpose

Customer / Commercial

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Corporate Strategy objectives and values

Support our customers to ensure equality outcomes in times of change

Support our customers to ensure equality outcomes in times of change

Develop our workforce to deliver our values and embed these in all that we do

Equality Scheme objective

Provide support & training for residents wishing to improve their digital capabilities in order to help access services and benefits including universal credit. Use information gained to develop and deliver future service offers

Increase the profile information we hold about our customers to include items such as communication preference to enable us to shape services to meet their needs effectively

Encourage others to do the same

Continue to publish articles / blog posts on the intranet that relate to various equality, diversity and inclusion related awareness days / weeks / months that include positive diversity messages.

Develop and deliver a programme of interactive information events for employees that raise awareness of various equality, diversity and inclusion matters.

Action / Target

Training in place and being delivered

Increased customer satisfaction relating to communication

Improved data collection levels.

Ongoing increasing attendance and engagement and increased awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion issues

Expected Outcome

Head of Resident Involvement and Community Development

Assistant Director of Neighbourhoods

Executive Team

Executive Director – Operations and Executive Director – People and Communications

Lead

Appendix 1 Swan Housing Association Equality Scheme 2018-22 Action Plan

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Dec 2018

March 2022

Ongoing

March 2019

Target date

Customer

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Make a difference

Make a difference/ Social purpose

Customer / Commercial / Growth

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Make a difference/ Social purpose

Customer

Corporate Strategy objectives and values

Support our customers to ensure equality outcomes in times of change

Support our customers to ensure equality outcomes in times of change

Support our customers to ensure equality outcomes in times of change

Equality Scheme objective

Equality & Diversity Swan Housing Association

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Provide our customers with Hate Crime Training opportunities

Support the local communities in which Swan operates by developing employment opportunities within Swan and offer training and guidance for accessing these roles. Monitor and report on numbers engaged

Develop and work with specialist partners to deliver an Older Persons winter warmth and safety programme that identifies and addresses loneliness and helps safeguard residents from scams

Action / Target

Head of HR and Head of Resident Involvement and Community Development

Housing Diversity Manager

Training delivered

Assistant Director Neighbourhood Services and Head of Resident Involvement and Community Development

Lead

Understanding of total number of residents employed and the positive impacts on the business and our communities

High risk residents referred to local support agencies and residents assisted to access relevant benefits and services.

Expected Outcome

March 2020

March 2022

October - Annually

Target date

I am nn I am ente I want t a d ffe I bel eve soc al p

ovat ve. erpr s ng. o make erence. e n our purpose.

Communicating...

If you would like someone to explain anything in this document to you please call us on 0300 303 2500 or email us at information@swan.org.uk

We are happy to provide the information in this document in a different format if you are unable to read it.

BENGALI FRENCH POLISH SOMALI PUNJABI

ARABIC URDU

Swan Housing Association Pilgrim House, High Street, Billericay, Essex. CM12 9XY Phone 0300 303 2500 | www.swan.org.uk