People who work in workplaces that actively promote diversity and inclusion report a sense of belonging, and this results in people feeling valued and appreciated, happier and more resilient in their roles.
There are lots of different characteristics that set individuals apart from each other, such as someone’s ethnicity or religion, their gender and sexuality, age or if they have a disability. All these characteristics could lead to varying levels of discrimination and privilege.
We hope that, through our support, employers will build inclusive and equitable workplace cultures and develop more diverse and compassionate leaders.
Why is it important?
Embracing diversity in the workplace is not only the right thing to do but also makes business sense. We commissioned a review of the benefits of recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce, which found evidence to suggest a positive link between diversity and business performance, reduced costs and improved quality of care.
People who are part of an equal and inclusive culture feel valued and empowered. This in turn helps to decrease sickness absence and reduce turnover rates, improving organisational effectiveness.
People drawing on care and support also benefit from an equal, diverse and inclusive workforce - the workers are more representative of who they’re supporting which enables better provision of person-centred care.
Being known for having a diverse workforce and inclusive culture will improve your reputation as a good employer and help to attract new people to your team.
Understanding equality vs equity
Equality means every individual is treated equally – people have access to the same resources and opportunities. Equity recognises that we’re all individuals with different needs, and support should be tailored to the individual to reach an equal outcome.
Achieving an equitable workplace is what we’re striving for but it’s important to remember that the law which protects us from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society refers to equality and is called the ‘Equality Act 2010’.
Resources to support equality, diversity and inclusivity
We’ve got a range of resources to support you and your teams to achieve equality, diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. From guides to learning programmes to forums, our resources support both personal development and organisational development, helping you to identify opportunities to support a diverse workforce.
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This introductory overview gives a current thinking and understanding about racism. It encourages reflection and discussion around understanding racism and the legal context, providing an opportunity to identify any actions to take forward.
Support for leaders and managers
Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard
This tool has been developed to measure improvements in the experiences of staff for staff from diverse ethnic backgrounds over a period of time.
Webinars to support leaders and managers from diverse backgrounds
Watch our webinars recorded during the pandemic that cover topics to support leaders and managers from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic backgrounds.
A positive culture toolkit for adult social care
Our toolkit will support you at different stages of your journey to establish, maintain and improve your workplace culture so that it鈥檚 inclusive, compassionate and collaborative.
Developing your workforce
Confident with difference
This resource supports organisations to consider how well diversity is embraced within your organisation, how it impacts on the quality of care you deliver and how you could improve.
Creating an inclusive organisation
This digital learning programme is for anyone working in social care who鈥檇 like to learn more about equality, diversity and inclusion to help build confidence within their organisation.
Moving Up
This programme supports workers from diverse ethnic backgrounds to develop the leadership skills needed to move into more senior leadership roles in social care.
LGBTQ+ learning framework
This learning framework for working with LGBTQ+ people in later life aims to provide a base for identifying the knowledge, understanding and skills that the social care workforce need to help them work inclusively and effectively with individuals from gender and sexually diverse communities.
Recruitment support
Values-based recruitment
Our values-based recruitment toolkit will support you to learn how to embed a values-based approach throughout recruitment and retention which supports inclusive practice.
Blogs and articles
We've published a number of blogs and articles focusing on culture and diversity covering a range of topics.
Read the blogs and articles
不良研究所 Race Equity Reference Group
This group has been established to support 不良研究所’s commitment to championing equity, equality, and diversity. The group is made up of representatives from across the sector and includes people who work in social care and people with lived experience. The expertise and knowledge of race equity issues will be drawn upon to support the development of guidance and resources for the sector and used to promote race equity and equality across the sector.
If you’d like to find out more about the Race Equity Reference Group (RERG) please email Equalityandrights@skillsforcare.org.uk