Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

Cross Keys Homes is committed to fostering a culture of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) in all aspects of our business – it is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that every individual deserves respect, fair treatment as well as an equal opportunity to succeed in their life and in society as whole.

We commit to work actively towards creating an inclusive environment where all voices are heard, valued and considered. Operating in one of the most diverse cities and regions in the country, we will strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment that values the strength and positive contribution that comes from diversity in our residents, employees, partners and stakeholders. Our pledge is our public commitment to build an inclusive business for everyone.

We will adhere to all legal and regulatory requirements, but we will go further and we will aim to continuously improve. We want CKH to be at the forefront of ED&I, recognised as a responsive, fair and inclusive employer and landlord.

 

What is ED&I?

Equity exists when you create a fair and inclusive environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed regardless of their individual circumstances. We will work to proactively identify and address any barriers or biases that hinder equitable access to services, opportunities and resources.

Diversity is about valuing and celebrating our differences, whether they be visible or invisible, and recognising and seeking to harness these within our communities and our business. We will embrace the value of different experiences, perspectives and opinions that help us thrive as individuals and create a culture where all voices are heard and valued. 

Inclusion is the culture which creates a sense of belonging for all individuals. We will promote an ethos of respect, openness and acceptance where differences are embraced. We will create opportunities for everyone to contribute, grow and thrive where we make decisions based on merit and free from any form of bias or discrimination.

 

In our communities:

The social and economic composition of Peterborough and CKH wider area of operation varies greatly and has seen rapid change in recent times. We strive to shape our services to best suit the needs of these communities by listening to the people who live in them. Resident involvement and hearing the residents’ voice is key to understanding how we can best serve our communities and we always place this front and centre of our business.

To do this we will:

  • Know and understand our residents by ensuring we collect, hold and use accurate, up to date and relevant data to make decisions.
  • Improve our knowledge of resident diversity to enable us to offer services that are inclusive and enable equal opportunity for everyone to access our services.
  • Ensure no one is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be necessary and justified.
  • Ensure we know our residents and can identify where vulnerable residents require adapted or increased support.
  • Increase the number and diversity of involved residents (including volunteers).
  • Provide inclusive community investment activities for a diverse range of people.
  • Ensure residents complete equality impact assessments for all front-line services.
  • Meet the requirement of the Regulator’s Consumer Standards; specifically, the Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Standard (TIE) and the Neighbourhood and Community Standard (NC).
  • Ensure that involved residents (including volunteers) have a sound knowledge and understanding of working with a diverse group of people, treating people fairly and with respect.
  • Provide information outlining learning and improvement from the voice of our residents through feedback and complaints and identify any trends relating to the needs of our residents (e.g., socio-economic, hidden disability, protected characteristics).
  • Review on an annual basis the Resident Voice – our Resident Involvement, Community Investment and Volunteering Strategy to ensure that they remain relevant, fit for purpose and in line with our vision and values.
  • Work only with partners and suppliers who share our aim for equity and inclusion.
  • Take action whenever we see, hear or know of anything that is not inclusive.

 

In our workplace:

We aim to build a diverse workforce that reflects our communities, and to be recognised as a fair and inclusive employer.

We want a workforce that is representative of the areas we operate within. We know that by having teams of mixed gender, ethnicity, physical ability, age and sexual orientation, we will benefit from a variety of viewpoints and a wider range of experience.

To do this we will:

  • Create an inclusive workplace and ensure current and prospective employees have equality of opportunity for recruitment, selection, terms and conditions of employment, training, development and career progression.
  • Eliminate any Disability Confident logoharassment or unjustifiable discrimination against anyone for any reason, including their race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion, sex or sexual orientation, working pattern, marital status, gender reassignment, disability, age, political opinion or family status.
  • Adopt and adhere to appropriate schemes, including Disability Confident, to cement our pledge to employees.
  • Support and celebrate the diversity of our employees through our Social and Inclusion Committee.
  • Ensure we benefit from the different perspectives our employees offer.
  • Ensure employee wellbeing is at the heart of our HR practices, with a particular emphasis on maintaining good mental health, as well as responding to the needs of our employees who are carers by committing to Harry’s Pledge.

 

In our governance structure:

Our strong and robust governance structure, from our Group and Resident Board, through our management structure to all individual employees, aims to ensure ED&I is central to every policy, plan and service.

To do this we will:

  • Hold ourselves accountable for the progress we make in achieving equity, diversity and inclusion through a live, evolving and proactive Equity and Diversity Action Plan.
  • Ensure our Board promotes, leads and scrutinises our ED&I Strategy and Action Plan on an annual basis.
  • Embed a culture of continuous improvement and provide ongoing training to drive positive change within our organisation and the services we provide.

 

In our partnership work:

We know we cannot achieve everything we set out to do alone. To maximise resources and expertise we work with partner organisations to build homes and deliver services. We will ensure all our partners value ED&I as strongly as we do.

To do this we will:

  • Work in partnership with others to promote diversity, including embedding this within our Procurement Policy, when procuring goods and services.
  • Seek to benchmark our performance and progress against other housing associations and those outside the sector where appropriate.
  • Continue to develop partnerships that increase positive pathways towards true equity and diversity.

 

Download a PDF copy of  Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion