Equality and Diversity
Equality and Diversity are integral to all our activities and in every aspect of the work that we do. We aim to respond to the wide social diversity within the communities in which we operate, and ensure that we fully reflect this in our policies and procedures and through the day-to-day delivery of services.
We aim to treat everyone with respect and value their differences. We do this by providing excellent customer service, in which everyone’s quality of life is considered is great importance.
Equality and Diversity Strategy
Our Equality and Diversity Strategy reflects our values and provides a framework through which we work to fulfil our obligations. It demonstrates our commitment to dealing with discrimination, ensuring no one feels disadvantaged or excluded, and providing opportunities for our customers, staff and Board Members.
Equality and Diversity Working Group
Our Equality and Diversity Working Group is made up of both customers and staff, who meet once a month. The Group manage Paradigm's approach to equality and diversity and support staff and residents in recognising and valuing the diversity of our communities.
Faiths and Cultures
Sometimes people belong to a religion because they are born into it. Others follow a faith because they have chosen its ideals and ways of life. We should not make assumptions about a person’s religion, or if indeed they have one, from their ethnic background.
This Quick Guide to Faiths and Cultures aims to teach us about some of the main religions of Paradigm customers, so that we can better understand the diverse cultures and faiths held by our neighbours, and how they are observed.
Access to Our Services
We aim to ensure everyone has equal access to our services and in particular take into account the needs of disabled, vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.
- All our communications are available in large print, on CD and audio tape, in Braille or translated into another language.
- If you call us we can arrange an interpretor and customers can also contact us using Typetalk.
- If you visit our offices we provide portable hearing loops.
Our Customer Access Strategy details what we are currently doing to provide the very best services in a way and at a time that is convenient for our customers. We are committed to ensuring that our customers have a choice in how they access our staff and our services and that we tailor the way we provide services and information to meet individual customer needs wherever possible. This strategy incorporates the views of our customers.
What is an Equality Impact Assessment?
Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) are the method we use to review our services to ensure that they are equally available to any customer who needs to use them irrespective of who they are and where they live. We look at the customer characteristic groups defined by the Equality Act 2010 which are:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender Reassignment
- Marriage and civil partnerships
- Maternity and pregnancy
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex (Gender)
- Sexual Orientation
Where any barriers to accessing our services are identified we look to see how we can remove or overcome them. If we find that one group of customers have a different experience of our service and express lower satisfaction than other customer groups we will investigate further to identify potential reasons for this and whether further action is needed to address this difference in experience.
We complete an equality impact assessment for new strategies, policies and procedures. Our Resident Forum and Board will review the outcomes of the equality impact assessment as part of the approval process required for new strategies and policies.
Paradigm Housing has a rolling programme of Equality Impact Assessments that involve both staff delivering the service and customers. Using the customer profile information provided by customers is a key part of the equality impact assessment process.
During 2010 we completed equality impact assessments for the following service areas, strategies and policies:
- Estate Management
- Responsive Repairs
- Gas Servicing
- Customer Involvement
- Customer Feedback
- Anti-social Behaviour (ASB)
- Customer Profile and Insight Strategy
- Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults, children and young people policies
During 2011 we plan to complete equality impact assessments for:
- Aids and Adaptations
- Our Foyer (providing accommodation and training for young people in Hatfield)
- Sheltered Services for older people
- Rent Recovery
- Empty property management
- Tenancy Management
- Improvement work (eg replacement bathroom & kitchen programmes)
- Our Lea Bridge Hostel in Waltham Forest
- Allocations and Lettings
- Private Sector Leasing Housing Management
- Private Sector Leasing Rent Recovery
- Customer Access and Care
- Customer Service Contact Centre
Equality Impact Assessment Outcomes
Some of the things we have or will be changing as a result of completing equality impact assessments last year are:
- Adjusting specifications for new kitchens an bathrooms to meet different needs of larger households and different faiths and cultures for example providing more cupboards, two rather than one sink, a shower
- Using the internet more as this is often how younger residents prefer to communicate with us
- Including in our domestic abuse leaflets details of national help lines who support men, gay and lesbian people who are experiencing abuse
- More staff are now trained how to use Language Line – a telephone translation service
- A new easier to use communications toolkit for staff on our intranet giving guidance on how to access translation & interpretation services, hearing loops, tips for communicating with customers with sight or hearing loss
- All staff receive Diversity Awareness training
- More staff have received Mental Health Awareness training
- Investigating reasons for lower customer satisfaction amongst Black and Minority Ethnic customers by June 2011
- Recent appointments of new Board Members from groups that were previously under represented e.g. younger people and females
- Active recruitment of more female technicians with Paradigm Maintenance Limited to reflect our customer profile through local apprenticeships