Equality, diversity and inclusion statement

Updated May 2024

As an organisation we are on a journey that embraces equality, diversity and inclusion for all our customers and communities alongside the colleagues and teams that work across Hafod.

Accommodating difference, welcoming individuality, and creating positive environments where people can be their true selves and feel able to shine and flourish is essential for so many reasons.

Our mission is clear. We are about making lives better and putting our customers and communities first. These values are already essential and represent our ways of working and the delivery of services and homes for so many people.

Ensuring that there is a true shift towards breaking down some of the societal, organisational and for infrastructure traditions or norms that don't go far enough in tackling inequalities requires challenge and focused attention and that is what we are committed to doing.

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While you're here, take a look at:                                                                                                                                   

Headshot of Neil Davies

Neil Davies

Hendre Chair & Board EDI Champion

Equality, diversity and inclusion at Hafod

"I am delighted to be the Board champion for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within Hafod. Since joining the organisation in 2018, I have seen first-hand how Hafod makes lives better each day for our customers and colleagues and this can only be achieved if the organisation places equality and equity at its core.

"I believe that good quality housing, care and support services are only achieved by asking and listening to individuals' desires, ambitions and needs and adapting what we do to deliver in line with these requirements.

"This page presents our aims and commitments to EDI and outlines how we are embedding good practice into everything we do - from service provision, to recruitment, data monitoring, training, raising awareness and much more. We are passionate and focused about challenging inequalities in our communities and workplace, making inclusion central to our strategic and operational plans."
 

"I feel it is important for us to challenge outdated structures, processes and system failures that discriminate any group in society."

- Neil Davies, Hendre Chair & Board EDI Champion
 

 

Our strategic aims

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Enable a diverse and inclusive organisation where the status quo is subject to meaningful and constructive challenge to ensure inclusive practices are in place for customers and colleagues.

 

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Enable a diverse and inclusive organisation which improves outcomes for customers, colleagues, communities and the wider society.

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Play our part to deliver a positive shift in societal norms where structural inequalities are dismantled.

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Take positive action by setting out an annual action plan and publicising the progress we have made.

Headshot of Jas Bains

"Supporting equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of every role within Hafod. We strive to include, integrate and adapt to support difference in our processes, thinking and our actions to better serve others."

- Jas Bains, Chief Executive

Our commitments

Celebrate

Promoting, championing and celebrating EDI

 

Embrace

Removing bias and inequalities in our customer and colleague processes

 

Share

Growing and learning about EDI together

 

Analyse

Collating and publishing meaningful EDI data

 

Measure

Be representative of our diverse communities

 

 

Achievements in 2022

  1. Developed and launched our EDI policy through consultation with customers and colleagues.
  2. Held an EDI colleague roadshow week, inviting external speakers on a number of equalities topics including gender identity, white privilege, mental health, gender equality in sport and improving board diversity. To ensure customers had the opportunity to share this learning experience, the recordings were made available and promoted widely.  
  3. Became founding partner members of Pathway to Board and Get into Housing programmes.
  4. Launched our EDI webpage giving us a central hub for all Hafod EDI resources and tools.
  5. Curating a library of EDI resources shared with collegues and customers including launching our first menopause policy.

Achievements in 2023

  1. Delivered EDI training for our Board members and senior managers, including Welsh Governments Anti-Racism.
  2. Held an internal EDI workshop leading to the reconfiguration of our EDI steering group and delivery group, and the development of our second EDI action plan - we also shared the workshop with customers.
  3. Established a panel of customers to scrutinise our decision making on Physical Adaptations Grant applications.
  4. Presented an EDI deep dive to our Finance, Risk and Audit Committee, and invited all our Board and Committee members.
  5. Continued the use of Pathway to Board, Get into Housing and the Rooney rule which led to an increase of diversity in recruitment leading to tangible gains in colleague ethnic diversity and further improvements in our Gender pay gap.
  6. Launched the Hafod Domestic Abuse Policy for customers and colleagues.

Priorities for 2024

To celebrate diversity we want to learn and improve our understanding of customers and colleagues through:

  1. Promoting, championing and celebrating EDI through awareness raising and colleague and customer stories.
  2. Improving and utilising data to inform and shape service provision.
  3. Promoting opportunities to underrepresented groups through continued use of Pathway to Board, Get into Housing and widening the use of the Rooney rule.
  4. Working with under presented groups to shape service provision.

Our support

In 2020 we signed the Tai Pawb’s ‘Deeds not Words’ pledge and are fully embracing the Welsh Government Anti-racism Wales Action Plan as well as sponsoring the Pathway to Board and Get into Housing development programmes.

These pledges and programmes speak volumes to us, as they draw attention to the wide disparities in experience of ethnic minority communities in relation to their housing needs. As a housing provider we understand that housing is more than providing a roof over someone's head, it is about providing people with the foundations so that they can thrive.

Harassment

Everyone has the right to always be treated with dignity and respect. We stand together in our belief that harassment, of any form, has no place in our organisation and will not be tolerated. Our fundamental value of inclusivity applies to our customers and communities, as well as to our colleagues.

Hafod have an ethos of equity. We do not tolerate abuse in any form. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you, or another, is the recipient of unwanted or unjust behaviours please report this to a Hafod colleague. We will act.

Read our sexual safety statement for more information.

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