St Michael’s Equity, Diversty and Inclusion policy

St Michael’s is committed to putting Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) firmly at the heart of all we do. Our commitment to EDI is deeply embedded in our core values and directly informs the compassionate, honest, and expert work we undertake with each family. We recognise that every individual – whether a child, parent, staff member, trustee, volunteer, or partner – brings unique experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds to our organisation.

Our commitment to EDI must begin with us as a charity creating a culture of inclusion and allyship within the organisation, and it was brought to our attention that we need to do better in these areas by showing greater leadership within the organisation and we accept this. As a result, we commissioned an external EDI consultant, Pam Rowe, to assist us in improving our policies, processes and structures in relation to equity, diversity and inclusion, together with improved overall workplace culture. Following this we have shown our commitment to making changes by:

• Establishing an anonymous reporting mechanism for raising concerns and making suggestions related to EDI.
• Appointing an EDI Lead and a monthly EDI working group made up of staff from across the organisation to drive EDI initiatives and monitor progress.
• Establishing an EDI sub-committee led by trustees to act as a critical friend to the organisation providing guidance and oversight on EDI matters. 
• Making EDI a key priority in our three-year strategy, setting specific goals and actions to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Making EDI goals part of our probation and performance appraisal process.
• Developing a zero tolerance to racism and micro-aggressions procedure and a clear process for reporting, recording and addressing incidents and concerns.
• Organising a whole organisation anti-racism training, with plans to cover other EDI topics throughout the year.
• Diversifying our board of  9 Trustees with 7 members of the board being women and 4 members being from ethnic minorities.  
• Running a black workers’ forum – a confidential space to support and celebrate staff and their unique experiences.

We continuously strive to ensure our policies, practices, and procedures reflect our EDI commitments. We welcome open discussion and feedback from all stakeholders to further enhance our dedication to EDI