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Sanctuary believes in the value of diversity and the need to operate in an inclusive way. In fact, diversity is one of our values that guides how we act every day.

We recognise that ensuring we deliver services that are accessible to all and treating everyone fairly is not about treating everyone the same. It’s about appreciating that each person is an individual and understanding their needs. It's about working in a way that ensures everyone feels respected, valued, included and heard. To help us achieve this, we have created 'Fairness For All', Sanctuary Group's equality scheme.

Mandy Morris and Sara Keetley

Our Fairness For All scheme helps us in weaving equality, diversity and inclusion into the way we plan, develop and deliver all our services. We want to do this, not only because of our regulatory duties but because we believe it is good for our customers, good for our staff and good for society.

'Fairness For All' is supported by comprehensive action plans for the various parts of our business, that show how we will work towards achieving our equality, diversity and inclusion objectives. Progress in achieving those actions is monitored regularly and all action plans are renewed annually.

We report on progress against the actions contained in these action plans to Sanctuary’s Group Board.

This scheme is currently under review. Sanctuary will be publishing the plan for the next phase of its EDI journey in 2021.

Sanctuary Group's Fairness for All Equality and Diversity Scheme 2019-2021

Equality monitoring

At its simplest, monitoring is a process of collecting, storing and analysing demographic data about our customers and using this data to improve our services. We monitor what are known as protected characteristics which include:

  • race
  • sex
  • age
  • marriage and civil partnership
  • religion/belief
  • sexuality
  • gender identity
  • disability.

Vic Sewak

On the basis of information gathered, we are able to make improvements based on which groups may or may not be using our services.

It is not always obvious why we need this information and why we are asking such personal questions. The What's it got to do with you? brochure (PDF 439KB) can help with this as it explains the benefits of equality monitoring and just what the information is used for in an easily understandable way.

Disability Confident Employer

Sanctuary is a Disability Confident Employer, registered with the Government as a business which recognises that many disabled people have the skills, talents and experience that we are looking for.

This voluntary scheme, which replaces the previous Two Ticks standard, aims to help employers value the work of disabled people and those with long-term health conditions and ensure they have opportunities to fulfil their potential.

As part of our commitment, we conduct self-assessments to ensure that we are meeting our responsibilities in recruiting and retaining disabled people, and that we are also:

  • actively looking to attract and recruit disabled people
  • providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process
  • flexible when assessing people so that disabled applicants can demonstrate that they can do the job
  • making reasonable adjustments (such as adaptations to premises or equipment) as required
  • supporting staff to manage their disabilities or health conditions
  • encouraging suppliers to be Disability Confident

Sanctuary staff member working at his desk.

Disability confident employer logo in black.

Since then we have also become a member of the Business Disability Forum, which is the world’s leading business organisation for improving disability confidence with employers.

 

Stonewall Diversity Champions

Sanctuary is dedicated to achieving sexual orientation and gender identity equality in the workplace. In order to assist in achieving these aims, Sanctuary is a member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme, a best practice employers’ forum.

The programme provides opportunities to enhance employee engagement, improve processes and procedures, and access new pools of talent through targeted recruitment.

Sanctuary recognises that all staff have a role to play in creating an inclusive environment for colleagues and the programme will assist Sanctuary in ensuring that this approach is embedded across all of the Group’s operations.

Pictured right is Sanctuary's Group Chief Executive, Craig Moule, an ally within the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme.

Sanctuary is a member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme

Networks

As part of growing an inclusive organisation, Sanctuary supports staff networks. These are staff-led and enable colleagues to connect with others who have lived similar experiences. The networks determine their own objectives which broadly fall into three areas - providing peer to peer support, raising awareness across the organisation of the lived experiences of diverse groups and providing insight and feedback on relevant organisational policies.

Our LGBT+ network is open to all Sanctuary staff to explore issues affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans ('LGBT') people at Sanctuary and supports staff in the workplace. Since being established, the group has focused on improving Sanctuary's practices and procedures as an employer with specific projects including:

  • contributing to the review of Sanctuary's mandatory equality and diversity staff training;
  • ensuring office protocols, announcements and Sanctuary publications are free of gender biased wording;
  • suggesting improvements to the way that Sanctuary collects and stores diversity data;
  • the development of a communications plan to promote inclusion at Sanctuary; and
  • the Sanctuary launch of Stonewall's 'Don’t be a bystander' campaign, promoting a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and hate crime.

Sarah Armstrong

Our group uses an online Microsoft Yammer forum to communicate.

We also have a network of role models and allies to support staff in the workplace.

Our Parent network set-up by two mums in mid 2020 aims to connect colleagues going through all stages of parenting to provide support and guidance, offer conversation and give parents a voice. This fledgling network is supported by specialists from Communications, Human Resources, Technology and Diversity and Inclusion and is rapidly establishing itself across the organisation.