Co-operatives UK launches diversity, equity and inclusion review

What is the review all about?

Co-operatives UK, Locality, Plunkett Foundation, and Power to Change share an interest in developing and supporting the community business sector. Over the past two years, they have been collaborating on a range of themes, and diversity and inclusion have been identified as priority areas to address.

Following a competitive tender process, the four organisations have appointed ChangeOut to support employees, leadership, and volunteers in a joint project to develop plans to address the diversity profile of staffing, trustees and consultants and the extent to which they represent their broader constituencies. 

What does it involve?

The initial work across the organisations will identify individual and common improvement actions, with early focus on data collection and reporting and how this supports practice, staff and board recruitment, and internal culture. The project will also review supplier recruitment, development and management, internal and external communications, and the accessibility of products and services to customers.

During and beyond the current pandemic crisis, the four organisations’ share a vision of increased value and power in community and are keen to ensure their activities are accessible to all. 

Over the next three months, ChangeOut will conduct a mapping/review exercise of the current position and any good practice across the four organisations leading to recommendations for action in each organisation to improve diversity and inclusion practice and where possible, identify areas of further collaboration or sharing of resources across the organisations.