Welfare Equality Diversity and Inclusion

Our Model: How we are leading and implementing

Our Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) is a cornerstone for our Welfare and Inclusion Leadership (WIL) group. This group brings together our work to tackle inequalities and improve opportunities for both staff and beneficiaries. This galvanises our data and monitoring capabilities, our workforce development expertise, safeguarding and welfare responsibilities, HR leadership and our staff wellbeing voice. This approach ensures Diversity and Inclusion informs the policies, practices and performance of the organisation as an integral element of how the organisation is planned and functions.

During Phase 1 (2024 - 25) our DIAP work will identify and address priority actions, including our 6 High Impact Actions (HIAs) which will build on our existing progress to enable us to achieve meaningful improvements in experiences for all. At the end of Phase 1 we will have our own house in order and will be able to benchmark our performance against the identified needs of our communities more effectively

Our Objectives

With Board, staff and external partner support, Active Lancashire has supported the development of Diversity and Inclusion objectives including the production of an ambitious DIAP to change behaviour s and embed a culture which enables DI both within the organisation and across our partners. In 2023 we established a DI task and finish group (with Board member leadership) with actions that will be taken forward through the WIL group. The working group operated within the following parameters:

• To identify priorities that would enable enhanced delivery of the Active Lancashire strategy
• Development of High Impact actions that would bring the DIAP to life
• Embedding a culture of DI across the organisation through collaboration
• To understand challenges and devise credible solutions and actions

Our 5 key pillars within the DIAP provide a framework for our work with RAG rated and Committee reviewed actions that support our organisational Strategy and a number of emerging leadership activities including our Local Skills Accountability (jointly with CIMPSA), Safeguarding and Welfare Plans and our Lancashire Physical Activity Strategy (jointly with Lancashire County Council).

Our Board Statement and Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At Active Lancashire, we continue to celebrate and uphold our commitment to promoting Diversity and Inclusion (DI), aligning with the principles of the Public Sector Equality Duty as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. This commitment extends across our organisation, encompassing our Board, staff, delivery partners, and the diverse communities we serve. We recognise that fostering an inclusive society requires proactive leadership, activities and a genuine dedication to providing services that are not only relevant and responsive but are also informed by lived experience with sensitivity to individual needs. Our commitment to equality and diversity is woven in to the DNA of our Board and team, underpinned by robust policies and procedures designed to safeguard and improve the welfare of children, young people and adults; ensuring equitable opportunities for all. As a Board and team, we are tireless to uphold these principles in every aspect of our work, including our interactions with partners, stakeholders, and our own staff team. Our comprehensive Staff handbook and policies serve as tools for empowerment, fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated, and every employee is valued and supported in their professional growth and wellbeing.

For Active Lancashire, embracing diversity isn't just a moral imperative; it's a strategic asset and a cornerstone of our values. We acknowledge the inherent strength in embracing diverse perspectives, ideas, and cultures, and we are committed to leveraging these differences to drive and improve our organisational vision, business strategies, and operational excellence. We call upon our Board members, all our employees, and partner organisation to join us in our mission to build a fair and just Lancashire. Together, we strive to create an environment where every individual is treated with dignity and respect, where inequalities are confronted head-on, and where we proactively understand and can support diverse needs and circumstances to unlock the full potential of our amazing people of Lancashire.

To enable our commitment to Welfare Equality Diversity and Inclusion, Active Lancashire commits to:

• Actively work to eliminate discrimination, abuse, harassment, and victimisation through our leadership role and activity.
• Strive to advance equality of opportunity, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their protected characteristics, have equal access to our services and opportunities.
• Endeavour to foster positive relationships between individuals with protected characteristics and those without, promoting understanding, respect and collaboration.
• Be dedicated to identifying and addressing disparities faced by individuals due to their protected characteristics and lived experiences, striving to remove or minimise these disadvantages.
• Proactively tailor our services to meet the unique needs of individuals from protected groups, acknowledging and accommodating differences where necessary.

In embodying these principles, we state our unwavering commitment to building a society which through our role to increase levels of physical activity in Lancashire and there by tackle inequalities we are able to celebrate diversity, uphold equality, and champion inclusion as a guiding principle in all that we do.

Our High Impact Values

To enable the DIAP, the Board has committed to 6 High Impact Actions:

1. All members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to have specific and measurable DI objectives which support the delivery of the DIAP to which they will be individually and collectively accountable;
2. We will enhance and extend our fair and inclusive recruitment processes and talent management opportunities that target under-representation and lack of diversity within our Board and staff team;
3. We will improve monitoring of Board and staff team profiles to inform and develop opportunities that enable improved representation, contribution and recognition of lived experience, diversity and difference;
4. We will work in our sector leadership role to develop and implement an improvement plan to understand and address inequalities within the sector workforce;
5. We will further enhance and implement our induction, onboarding and development programme for all staff so that they remain well informed and connected to understanding the contribution and value provided through diversity and difference;
6. Through our communications and practices we will champion an environment that promotes the conditions for diversity, inclusion and difference to be understood and valued.

Our DIAP Action Plan 2024 - 2025

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Equality Standard

We have been awarded the Foundation Level of the Equality Standard for Sport.

The Equality Standard is a national framework for widening access and increasing the participation and involvement in sport and physical activity from under-represented individuals, groups and communities, especially women and girls, ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities. It is endorsed by the major Sporting bodies and Governing bodies who are working to the same standards.

For further information on the Equality Standard for Sport please visit www.equalityinsport.org.

Women and Girls in Sport

We know there are inequalities that exist in local sport and intend to make sure sport is inclusive to all including women and girls by using good practice examples provided by Women in Sport.

Women in Sport provides key information to support women and girls to participate and progress in sport and fitness.

Their aim is to increase the health, fitness and well-being of women and girls by making physical activity an integral part of their lives, where physical activity is defined as sport and exercise.

Their website provides information on issues that face women and girls, research carried out by Women in Sport and information on how to get involved in sport and fitness. For more information on Women in Sport please visit www.womeninsport.org. 

Racial Equality

We are committed to addressing the barriers faced by people from ethnic minority backgrounds by working with a host of agencies such as Sporting Equals.

Commitment to racial equality in sport has clear social, economic and commercial benefits. It will encourage more people from all ethnic backgrounds to take part in sport so that there is more representation at all levels from participation to coaching, management and the administration of sports.

Sporting Equals exists to promote ethnic diversity across sport and physical activity. Set up in 1998 by Sport England, in partnership with the Commission for Racial Equality, but now an independent body, they inform, influence and inspire in order to create an environment in which:

• Diverse communities can influence and participate in all aspects of sport and physical activity
• The governors and providers of sport and physical activity recognise and value a fully integrated and inclusive society
• Ethnic diversity is recognised and celebrated

For more information on Sporting Equals please visit www.sportingequals.org.uk.

Our Equality Inclusion Partner is: www.activityalliance.org.uk/