Welsh Housing Awards winner 2023

Excellence in championing equality and diversity

Newydd is a charitable housing association that offers 3,000 affordable homes for rent and sale to people where need is at its greatest in mid and south Wales. We aim to provide affordable homes and support sustainable communities with excellent services to tenants and customers.

In 2021, Newydd established a dedicated working group to take on Tai Pawb's prestigious QED quality mark which provided a comprehensive Wales specific framework for reviewing, improving, and transforming the equality and diversity impact across governance, services, access, involvement and culture. We were absolutely delighted to attain this accreditation in March 2022.

Various initiatives and changes to working practices have made a significant impact, namely:

• We developed an inclusivity calendar to schedule information to share with staff and tenants and organised guest speakers to talk at staff briefings to improve understanding, raise awareness, and celebrate the protected characteristics for example, Lisa Power MBE, a sexual health/LGBTQ+ rights campaigner spoke about LGBTQ+ history, a speaker spoke about the Rwandan genocide and guest tenants have spoken about disabled adaptations. their transgender experience and Diwali. Information shared on social media and Yammer (our staff e-noticeboard) is tagged #equalitymatters
• ReciteMe software was installed on our websites to improve accessibility
• Strategies and policies undergo equality impact assessments to ensure services are fair and inclusive
• Our hate crime policy and procedure was strengthened, and safer communities officers worked with south Wales Police to raise awareness of hate, mate and online crime
• Newydd’s Equality And Diversity Subgroup (NEADS) co-produced, four charters which included EDI considerations. These were published on our website after being approved by our Tenant Reading Panel (Safety first, Reasonable adjustments, Customer service, and Contractor code of conduct)
• We improved EDI practices with board recruitment, induction, and training and reviewed board job specifications and code of conduct
• An equality impact section is now included in board reports
• Equality impact assessment training was provided to board members and managers to increase scrutiny of equality matters
• A detailed annual EDI report is compiled for board which includes performance analysis of key areas of service delivery by protected characteristics
• In depth analysis of data and complaints is undertaken to identify trends and ensure no individual or group is being treated unfairly
• To address the under-representation of people from ethnic minorities, we adopted the Rooney Rule
• Tenant profiling data is continually monitored and updated so we can effectively tailor services to meet diverse needs
• We adopted a zero-tolerance approach to inappropriate behaviour and language
• We developed accessibility guidelines for our communication
• We produce monthly tenant e-newsletters to share service updates, outcomes and achievements and upcoming influencing opportunities
• To increase our visibility and enable tenants to talk to us face to face, we facilitate regular community pop ups
• Our digital inclusion team provided tenants with free SIMS and one-to-one support and installed smart speakers in independent living schemes’ communal lounges
• Board members and staff received EDI and unconscious bias training
• We worked with Marie Curie and the Alzheimer’s Society to develop a Dementia Friends Action Plan and developed a joint Deeds Not Words/Anti Racist Wales Action Plan to further progress our commitment to inclusiveness.

This year 129 staff responded to our annual QED survey. Results showed:

• 95 per cent were aware of our EDI strategy (+9 per cent from last year)
• 78 per cent thought the strategy was applied very well (+10 per cent)
• 76 per cent felt able to be open about their personal circumstances at work (+5 per cent)
• 67 per cent felt Newydd were doing more on EDI than before undertaking QED.

Tai Pawb highlighted our accessibility checklist, annual EDI board report, reasonable adjustments charter and inclusivity calendar as best practice. They loved the inclusivity calendar so much they adopted it themselves and felt our EDI report was a sector leader.

We successfully attained the Dementia Friends accreditation.

We were the first in Wales to successfully complete TPAS Cymru’s TESA (Tenant Engagement Standards Assessment) which provided assurance that our new Tenant Influencer Strategy included inclusive engagement practices. We were also runner up at their 2023 best practice awards for the ‘Tenant Voice’ category.

Four of our independent living schemes have attained RNIB Cymru’s Platinum Visibly Better Award. The major improvement works increase independence and make life easier for tenants with sight loss.

We successfully recruited a board member from an ethnic minority background after E&D was made an essential criterion on the person specification.

Tai Pawb

“Newydd provided comprehensive evidence, including several good practice examples, which showcases their work and how it is advancing equality for their colleagues, tenants, and the wider community. There is a clear commitment to continual improvement in equality, diversity, and inclusion within the organisation”

Staff member

“As a person of colour, it made sense that I join the QED group and contribute to the great collective work being done. I have always been thankful and grateful of the support Newydd has provided me"

Staff member

“We are a fantastically inclusive company that I am proud to work for”

Staff member

“The knowledge I have gained from the QED group has been invaluable and I am confident that the things I’ve learned will shape my professional path for years to come”

Staff member

“I am proud to be part of the QED group and I hope the work we do will ensure that everyone feels welcomed, included, respected, and valued in the workplace and beyond!”