Equality, diversity and inclusion privacy policy

In 2020, CIH committed to improving equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in our organisation, our membership, and the housing sector. This year we are focused on improving our customer relationship management (CRM) system so we can capture data and discover what our membership and the housing profession look like across the UK. Doing this will help us identify where the sector may be underrepresented in different areas across the UK.

We have pledged to publish the findings of the EDI survey annually so that there is complete transparency about the make-up of our CIH membership. We will also use the information to identify the need for new products or events that can improve the professionalisation of the housing sector.

Our request to complete the EDI survey is entirely voluntary. You can choose to answer all, some or none of the questions. Participation in the survey has no bearing on your CIH membership or status. Although we very much hope you will choose to answer as fully as you can.

We have tried to strike the right balance between asking enough questions to make the survey results useful and not asking too much so that the survey becomes overwhelming. Most questions mirror the characteristics that proceed under the 2010 Equality Act; in some instances, we have gone beyond this. We will review the feedback regularly and do so where we feel a question should be amended, added or deleted. You are free to ignore any questions you do not wish to answer. The rest of your responses will still be reflected in our annual update.

Significant gaps exist in what we know about our industry's workforce, executive teams and boards, making it difficult to build accurate pictures to compare to population data. We have data for the sex and age of our members, but the most significant gaps are on issues such as socio-economic characteristics. The socio-economic duty is part of the Equality Act 2010 (not a protected characteristic), and the duty states that certain public bodies, when making strategic decisions, must consider how their decisions might help to reduce the inequalities associated with socio-economic disadvantage.

The SED came into force in Scotland in April 2018 and in Wales on 31 March 2021. Several English local authorities (such as Newcastle City Council and the North of Tyne Combined Authority) have adopted the duty voluntarily. Of course, we are not a public body, but we work in the public interest and want to move with the spirit of the responsibility to better understand our members' socio-economic status.

Marital status is one of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. If we feel marital status or any data field is redundant over time, we will reconsider collecting this data. As noted above, there are significant gaps in what we know about our workforce, and this survey data will help us build an accurate picture of the housing workforce compared with the population data set.

Yes, the census is used to provide an overview of the diversity of CIH membership. Suppose too few responses are provided locally to guarantee members' anonymity. In that case, the localised data set will not be disclosed- only the aggregate data will be reported.

All your data will be stored safely and securely in our CRM system, and if requested, we can remove your data in line under article 17 of the UK GDPR, which you have the right to request a copy off and/or deleted.

Participation in the survey has no bearing on your CIH membership or status. Your response will help us improve the service we provide to our members. However, your participation is entirely voluntary.

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