Deeds Not Words

We have signed the Deeds Not Words pledge with Tai Pawb. This page outlines our objectives and action plans as part of the pledge.

Deeds Not Words Pledge 1

Mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on Black, Asian and other minority ethnic staff and communities.

Objective: Adopt the All Wales Covid-19 Risk Assessment Tool which recognises the increased risk of COVID-19 to BAME staff and act on findings.
Action Plan: Continue to follow the Welsh government guidelines on COVID 19.

Objective: Commit to wellbeing/psychological and other support to Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic staff who might feel affected or vulnerable right now.
Action Plan: Line managers to have – conversations and support staff.

Issues around equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing are embedded in conversations and reviews between employees and managers (which covers race). Any identified issues are explored at managers meetings to look for trends and to collectively address issues or raise awareness

Objective: Investigate reasons for overcrowding and worse housing conditions amongst some BAME groups. Start acting on findings.
Action Plan: Engage with our residents through trusted groups. Engage with other support organisations working with BAME communities to help us learn. Take a place base view and start acting on the findings to improve and deliver results.

Work with Tai Pawb to help engage and consult with Ethnic minority groups with Melin

Have an ethnic minority subgroup within our Voices resident meetings using the reviewed community’s engagement strategy

Deeds Not Words Pledge 2

Improve ethnic diversity of board and staff at all levels.

Objective: Adopt the Rooney Rule in at job levels where you identify under representation.

Report annually and act on findings: ethnicity pay gap (where pay gap reporting is not possible due to small sample sizes – report BAME employee ratios at different levels) recruitment, promotion, and retention ethnicity data.

Action Plan: The Rooney Rule is already in place. We will explore the capability of Networx to offer an ‘opt out’ checkbox to this based on candidate feedback.

Melin’s website jobs page has a section on E&D, with hyperlinks to our E&D policy, Tai Pawb, Deed not Words pledge.

Each Job Advert contains the same section on ED&I as a mandatory element.

Deeds not Words is one of the accreditation badges displayed on the footer of every job advert.

Each recruitment pack contains a page that links to our Tai Pawb QED award, Deeds not Words, and Zero Racism Wales pledge.

We are currently working on targeted recruitment with networks / organisations / community groups to encourage applications from ethnic minority applicants.

Ethnicity reporting at stages of the recruitment process will be covered within our Tai Pawb leaders award project and we are using our findings from this exercise to shape our future recruitment.

Objective: Invest in recruitment channels to bring in more Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority applicants.

Train staff and board in Unconscious Bias and raise awareness of white privilege

Ethnically diverse recruitment panels

Action Plan: Improved Website encouraging ethnic minority applicants.

Using different channels, imagery and language to also encourage engagement

Mandatory EDI training for all staff and Antiracism training for staff. Antiracism training and unconscious bias training for Board.

Unconscious bias in recruitment training will be provided to all recruitment panel members.

Job descriptions will be reviewed with our external benchmarking consultants – aiming for accessible and consistent language within all role.

Greater diversity in recruitment panels will be possible with greater diversity in our workforce.

Deeds Not Words Pledge 3

Communicate and engage.

Objective: Publicise your support for racial equality. Publish commitment to take specific actions to tackle the challenges you identified. Report on progress annually.

Action Plan: Have a dedicated and visible EDI page on Melin website and publish what we are aiming for and how we will achieve this through DNW and ARW action plan.

We have also signed the Zero Racism Wales pledge.

Objective: Disaggregate ethnicity data in your tenant/service user satisfaction surveys and other tenant/service user surveys. Use other channels to learn about the experiences of BAME tenants/service users. Act on findings .

Action Plan: Ensure that contract holder EDI data is constantly collected and updated. Merge this data with Data collected from the Equality Surveys; Satisfaction surveys

Analyse the data for more accurate research and pattern detection , and use information to trace source of issue and the appropriate solution.

Objective: Build links with and support BAME community groups in the area and beyond, in asylum dispersal areas, commit to donating or leasing housing.

Action Plan: Decide which Communities we are reaching out to get involved with and contact appropriate organisations working in the selected area.

We continue to support several groups and get support from EYST and Race council who host over 30 diverse groups.

All Melin allocations come through the council and Melin is happy to take applications and provide adequate housing to asylum seekers.

Deeds Not Words Pledge 4

Develop an inclusive culture.

Objective: Chief Executives, senior leaders/Heads of Housing and boards to take a proactive role in championing and monitoring progress on these pledges.

Action Plan: Clear messages from Board and Executive on how important diversity is. Quarterly EDI newsletter addressing EDI issues including race. Board members are part of the EDI group which consisders all EDI maters within Melin homes. Board monitors the action plan and ensures enough focus and challenge through the Quality and Evaluation committee and EDI is a regular agenda item on the committee and Board agenda.

Objective: Chief Executives, Senior leaders/Heads of Housing and boards to actively support and promote an inclusive culture where people are comfortable talking about race and can bring their whole self to work.

Action Plan: Encourage and promote support for all staff. Current position is that all Board Members are expected to champion Equality and Diversity issues and are members of the Equality and Diversity Group.

Objective: Actively support and promote a culture where Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority staff, tenants/service users are comfortable to voice concerns related to race and are believed when this happens.

Invest in reverse of the mentoring schemes to share experience and improve opportunities.

Action Plan: Encourage ethnic minority residents to join our resident group and be part of these changes.

The Voices are now made up of 388 residents and we continue to work towards a more diverse and representative panel.

Work to pair up with the executive team with ethnic minority team members to mentor them on cultural relevance.