Taking time to reflect

Last summer, when we made a commitment to improve our approach to equality, diversity and inclusion, we aimed to launch our EDI strategy about now.

Our work to develop the strategy has been led by council and by the CSP’s chief executive. Our approach has been to engage with as many members as they can – members of the three diversity networks as well as the broader membership – and with CSP staff to understand their views and expectations.

This has taken more time than we thought, and it has resulted in us gathering a lot of insight. 

We want to get this strategy right. It is vital that we have a clear and effective strategy that gives us complete accountability.

Developing that means taking the time to understand what you’ve said and reflect with both members and staff to inform our objectives.

Council have therefore approved an alternative timetable for the strategy’s development. It adds two months into the process and means we are now working towards a draft in March, which will go out for consultation, ahead of a full launch in May.

This month, council will be meeting with members from the diversity networks to review and reflect on what we’ve heard from the wider membership – including feedback from the workshops and the survey – and what the demographic data shows.

At a workshop planned for February, they will review together the EDI objectives, to ensure they are fit for purpose and come to a collective view on what our focus should be in achieving these.

We’re committed to doing everything we can – together – to improve equality, diversity and inclusion in our profession, and we value your understanding and involvement in this hugely important work.

Thank you all for your contributions so far – including your responses to the survey. 

Get involved

Equality and diversity 

If you would like to stay involved in the strategy development, email me at governance@csp.org.uk