Help us develop our new Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Policy - Phase 1

We asked

We asked residents, community groups and wider partners to help us develop and co-produce our new Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy for Barnet. Topics covered included format of the new policy, inclusive language, experiences of exclusion, EDI priorities and vision for Barnet.

You said

Between February – August 2023, we delivered a series of workshops and community outreach activities. Over 200 people shared their views on how we can create a place where people feel they belong and are respected. Here are the key themes of what people said they want to see:

ensure everyone can access services and prioritise supporting those most in need
use inclusive language, reflect Barnet’s diversity and promote EDI work
more community events and initiatives that foster community togetherness
education and training on EDI matters and ways to get involved
protection against discrimination.

We did

We analysed the insights gathered and produced an EDI policy engagement (phase 1) report which included the following recommendations:

keep the new EDI Policy simple, visual and accessible
publish an EDI action plan and implement robust processes to monitor progress
adopt an evidence-based approach to identify and support those most in need
raise awareness of EDI work and consistently involve residents (living the Community Participation Strategy)
work closely with voluntary and community sector organisations, businesses, schools, police, NHS and other partners to improve EDI in the borough.

We launched the EDI policy engagement (phase 2) in September 2023 to gather views on the emerging EDI priorities, vision, action planning and to further explore inclusive language. This builds on the insights gathered from Phase 1 and reinforces our commitment to co-producing our new EDI policy.