Our Commitment
The National i-THRIVE Programme actively promote Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) to all prospective sites to ensure collaboration across localities to reduce inequalities and actively promote equitable access for all. We celebrate and value difference and the benefits that diverse individuals and communities can contribute to the delivery of mental health and wellbeing provision. Our aspiration is that all mental health and wellbeing provision is accessible, welcoming and inclusive for all.
Our Commitment as Individuals
- Individually, members of the National i-THRIVE Programme Team have independently sought to educate themselves, move towards a stance of genuine anti-racism and use their influence to helpfully challenge any processes, practices and ideas which further maintain the status quo.
- Through appraisals, individuals have raised the importance of including opportunities to mentor staff and support people to develop their skills and take on a leadership role. Appraisals have also been used as a platform to express feelings about how some voices are privileged over others, and the impact this has had. As a result, these experiences are being shared by senior staff to support lessons learnt across the Trust.
- Individuals have actively participated in feedback and learning opportunities at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, our host organisation, as part of their Race Equality Strategy. Team members have contributed to interviews, focus groups and a solutions collaborative.
- Individuals have made efforts to attend webinars, Trust Scientific shared learning events and to be proactive in considering issues of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the content we are reading, watching and sharing.
Our Commitment as a Team
- In August 2020, the team nominated two members as EDI co-champions. The role of the champions are to ensure that EDI remains prominent in our discussions and in any work agenda, and to attend quarterly EDI Champion meetings at Trust. These meetings are an opportunity to share our reflections, actions and to learn about the different initiatives being undertaken across the Trust.
- Within our weekly team meetings, we have ensured Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is the opening agenda item, to consistently give this appropriate space and time.
- Through recruitment processes all candidates are asked to reflect specifically on issues relating to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in their interview answers.
- Also within our team meetings, we discuss how we might support each other in the moment to use our voice and influence in responding to discriminatory language or action, and in calling out harmful behaviour, by devising an action plan about what to do during and after any such event.
Our Commitment as the National i-THRIVE Programme
- All National i-THRIVE Programme content, including slide decks and work stream proposals now include our commitment statement to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. More of an emphasis is also placed within our presentations on our role in providing equitable services to children, young people and their families which has received positive feedback from implementation sites.
- When working with specific localities, we comment on the specific demographics of that area; speaking to gender, range of ethnicities and languages spoken, age, religion and social economic factors. We aim to encourage transformational leads within the locality to actively consider the varied needs of the diverse population, and how services can be used to support all children, young people and families.
- Our National i-THRIVE Community of Practice webinar on 13th May 2021 focused on bringing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion to the forefront of implementing the THRIVE Framework. We used this webinar to speak more broadly about our commitment to EDI and highlight how the principles of the THRIVE Framework align with reducing inequalities and increasing access to help and support. Find out more about the webinar, download the slides and watch the recording here. As a team, we did however reflect that the presenters in this webinar were not representative of the diverse communities that we work with, which highlights that we are very much on a journey of continuous reflection and improvement.
We want to increase opportunities for shared learning from the diverse communities across the country that are implementing the THRIVE Framework. In addition, we would like the diversity to be reflected in our presenters at webinars and face to face events to actively promote and encourage diverse perspectives. The team will provide coaching and practical support to build confidence and skill for anyone willing to share their learning. Please do contact us if you would like to think about how to take this forward.
Feedback from a number of presenters have been that the National i-THRIVE Community of Practice events and webinars have been a friendly introduction to presenting on a national scale and we can provide a certificate to validate the contribution.
We are proud of the steps we have made so far and openly acknowledge there is still a long way to go, and that championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is a continuous process which requires a commitment to education, reflection and challenging our views and behaviours. We are committed to improving our stance and also in opening our communication channels to all who are either interested in or are implementing the THRIVE Framework.
If you would like to find out any more about our commitment to EDI or would like to feedback on our steps so far, please email the team at ithriveinfo@tavi-port.nhs.uk.
Last updated: 24/08/2021.