Our vision for diversity, equality and inclusion

Our vision is to foster a culture of trust and openness where all staff can flourish and their unique experiences and perspectives are valued by everyone at the NHF. Our policies and practice will facilitate an equitable workplace where people experiencing disadvantage are enabled and encouraged to contribute their full potential. Our high-performing workforce will be more diverse and will reflect the diversity of the society we live in.

Our organisational culture will be one where all colleagues are treated with dignity, respect and fairness.

As a trade body, we have a key role to play in demonstrating leadership on diversity, equality and inclusion, and in supporting our housing association members to be the best that they can be and our sector can lead the way on equality, diversity and inclusion.

A separate work programme aims for the NHF to demonstrate sector leadership on diversity and inclusion and we are working with a group of members to deliver this.

The nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are:

Age
Disability
Gender reassignment
Marriage and civil partnership
Pregnancy and maternity
Race
Religion or belief
Sex
Sexual orientation.

Where appropriate we have used alternative terms which we believe are more inclusive throughout our strategy, such as ‘gender’ and ‘ethnicity’.

Equality is ensuring individuals or groups of individuals are treated fairly and not discriminated against because of their characteristics. The Equality Act provides protection from discrimination on nine protected characteristics.

Diversity is about recognising and embracing difference, based not just on protected characteristics. Placing positive value on the benefits of the different perspectives and experiences everyone brings, enriches the workplace.

Equity is treating individuals fairly based on their needs and requirements. Equity ensures that all the individuals are provided the resources they need to have access to the same opportunities.

Inclusion is where everyone feels that they belong, that their contribution matters and they are able to perform to their full potential, no matter their background or circumstances.

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Our vision for diversity, equality and inclusion

The nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are:

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