Diversity, Inclusion and Equity

Safe Steps is committed to ensuring diversity, inclusion and equity are embedded throughout our organisation for the benefit of our clients and our staff.

We are committed to a focus on recognising and eliminating discrimination in the services we deliver.

We believe our people are our greatest asset and by supporting and incorporating their diverse talents, knowledge, perspectives and experiences, we can strengthen our relationships with the communities with whom we work.

Being a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports and enables equity goes to the very heart of our work and supports our strategic intent for ‘Building an organisation and culture that is supportive, responsive and sustainable’.

We have a range of principles and strategies to ensure our services provide a welcoming safe environment and experience for everyone. This means our clients, regardless of who they are, where they come from or their life experiences, will receive services that meet their specific needs. It means that staff levels of the organisation will be able to work in an environment that is respectful and inclusive.

Why Embracing Diversity, Inclusion and Equity is Important to Safe Steps

• Supporting diversity and acknowledging that our differences and our sameness in relation to age, sex, gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion, language, political beliefs, sexual identity, disability or those experiencing mental health issues helps develop strong and sustainable relationships
• Providing a culturally safe environment supports clients to feel safer and supports their right to be their authentic and true self
• Understanding that where people belong to several diverse groups e.g., religion, gender, sexuality, age, disability; that this intersectionality can pose additional challenges and barriers for us to respond to
• Encouraging consultation and collaboration helps us to gain feedback that guides improvement in our services and work environments to ensure we are meeting the needs of clients and staff

Celebrating diversity enables us to gain a better understanding of one another, cultivate greater respect and nurture deeper connections to strengthen our services and workplace.