BVSC is committed to being an anti-racist organisation. This means not only acting in a non-discriminatory manner, but actively working on driving out racist and discriminatory behaviours. BVSC is an organisation which prides itself on promoting inclusion, honesty and transparency with staff, our partners and organisations across the sector. We are actively reviewing and implementing initiatives which are taking us further along our journey as an anti-racist organisation. These initiatives include but are not limited to:

• Setting up the BVSC Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) working group driven by a cross section of staff across BVSC
• Driving change from the top down via the Board of Trustees and appointing a Board EDI Champion
• EDI a standard Board agenda item for meetings every 2 months
• Actively implementing the RACE Code - an accountability framework based on four key principles: reporting, action, composition, and education
• Developing an EDI Strategy for BVSC
• Creating a psychologically safe environment for staff to discuss race and other EDI matters
• Reviewing key BVSC policies through an anti-racist lens
• Creating a bespoke awareness and education programme aimed at bringing to life lived - experience of racism
• Establishing EDI champions across the organisation who will be able to have conversations with staff about all things EDI

The 2021 Census results revealed that Birmingham now has a demographic where ethnic minorities make up the majority of the population of the city. At BVSC we are committed to reflecting this demographic in our workforce by taking positive action to ensure more Black, Asian and other ethnic minorities are represented in our staff.

We are taking positive action to ensure our recruitment practices reflect our commitment to eliminating unconscious bias. These include and are not limited to:

• Introducing an in-depth Equalities Monitoring Forms capturing information about the makeup of our candidates to all BVSC roles. These Equalities monitoring forms can be compared to the Census data for Birmingham to ascertain if BVSC are attracting candidates reflective of the Birmingham area. This information will be used by HR, and made available to the EDI group to inform changes in the recruitment process
• Capturing EDI Data for all BVSC staff and Board of Trustees to make informed decisions around the composition of our workforce
• Expanding the Values interview pool across the organisation. Having a larger pool of interviewers reduces the risk of unconscious bias influencing the makeup of the organisation
• EDI focused question added as standard to interview questions
• All adverts now containing a statement as standard to communicate our commitments as an organisation, and to encourage applicants who may not meet all the criteria to apply
• Undertaking a review of all employee salaries to ensure that pay scales for our ethnic minority staff match those of non-minority staff.
• Being a Living Wage Employer ensuring all our staff are paid fairly.

Moving forward, BVSC will look to partner with organisations who demonstrate an equal commitment and intention to delivering active anti-racist practice. We recognise that this will look different within organisations with whom we work, however it will become a prerequisite of partnering with us. We ask that organisations can articulate their pro-active efforts towards achieving racial equity either within their organisation, or externally in the environment. We request that this is undertaken in a way that is proportionate to the size and scope of the organisation.

BVSC are open to feedback and welcome any views on this statement and our anti-racist work via [email protected]