Recently, The Wilf Ward Family Trust applied for an accreditation in FREDIE – that’s Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement. In the scary wider world of today, it’s becoming more important than ever to hold on to these principles. This is why we are on a mission to embed the FREDIE principals into our culture throughout the organisation, and we will strive to bring these values into communities, and our daily lives.

So, in a bold step forward, we have merged both the Trust Voice (formerly Staff Consultative Group) and EDI Champions into one group. Why? Because collaboration and communication are absolutely key to engagement and inclusion – and to continue our FREDIE mission, we need maximum participation from all corners of The Trust!

The meeting began with introductions, and an explanation of why the ‘buzzers’ and ‘thumbs up/thumbs down’ placards were there to greet us on the desks. The buzzers were to be a communication aid – during the meeting, if some jargon or phrase was used that someone did not understand then they could press the buzzer and ask for a definition. This communication tool is just one of the ways we can make all meetings within The Trust as inclusive as possible, not just for individuals we support who are attending the meetings, but for employees as well.

We then proceeded with a fun exercise designed as an ‘icebreaker’ so we could learn more about each other. Getting personal is essential to teamwork in how it creates connections and encourages open and honest conversation. So we proceeded with ‘Two Truths and a Lie’ to break down barriers and get to know each other better – this game involves writing down some interesting facts about yourself, but one of them is a lie, and everyone must guess which is the lie. We introduced each other with the three “facts”, and used the ‘thumbs up/down’ placards to vote for which statement we thought was the lie.

As you can imagine, this exercise brought about some very interesting conversations!

We learned that Peter had NOT in fact met Belinda Carlisle – but he convinced us all that he had! We discovered Amanda is related to Paul Daniels (but not THAT Paul Daniels – and she doesn’t know any magic tricks!); Rachel is a qualified football coach; and – perhaps the most incredible revelation of all – Susan once managed to cover the Prime Minister’s trousers in dust!

Feeling more connected as a group, we proceeded to the discussion of intertwining the Trust Voice and EDI Champions, and what both groups could achieve together. Rachel got us thinking about our purpose as a Trust as outlined in our mission, vision and values. Then together we identified where our Trust goals, FREDIE principles and Trust Voice goals overlap: to provide a voice for all employees and individuals; to include and involve employees and individuals in decisions that affect them; to create a safe space where everyone feels able to have open, honest conversations and to voice feedback; and to ensure nobody ever feels excluded, or unfairly treated.

So, the combined groups defined the following combined purpose:

Trust Voice is a group within the Trust where everyone can speak up, get involved, connect, and share ideas. We all join together, to hear everyone’s voice, creating a sense of belonging and trust across the organisation.

As a Trust Voice Representative or EDI Champion, we:

We discussed holding workshops for members to attend, and bring the feedback and concerns of others to the table. To have as much impact as possible across The Trust, we agreed to recruit as many members of Trust Voice/EDI Champions as possible, and prioritise regular meetings.

With renewed momentum and enthusiasm, we then welcomed Kim and Antonia from the National Centre For Diversity – the body that is assessing us for the FREDIE accreditation.

Kim and Antonia asked us about the goals we were moving towards, and some of the things we had already begun to do to embed the FREDIE principals within The Trust. We talked about the importance of providing resources for wellbeing – like the webinars and workshops available to everyone. We discussed the various exciting new ways of strengthening communication and bringing together employees and individuals through investment in technology, which is currently being co-ordinated by our Digital panel.

Stuart and Peter, two of our individuals from Scarborough, talked through what made them feel an integral part of Trust decisions, and the importance of their involvement in everything from recruitment and selection, to training, learning, investments, and Board meetings.

Andrea and Susan – two of our Support Workers – confidently gave honest feedback on what The Trust already does well, and areas for improvement.

These are exactly the kind of open and transparent discussions we aim to encourage more of, with everyone bringing something to the table, and every voice listened to.

This conclusion to the meeting instilled a sense of renewed energy among all participants, fostering pride in our commitment to advocate for others and providing a supportive voice and safe, welcoming environment for all employees and individuals.

The meeting really ended on a high – this truly is the beginning of a powerful collaboration!