First housing association in UK to adopt new race equality code

Trident Group, a not-for-profit organisation based in the Midlands, has become the first housing association in the UK to qualify to use the RACE (Reporting Action Composition Education) Equality Code Quality Mark, following assessment.

Being an early adopter organisation, the new code has been developed to help organisations take action to improve race equality within the workplace.

To qualify to display the mark, the Group had to go through an in-depth assessment and develop an action plan to demonstrate that it encourages racial equality amongst its workforce and is actively improving internal measures.

Dr Christopher Derby, Executive Director of People and Resources, said: “There are many initiatives, pledges and choices to be made when embarking on getting inclusion right. We found that the detailed and comprehensive process that we went through as a Group with involvement and representative at Board level in achieving the quality mark from the RACE equality code was pitched at the right level to give us the confidence in tackling inequality. The focus on race served to complement our overall Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy and we are proud to have achieved the quality mark and committed to join the campaign of moving the dial on representation.”

Dr Karl George MBE said: “The long-overdue need to tackle a woeful lack of racial diversity in the leadership of many of our organisations is finally getting the attention it deserves. Real change only happens when you are able to influence leadership – the board and executive management – and hold organisations to account. So, the focus of the RACE Code is firmly on how we deal with race inequity in the boardrooms and senior leadership teams of the UK.”

As part of the assessment process and before they are granted use of the mark, organisations must show that they meet the standards for each of the RACE principles and have an action plan to tackle areas of improvement. A RACE action plan will include measures for publicly reporting on progress, improving HR practices, increasing diversity at senior levels and educating staff on racial inequality.

The Race Equality Code draws learning and recommendations outlined in reports, charters, and pledges, with the aim of supporting organisations who are actively tackling diversity and inclusion challenges. It was launched in October last year as part of Black History Month 2020 by Dr Karl George MBE and a national steering group of experts in governance and racial inequalities. Details on the RACE Code can be found at: www.theracecode.org