Our commitment to Equity Diversity and Inclusion
An overview of our EDI policy and plan
Our EDI policy and plan is ambitious. It covers all aspects of our organisation, from governance and partnership working, recruitment and staff wellbeing, to understanding and representing the diverse communities we serve, and ensuring our services meet their needs so we can strive for equality.
We aim to create and promote a culture that will support trustees, staff and volunteers to feel empowered, knowledgeable and able to administer our EDI Policy in all of our interactions with service users, members, partners, stakeholders and suppliers. We will promote equity, diversity and inclusion and will take steps to challenge discrimination, harassment and victimisation in everything we do.
We understand that everyone’s life experiences are different and we aim to encourage a culture of open-ness and ensure our people feel comfortable to ask questions related to EDI. We know that discrimination and oppression takes many forms and that regular experience of micro aggressions can be as harmful as overt discrimination.
We have started with understanding diversity within our own staff teams to establish if we reflect the communities we serve. We are proud to say that the diversity within our team is higher than the average both nationally and for Newcastle in relation to all protected characteristics.
The below statistics come from a survey we undertook in early 2026. This information will regularly change. For example, even since this survey took place, we have welcomed new Board and staff members who will impact these results. So, regular monitoring will be carried out to ensure we remain aware of the diversity within our staff teams, and any areas for improvement. You can also download this information as an attachment using the link at the bottom of the page.
How we set our benchmarks:
We start with a caveat that we are dealing with very low numbers in our survey – 11 trustees and 37 staff responded. Therefore, we need to exercise caution when making comparisons with national or regional demographics.
Gender: We used the 2021 UK Census information to set the benchmark. We note that the UK VCSE workforce has a higher number of women – with most data showing this is around 60%.
Disability: This benchmark is based on the percentage of the population identifying as disabled in the North East, from the 2021 Census.
Ethnicity: This benchmark is based on the 2021 Census data for North East England. Ethnic diversity is lower in North East England than some other regions.
Sexual Orientation: The 2021 census data for North East England showed almost 3% of the population identified as LGBTQ+. We note that 6% of people did not answer the question, and that the number of people identifying as LGBTQ+ is higher in younger populations, so we set our benchmark at 5%.
Socio-economic background: The UK Census asks questions about current job status - but we wanted to gain information about the socioeconomic background of our staff and trustees. We asked about occupation of the main earner in the household at age 14. We used analysis by the Social Mobility Commission which shows that 63% of the UK’s population are from working class or intermediate backgrounds to set our benchmark. We do not have access to detailed socio-economic background data for the North East
Religion: We used the 2021 Census data for North East England.
Language and terminology
Language is complex and there are many different terms we use to describe communities. At Connected Voice, we regularly consult with local communities around terminology.
Ethnically minoritised communities: We consulted with the Haref Network about terminology. The government stopped using ‘BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic)’ and recommended ‘ethnic minority’ as a replacement some time ago. ‘Ethnically marginalised’ recognises that individuals and communities have been minoritised through the social processes of power and marginalisation rather than just existing in distinct statistical minorities. It better reflects the fact that some ethnic groups that are minorities in the UK are majorities in the global population.
We are aware that any term that groups together many ethnicities and racialised groups and cultures will have issues, and that categorisation in general has a long history of being problematic. The Haref Network is composed of people from many backgrounds who all experience the world in different ways and we are committed to using specific language wherever possible (e.g. Black Caribbean, Pakistani etc.). We recognise that language and terminology change and evolve so we are currently reviewing this terminology again soon in consultation with the Haref Network.
LGBTQIA+ communities: Following some LGBTQIA+ awareness training we received and consultation with Connected Voice colleagues, we decided to use the acronyms ‘LGBTQIA+’ or ‘LGBTQ+’ for brevity. We are mindful that there is no single community that people identify with. Many people, particularly more marginalised people, may not feel part of any community. We understand the complexity and sensitivity about using the term ‘queer’ because it is a ‘reclaimed slur’. Though it has been used widely in this way for 30 years, it is still not universally used and we understand that not all people react positively to the term.
People: Across Connected Voice, we support organisations and individuals. We are mindful of the dangers of giving people a label. Although not intended, a label can imply judgement, bias, stigma, and power imbalance. It can strip people of individual identity. We have heard from people how it makes them feel dehumanised when they are described as ‘partners’, ‘clients’ or ‘service users’. For this reason, we always refer to people by name and we use the term ‘people’ when describing our work more generally.
