Conducting the self-assessment
Organisations are encouraged to be as honest as possible about where they are currently in relation to the assessment framework.
To ensure a robust self-assessment process leaders may like to consider:
- drawing together a cross-organisational group;
- delegating to a named lead; and
- creating a plan and timeline for gathering relevant information and completion of the self-assessment.
A small working group can ensure insights from a range of perspectives across leadership, frontline staff and volunteers and people accessing services. This might be an existing EDI advisory group, or a new group drawn from staff across the organisation including people from diversity network/resonance groups.
Responding to the questions in the Tool
The Tool poses a range of questions. Organisations will be asked to declare how well-developed they feel themselves to be in relation to the topic of the question, thereby awarding themselves points.
For each question, there are four options to choose from as an answer, and organisations should choose the closest description. For some questions, you can click on the question mark icon above for definitions and/or further information which will help you to answer the question.
Your answers are designed to give a choice about what stage of EDI maturity an organisation has reached in each area, whether it is still considering its approach, or whether an effective EDI approach is beginning, developing or established:
- We have not started this (0 points).
- We have committed to a plan (1 point).
- We have launched and are developing this (2 points).
- We have been doing this for some time (3 points).
You will need to agree how you as an organisation define “committed to a plan” and “doing this for some time” before you start the assessment. For most organisations, this will mean commitment from decision makers, and “some time” will be be two years or more. If your organisation has existed for decades, you may decide to set the length higher.