AVUK believes that diversity and inclusion matter and strives to be an organisation that explores and promotes diversity and inclusiveness. We believe that diversity brings strength to our organisation. We celebrate different points of view and strive for a workplace where everyone feels valued for who they are. We continue to challenge and review our processes and practices, recognising any areas where we need to improve and take action where needed. We recognise and value the importance of lived experience and we will draw on external expertise and partnerships to further develop our own knowledge, understanding, and effectiveness in relation to diversity and inclusion at AVUK.

Over the last year, we have taken steps in a number of areas to promote diversity and inclusion at AVUK. Our focus has been on the following areas:

• Developing a language guide to help staff communicate respectfully with diverse groups 
• Implementing a program of Lived Experiences sessions to increase awareness and understanding of challenges faced by different groups 
• Introducing new processes to promote fair and diverse recruitment, such as using blind recruitment and advertising roles through diverse websites/agencies 
• Updating therapy resources such as toys and books to increase representation
• A review of our outreach and engagement practices following a review of the ethnic backgrounds of all the families we support to explore whether our service-users are representative of diversity across the UK.
• Using our Family Survey to check how inclusive AVUK is perceived to be. 89% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that AVUK was an inclusive organisation and an organisation that respects and celebrates diversity. The remaining 11% were neutral in their response.

Although a lot of progress has been made already, we know there is room to improve further. We remain committed to continuing this journey and to the ongoing implementation of our diversity and inclusion action plan. Looking forward, AVUK is committed to uphold the principles of diversity and inclusion and to explore further our approach to equity.