Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) 2024-27 – Year 2 Progress
Our Aims and Objectives
This document provides a summary of our headline ambitions for promoting, embedding and advancing diversity and inclusion, and brings together actions that were previously being undertaken through 3 separate plans: – our Equality Action Plan, Tackling Racism and Racial Inequality Action Plan and Board Diversity Action Plan.
Our aim is for Active Kent & Medway to represent all backgrounds and ensure opportunities to engage with sport and physical activity are inclusive, open and accessible.
Our Ambitions
1. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is embedded throughout our functions, procedures, policies, and planning. (Governance)
We will:
- Ensure key policies and activities consider EDI, are in line with current legislation and undergo Equality Impact Assessments.
- Adopt and embed EDI objectives in our work programmes.
2. We are promoting a safe, inclusive and supportive culture in all that we do.
We will:
- Increase awareness of our EDI ambitions and aspirations through our external communications.
- Demonstrate positive inclusive behaviours, shared beliefs and ways of working.
- Undertake an annual staff satisfaction survey to listen to our staff and identify areas for improvement.
3. Our Board, Senior Leadership and Staff Team have the knowledge, skills and confidence to work to improve diversity and inclusion in sport and physical activity. (Strategy and Leadership)
We will:
- Demonstrate leadership at every level of our organisation and take responsibility for embedding equality, diversity and inclusion through all our work.
- Ensure that there are EDI leads within our staff team and an EDI Board Champion to provide strong governance.
- Facilitate WES (Workforce, Equality & Safeguarding) briefings, EDI training and discussion opportunities for our staff and Board to build confidence, develop skills and improve knowledge.
4. Our Board, Senior Leadership and Staff Team are reflective of our local community and with diversity of thought and background. (Representation)
We will:
- Undertake an Equalities audit with our staff and Board to help us understand and acknowledge the diversity within our team.
- Collect EDI data at point of application and promote vacancies widely using a variety of methods and via key equality stakeholders, contacts and networks.
- Increase the diversity of our staff and Board by focusing recruitment on reaching and engaging with culturally diverse communities and people with disabilities.
5. We are proactively engaging stakeholders to support, influence and champion change. (Strategy and Leadership / Stakeholder engagement)
We will:
- Share local and national insight, resources and learning to improve knowledge and proactively tackle under-representation.
- Promote stories and positive experiences that highlight people from diverse backgrounds being active.
- Co-ordinate networking and learning opportunities to enable stakeholders to share good practice and learn from each other.
6. Through our work and that of our system partners we are proactively engaging with our diverse communities and ensuring that their needs are heard and understood. (Data collection)
We will:
- Listen and learn from the lived experiences of under-represented communities to gain a deeper understanding of the inequalities and barriers faced and how to address these.
- Utilise insight and data to inform our decision making and project planning.
- Create positive experiences and provide stepping stones for under-represented communities to become part of the workforce through volunteering and leadership opportunities.
Our Progress 2025-26
1. EDI is embedded throughout our functions, procedures, policies, and planning.
We have:
- Completed Equality Impact Assessments on key policies and activities throughout 2025-26.
- All staff adopted and embedded EDI objectives within their personal action plans.
2. We are promoting a safe, inclusive and supportive culture in all that we do.
We have:
- Strengthened staff wellbeing structures through the establishment of a Staff Wellbeing Group, Buddy scheme for new team members and regular training sessions.
- Provided a safe space for staff and opportunities for regular feedback and raising concerns through staff satisfaction survey, one to ones and staff groups.
- Communicated our aspiration in EDI on our website, via social media channels and directly with our stakeholders.
3. Our Board, Senior Leadership and Staff Team have the knowledge, skills and confidence to work to improve diversity and inclusion in sport and physical activity.
We have:
- Demonstrated our commitment through EDI leads within the staff team and Board champion, which has included recruitment of a new team member and new EDI Champion for the Board.
- Increased opportunities to shape EDI learning through our WES (Workforce, Equalities & Safeguarding) group.
- Facilitated regular WES learning sessions for the team focused on mental health, women’s health and inclusive communication.
- Delivered inductions for all new staff and Board members including information on EDI policies and practices.
- Provided opportunities for staff to attend external EDI training such as Race Equity and health related inclusion sessions.
4. Our Board, Senior Leadership and Staff Team are reflective of our local community and with diversity of thought and background.
We have:
- Demonstrated commitment to EDI in all job descriptions and person specifications.
- Utilised diverse recruitment panels, including representation from external partners and those with lived experience.
- Collected EDI data from applicants and offered reasonable adjustments at interview.
- All staff responsible for recruitment completed EDI in recruitment and selection training.
- Promoted vacancies though Kent County Council channels, our own social media and wider network of organisations.
5. We are proactively engaging stakeholders to support, influence and champion change.
We have:
- Delivered networking and learning opportunities including our annual conference, Primary PE and Physical Activity conference, Live Longer Better network events, sport welfare project drop-in sessions and Everyday Active Schools workshops.
- Undertaken accessibility improvements across our Active Kent & Medway and Everyday Active websites.
- Developed a disability dashboard bringing together key information and contacts to better support inclusive practice.
- Shared inclusive content across our promotional channels, supporting awareness days and key campaigns.
- Promoted stories and positive experiences highlighting people from diverse backgrounds being active via our websites, newsletters, social media and creative media, including films such as: Everyday Active for Health and Small Grant, Big Impact.
- Utilised inclusive imagery which is representative of our audiences in digital and printed resources, which are also available in alternative formats.
6. Through our work and that of our system partners we are proactively engaging with our diverse communities and ensuring that their needs are heard and understood.
We have:
- Reviewed local data and insight and used to inform planning and design of projects with our system partners.
- Collected equality data across our programmes and events to better understand the current demographic profile and identify gaps.
- Attended site visits, events and engaged with a wide range of groups and people from underrepresented backgrounds including Family Hubs, Hi Kent (hearing impaired peer groups), wheelchair users support groups, Kent Association for the Blind, Carer support groups, Neurodivergent support groups and asylum seeker support organisations.
- Developed our Everyday Active campaign and website to help meet the needs of underrepresented communities and facilitated a network of Everyday Active Champions who are engaging with their local communities.
- Organised themed sports events to promote inclusion such as a Black history month celebration event for children and young people.
- Expanded delivery of the Activity Volunteer Award with significant progression of young people (including SEND and those on Free School Meals) gaining leadership skills and volunteering experience.
Contact Us
Our DIAP details the actions we will take to achieve our aims and ambitions through short, medium and long term actions.
If you require further information, please get in touch with us at: activekent@kent.gov.uk.