CHSA Approves its Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Values Statement & Focus Areas
With the leadership and guidance of the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Committee, the CHSA board approved an official Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Values Statement at its Annual Meeting on May 17, 2022. The process to develop the Statement included engaging the Executive Committee in helping to generate the guiding values and contributing to the network’s definition of inclusion. Along with approval of the Statement, the EDI Committee proposed five focus areas, which were adopted by the Board.
When presenting the Statement and focus areas, Janice Lane, EDI Committee Chair and CEO of CHSA member organization, Children & Families in Iowa, emphasized that the Statement is intended to apply to the individual work of the member organizations, the network as a whole, and the work CHSA members conduct within “our collective networks.”
After the vote, the Board called itself to accountability to actively live into the words in the Values Statement. As next steps, each Board and Executive Committee meeting agenda will include a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion, and each Committee will embed equity into its work.
Children’s Home Society of America
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
Values Statement and Focus Areas
Values Statement
The Children’s Home Society of America (CHSA) believes in the intrinsic dignity, value and belonging of every person. Fairness and justice are first and foremost in the way we offer care to children, families and communities.
We are committed to holding ourselves accountable to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work, while dismantling bias and discrimination in policies, procedures, and other activities.
As we actively pursue equity, diversity and inclusion we hold space for uncomfortable and brave conversations while exercising grace. We engage and listen to the people whose experiences are often unheard and unheeded, and provide leadership where it is needed in governance, operations and advocacy.
Our equity, diversity and inclusion mission is to influence and contribute to organizational, systemic and societal change, within and among our member organizations and collective networks.
EDI Focus Areas
Governance, Workforce, Leadership
Organizational Policy
Alignment from member organizations to CHSA network
Training
Within member organizations
Across the CHSA network and our collective networks
Data
Collecting network data through EDI lens
Ensuring CHSA has and uses disaggregated data in its decision making
Engagement, Continuous Improvement and Accountability
Employee engagement and experience
CHSA supports small businesses that are owned by individuals from traditionally marginalized populations whenever possible
Advocacy
Public Policy
Advancing policies that ensure equity
Lifting up voices that go unheeded and unheard