Diversity Action Plan

Our Action Plan

The Action Plan aims to provide equitable, accessible and responsive services to our diverse population. Making a positive difference to the lives of people in our care.

Our aim is to strengthen how we identify, understand and respond to diversity. This will support organisational quality improvements, innovation and help service growth. We will achieve this by:

• improving access to services
• improved communication
• the provision of care,
• and recruitment and employment.

This Action Plan is aligned with Goodwin’s Vision, Mission and Values, and the Australian Government Department of Health’s Aged Care Diversity Framework 2017. The Plan was developed in consultation with our staff.

The Aged Care Act 1997 identifies groups of people who should be considered in the planning and delivery of appropriate aged care services. Our aim is to consult with these groups.

We treat each resident and client with dignity and respect. We value their identity, culture and diversity.

We promote a culture of safe, inclusive and quality care and services. In December 2019, we developed a Diversity Framework, which was authorised by the Goodwin Board of Directors. In January 2020, we added a Diversity Action Plan to implement the Framework.

Aim

This Action Plan allows the Diversity Framework to be implemented, evaluated and continuously improved.

It will identify strategies and activities to support an inclusive culture that respects diversity and is culturally safe.
 

Objectives

• Foster and create an inclusive care service to ensure our residents and clients are treated with respect
• Promote and increase awareness amongst Goodwin employees and the broader community about specific rights and needs of our residents and clients
• Focus on practical, achievable and deliverable initiatives to improve equitable accessibility to our services
• Enhance communication and reduce barriers to achieve changes in attitudes and practices that are discriminatory towards residents and clients from diverse backgrounds, and
• Meet legislative requirements in regard to treating people with respect and dignity.

Our five priority areas

The five priority areas align with the Goodwin’s Diversity Framework and the Government’s Aged Care Diversity Framework.

Development of the Action Plan

We put our existing governance, systems, processes and service delivery through the lens of diversity and cultural safety, rather than identify standalone initiatives.

We include strategies at the organisational, service and individual levels to ensure respect for diversity is demonstrated across the organisation.
 

Governance

The Goodwin Board, through the Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for promoting the delivery of safe and quality accommodation, care and services in line with the Diversity Framework.

The Executive Team are responsible for the overall quality and delivery of culturally safe care and services, and the implementation and evaluation of the Diversity Framework.

The Action Plan will be continuously reviewed for improvement, successes and achievements.
 

Partnerships

We will continue to build and maintain strong partnerships with local community groups, resident’s associations, cultural and religious organisations, and other diverse groups.

We will foster partnerships with the following organisations:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Liaison Service
• Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care (PICAC)
• DiversityACT
• Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN)