As the professional membership body for all CLD practitioners across Scotland, we want to ensure we offer equal opportunities, prevent discrimination and support under-represented groups across our membership. We have been focusing on developing our work across Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) internally with our ED&I strategy as well as setting clear outcome measures and strengthening our equality impact assessment processes. We have also supported the development of a member led ED&I forum by listening to what you, our members, are asking of us. To continue progressing all equalities work, and to do this well, it essential we also improve our own data systems regarding the monitoring of the diversity of our members and capturing essential data that can inform and shape us as an organisation.
To help us achieve our aims the wonderful volunteers on our Registration Committee have been looking at how best to know and grow our membership, and as part of this we have developed a membership diversity monitoring form. We will be sending this out to all our current members in January 2024 and completion of this diversity monitoring form is voluntary. The collection of diversity information on all our members is essential to enable us to identify where we need to focus our resources on regarding strengthening diversity, as well as assessing the value of particular strategies, and measure our progress. It will also enable us to improve information to support workforce development and professional pathways moving forward. The collection of diversity information from January 2024 with new membership applications also enables us to see the diversity of those entering the profession as well as those members currently practising.
It is essential that we carry out this diversity monitoring exercise to help the Registration Committee identify where we need to strengthen diversity within our membership and raise the profile of the profession. Data gathered will inform our plans for promotional activity and recruitment, specifically around engaging with CLD practitioners from across the protected characteristics, as well as strengthen cultural awareness. Ultimately this will all help us collectively to support the CLD sector, as well as our members, and contribute towards making Scotland a fairer society for all to live, work and volunteer in.
Keep a look out for further information in the New Year as before we embark on gathering this data in January we will provide members with full details of the process for gathering, storing and using ED&I information, including assurances around all data gathered will be anonymous, secure and separate storage and that any information gathered will not be used to discriminate against, harass or victimise anyone but will support the understanding of our membership and help to develop stronger, more diverse CLD workforce.