Resthaven Launches Diversity Action Plan
Resthaven has launched its Diversity Action Plan, following the presentation of the operational plan to Resthaven Program Managers in August.
Lynn Openshaw, Resthaven Manager Service Development (pictured), says, ‘We are pleased to launch this plan, after consulting with our community. I
t follows a review completed in 2018, of Resthaven services against the Government’s Aged Care Diversity Framework, which was released in 2017.
‘This framework recognises that due to the lived experiences of many older people with diversity characteristics, there are perceived and actual barriers to accessing aged care services. It provides guidance to organisations in how to address these barriers and become more inclusive.
‘We identified some opportunities to further develop our services, and as a result, Resthaven developed our own Diversity Action Plan.
‘Resthaven’s long standing Diversity Statement, which has guided us for some years, and is included in many of our publicly available documents, states:
‘Resthaven is a richly diverse South Australian community founded on the principles of inclusion and unity, embracing and respecting each person’s beliefs, culture, background, lifestyle, life experience and values.’
‘Reflecting this, Resthaven’s service delivery model responds to each person’s lifestyle preferences and life history, through person centred, individualised assessment, care planning and provision of services; and modelling to our workforce the importance of respecting individual values, cultural backgrounds and life choices.
‘Training in diversity is a key feature of our corporate induction for all new staff.
‘Resthaven’s Diversity Action Plan will be reviewed annually, with outcomes reported to our customers, the Board and managers.’
An operational plan drives actions and delegates responsibilities.
‘There are four Key Areas of the plan:
- Provision of inclusive and responsive services
- Building a responsive, skilled workforce for inclusive services
- Partnerships with diverse communities
- Systems that support inclusive services.
‘Our intention is for Resthaven to become more inclusive, recognising the value and unique individuality of every older person who receives support from Resthaven, as well as the staff who work with Resthaven.’