At Cornerstone, we are proud to have an active Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Steering Group. This group brings together staff, residents, and a board member, to review and advise on our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion processes and progress. EDI falls into everything we do and we are always thinking about the diverse needs of our residents.
The purpose of the EDI Steering Group is to:
Offer advice, ideas, and feedback on the development and delivery
Provide a platform for listening to and gathering views on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion matters
Help us respond effectively to emerging issues and suggestions
Champion key issues, concerns, achievements, and best practices both internally and with stakeholders
Strengthen engagement with diverse groups across our communities
Highlights from the past year
Received a presentation from Inclusive Exeter CIC, which brings together groups and individuals from ethnically diverse communities across the city of Exeter and beyond. We discussed the ways we can work together to support and engage our diverse range of residents and communities and how we can improve communications. This has resulted in promotion of their drop-in surgery to residents, conversations about advocacy at meetings, and one of their involved community members catering our recent community action day.
Completed Equality Impact Assessments of our Repairs Policy and our Anti-social Behaviour Policy, with recommendations made for review or changes where applicable.
Oversaw progress with our Resident Data Project, our resident census.
Took part in an engaging workshop on disability and communications accessibility, which included a practical review of different paper types for ease of reading.
We would welcome more residents to be involved. Please contact us if you are interested.
Disability Employer scheme
We remain committed to becoming a Level 2 Disability Confident employer and have completed the work needed to meet the required standards. During the year, we strengthened our recruitment processes, reviewed key policies and ensured our new website meets accessibility requirements. These improvements will help us create a more inclusive organisation and provide accessible services for residents, colleagues and future employees. We are now preparing our application for Level 2 status.
New website
In December 2025, we launched a brand-new website designed with accessibility at its core. The site meets WCAG 2.2 AA (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards, achieving our target of providing an inclusive digital experience for all users. By meeting key accessibility requirements, the website is clear, understandable, robust, and easy to navigate, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of assistive technologies, including screen readers and other accessibility tools.
Resident census
Throughout the year, we made significant progress in preparing for our resident census, which will take place during 2026 and 2027. Our previous census was completed in 2021, and since the implementation of our new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system in 2024, we have been reviewing how best to collect, manage and use resident information.
During the year, we evaluated a range of survey tools and modules, explored the most effective questions to ask, and developed our approach to maximise participation and gain a deeper understanding of our residents and their needs.
The census will gather information from all residents living in our homes. This is a key piece of work that will help us ensure we continue to deliver fair, inclusive and effective services for everyone.
The information provided will enable us to:
Better understand and respond to residents’ needs
Identify where additional support may be beneficial
Improve how we communicate with residents
Ensure our services are designed and delivered in an inclusive and accessible way
The census will include information such as communication preferences, personal background, health and support needs, financial circumstances, and details about residents’ homes. While some of this information may already have been provided, the census will give residents the opportunity to review and update their details, ensuring our records remain accurate and up to date.
Completing your resident census
Your information helps us provide fair, inclusive and accessible services. If you’ve received a census form, please complete it and return it to us.
