Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We want One25 to be a place where everyone feels a sense of belonging: where women who street sex work can get the support they need and our teams are empowered to do their best work.

As both a provider of support services and an employer of people, we believe that the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) don’t just strengthen and improve our work – they are essential to creating an environment where people of all backgrounds feel welcome, safe and celebrated.

For us, ED&I is not a list of tasks to complete but a long-term commitment. It’s an ongoing journey of becoming actively anti-racist and anti-discrimination.

As well as the nine protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, we are committed to safeguarding against discrimination based on immigration status, language, caring responsibilities, socio-economic status, and having lived experience of multiple disadvantages.

Our approach to ED&I is reflected in our organisational values.

Compassion: we care

We will respect your unique experiences, whether you are using our services*, a staff member, a volunteer or a supporter. We take an intersectional approach, recognising that different aspects of our identities overlap and shape how we interact with the world – and that people may experience multiple forms of discrimination.

We welcome different perspectives and voices and we value the knowledge and insight that come from lived experiences.

The needs and views of women who street sex work are central to shaping our services and we strive to amplify their voices to a wider audience, using our platform to ensure they can be heard.

Justice: we fight for change

We believe that being ‘non-discriminatory’ isn’t enough. In order to create a fairer society, we must actively challenge discrimination where we see it and work with others to dismantle the barriers and unjust structures that prevent people from living safe, healthy lives.

We strive to create trauma-informed services and working environments, recognising that many people who come into contact with One25 will have had traumatic experiences and that we have a responsibility to reduce the risk of re-traumatisation.

Learning: we grow together

We are committed to listening, having tough conversations, and continually reflecting on the way we work.

We know there is more for us to learn and to do. We recognise that One25 is not representative of the diversity of our community, the city of Bristol or the UK as a whole and we hope our work in ED&I will change this.

"[One25 makes me feel] included, valued, treated well."
- Mary

What does this look like in practice?

Our ED&I working group meets regularly to support the delivery of our Action Plan and we offer regular training for staff and volunteers in ED&I topics.

Recent work

In the last year we have:

simplified our recruitment processes to make them more accessible to applicants with access and mental health needs;
worked with our lived experience group, Bridging Gaps, to create a ‘health menu’ to explain and ‘demystify’ the healthcare services we offer for women;
formed an ED&I ‘champions’ team to organise regular events for staff learning.

Plans for the future

In the coming year we want to:

better understand what prevents women who street sex work from accessing our services and other systems – and share this learning with other organisations so we can work together to remove the barriers.
do more to create an inclusive culture for One25, where everyone can be their authentic self, is supported to learn, and is able to champion ED&I in their work.
increase the diversity of our workforce so we can connect with all communities that need our support.